I&B Ministry's latest directive could hit Shah Rukh, Ajay, Akshay hard, here's how

When actor Pierce Brosnan associated with a pan masala manufacturer, little did he know he’d receive brickbats instead of bouquets. As soon as the advertisement released, there was massive outrage over the man who plays James Bond endorsing a product that is known to have carcinogenic ingredients.

Pierce was quick to denounce the advertisement by expressing his shock and claiming that his image was deceptively used. This was in late 2016 and after expressing his “heartfelt apologies”, the actor seems to have moved on.

But the issue is not quite settled it seems. Sources from the Information & Broadcasting Ministry say the Ministry intends to clamp down heavily on celebrities endorsing alcohol and nicotine products. “Censor certification of carcinogenic products like cigarettes, alcohol and paan masala is forbidden by law. Endorsing such products will also be banned soon,” says the source.

Well, Bollywood’s A-list celebrities Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Manoj Bajpai and Rajneesh Duggal, seen endorsing pan masala and gutka in advertisements, would do well to be cautious now.