Art & Entertainment

Akshay Kumar Gives Clarification After Facing Backlash For Featuring In Pan Masala Ad: It Was Shot In Oct 2021, They Can Run It Till End Of Month

Netizens slammed Akshay Kumar for starring in the pan masala ad despite publicly declaring he won't be doing such ads. 

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Akshay Kumar
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Recently, actor Akshay Kumar grabbed the headlines for an advertisement featuring himself, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Devgn. It was shown on television during the Cricket World Cup. Post which Akshay became the target of trolls on social media. Netizens slammed him for starring in the pan masala ad despite publicly declaring he won't be doing such ads. 

Akshay has now responded to it on social media. He took to X (Twitter) to clarify. He tweeted, “‘Returns’ as ambassador? These ads were shot on 13th October, 2021. I have not had anything to do with the brand ever since I publicly announced the discontinuation of the endorsement. They can legally run the already shot ads till the end of next month.”

Last year, after facing backlash from the public for featuring in the ad, in April 2022, the 'Sooryavanshi' actor made a public declaration on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I am sorry. I would like to apologize to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back. I have decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. The brand might continue airing the ads till the legal duration of the contract that is binding upon me, but I promise to be extremely mindful in making my future choices.”

On the work front, Akshay's latest release was 'Mission Raniganj'. The movie is doing decent business at the box office.