New Delhi: After his appearance in a surrogate advertisement of Pan Bahar, a pan masala brand, Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan has stated that he was "cheated" by the company which kept him in the dark about the "hazardous" nature of the product.
"In a written reply to the Delhi State Tobacco Control Cell, the actor stated that he was cheated by the company as the latter did not disclose the hazardous nature of the product and other terms and conditions of the contract of advertisement," Additional Director (Health) SK Arora said.
The Delhi government had recently issued a show-cause notice to Brosnan and asked the pan masala group why appropriate punitive action be not initiated against its directors and office-bearers.
According to The Indian Express, an official said that if Pierce Brosnan did not respond to the showcause notice filed against him by the Delhi government then he could face a fine of Rs 5,000 or two years in prison.
"In his reply to the legal notice, (Pierce) Brosnan also said that his agreement with the company was over and he was ready to extend all kinds of support and cooperation to our department against such campaigns.
"He has given an undertaking in writing that he would never assist any company with regard to promotion of such products or other such harmful products in future," Arora said.
The official appealed to all celebrities and mass media agencies to not indulge in surrogate advertisements of tobacco in the name of pan masala, tea, ilaichi or other goods as these are prohibited under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.
"Celebrities must realise their responsibility towards society, especially the youngsters who treat them like God and follow them blindly. Such advertisements influence the minds of youngsters adversely," he said.
Brosnan had earlier said his contract stated that he was to advertise a “breath freshener/ tooth whitener” and that he was shocked by the deceptive use of his image in the ‘paan masala’ brand’s advertisement.
The actor said, “Having endured, in my own personal life, the loss of my first wife and daughter as well as numerous friends to cancer, I am fully committed to supporting women's healthcare and research programs that improve human health and alleviate suffering.”
Brosnan starred in a James Bond-style spoof commercial for Paan Bahar, a brand of paan masala - a product meant to refresh the palate and aid digestion - in 2016.
The ad, seen on Indian TV channels, newspapers and billboards, sees Brosnan play a Bond-like hero, grappling with villains, flirting with women and driving a high-end sports car.
It ends with the actor revealing that his 'secret weapon' hidden in his tuxedo is a jar of ‘Paan Bahar’.
The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act, 2003 bans all kinds of direct and indirect advertisements of tobacco products.
