Hrithik Roshan faces criticism for lack of diligence for endorsing \'Jolly Tulsi 51\'

Mumbai: Actor Hrithik Roshan has been found to have done no due diligence while endorsing Jolly Tulsi 51, a healthcare brand, that has been found to be making misleading claims. "There was no evidence provided to show that the celebrity (Roshan) did due diligence prior to the endorsement, to ensure that all descriptions, claims and comparisons made in the advertisement are capable of substantiation," a statement from Advertising Standards Council of India said.

ASCI, a self-regulatory body of the industry, said the brand's claim of increasing immunity and protection from diseases "was not substantiated with robust clinical evidence of product efficacy and is misleading". The advertiser, promoting ayurvedic liquid extracts of five types of tulsi oil for increasing immunity and protection from diseases; did not provide product specific details, it said. Companies in the education sector lead a list of those indulging in misleading advertising for the months of August and September, the Advertising Standards Council of India said on Thursday. This is followed by the healthcare and then the personal care sectors, data revealed by the self-regulatory body said. The education sector accounted for a majority 259 of the 344 misleading advertisements, an official statement said.

In the education sector, C L Educate and Kish Academy were specifically identified as the wrongdoers for making exaggerated claims and also ASCIs Guidelines for Advertising for Educational Institutions and Programs. In the healthcare sector Starkey Laboratories India and TA Majeed's Fair Pharma were found to be misleading by exploiting consumers lack of knowledge and could lead to widespread disappointment in the minds of consumers, it said. "Consequences of misleading advertising are grave, not only for the public but also for advertisers as it damages their reputation and breaks consumers trust in their products," ASCI chairman Rohit Gupta said.