Amitabh Bachchan has withdrawn from the advertising campaign for a paan masala brand and has said that he returned the money he received for promotions. Bachchan decided to end his association with the brand saying that he wasn’t aware that it was ‘surrogate advertising’.
Amitabh Bachchan wrote in his blog, “Some decisions were needed to be made and they be made and done .. have cancelled, with immediate effect, my endorsement contract with Kamla Pasand , returned the money they paid and am no longer their ambassador .. letter of my termination and the cheque sent back to their agent by mail and courier. (sic)"
A note, attributed to Amitabh Bachchan’s office read, “A few days after the commercial was aired, Mr Bachchan contacted the brand and stepped out of it last week. Upon checking why this sudden move, it was revealed that when Mr Bachchan became associated with the brand, he wasn’t aware that it falls under surrogate advertising.”
“Mr Bachchan has terminated the contract with the Brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion.”
In an open letter to Bachchan, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) President Shekhar Salkar, had urged the actor to not promote paan masala brands to support the anti-tobacco movement.
“As an oncologist and member of an NGO working in the field of tobacco cessation, I am aggrieved and provoked to wage war against the dubious measures, such embellishment done by various influential and famous Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and Hrithik Roshan, leading to increased tobacco use among students,” the letter had stated, according to TOI.
On the career front, Amitabh Bachchan was last seen in Chehre with Emraan Hashmi. He is set to star in Ajay Devgn’s Mayday, and Vikas Bahl’s Goodbye with Neena Gupta. Bachchan, who turns 79 today, is also hosting the quiz reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati 13.
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