The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued show cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over their advertisement for Vimal Elaichi.

According to a PTI report from Mumbai yesterday, the FDA said the advertisement prima facie amounted to ‘indirect or surrogate’ promotion of prohibited pan masala and tobacco related products.

The FDA said the use of the name ‘VIMAL Elaichi’ in the advertisement appeared to create an association with the Vimal Pan Masala brand. According to the regulator, this could mislead consumers and indirectly promote the prohibited product.

The FDA’s Greater Mumbai division issued the notice on August 11, identifying Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff as brand endorsers of the advertisement.

The regulator said the issue was particularly serious because the advertisement used the same brand identity associated with Vimal Pan Masala.

The three actors have been asked to submit their responses to the show-cause notice within 15 days.The notice seeks an explanation from the actors over their involvement in the advertisement and the alleged indirect promotion of the prohibited product.