Ajay Devgn, SRK, Tiger Shroff, and Amyra Dastur celebrate 'kesari tyohar' in Vimal's latest ad

Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn are back with a new Vimal Elaichi ad, this time not with Akshay Kumar but with Tiger Shroff. Actress Amyra Dastur makes a special appearance in the advertisement as well.

The ad starts with Devgn and SRK stuck in traffic in a small town's narrow streets. They continuously honk their vintage car horn at people simply going about their day. Then SRK says, “Chal ho jaa shuru” and Devgn opens a packet of Vimal Elaichi.

The whole town square gets a saffron shower and suddenly Tiger shows up, throwing saffron at SRK and Devgn. SRK also joins in, gently hitting Dastur with more saffron. The ad ends with Devgn calling Shroff over, all of them getting in the car, and driving away, showing the iconic hand gesture indicating the tagline Bolo Zuban Kesri. The song in this ad is voiced by singer and composer Ankit Tiwari.

After the ad was published, netizens began cracking jokes about it, calling it the Vimal Cinematic Universe (inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe). One fan commented, “Bade Miyan left Vimalverse and Chote Miyan joined.” Another fan joked, “No Marvel, no DC, we're just fans of VCU.”

Dastur's appearance in this ad is also one of the rare instances of pan masala brands enlisting Bollywood actresses. Previously, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Anushka Sharma were seen endorsing Rajnigandha Silver Pearls.

Despite many people being upset about it, paan ads keep getting bigger and bigger. The ads still spark discussion about celebrities endorsing products associated with harmful substances like tobacco.

This blend of humour and controversy underlines the ongoing conflict between celebrity influence and public health advocacy. It prompts questions about the responsibility of popular figures in endorsing products and their obligations to their audience.

Shroff recently appeared in the movie Bade Miyan Chote Miyan alongside actor Akshay Kumar. Before Vimal, he also endorsed Pan Bahar with Telugu actor Mahesh Babu.

Previously, Kumar was also a brand ambassador for Vimal Elaichi. In 2022, he faced public backlash for appearing in a Vimal Elaichi ad alongside Devgn and Khan. He apologised to his fans on X ( formerly Twitter) and announced he would cut ties with the brand. His contract was valid until November 2023. Devgn also faced criticism for his association with the brand but chose to continue endorsing it.

Not only Kumar but also actor Amitabh Bachchan faced backlash after appearing in Kamla Pasand Pan Masala’s advertisements. When he learned that the ad fell under surrogate advertising, he promptly terminated his contract with the brand.

Surrogate advertising is when companies promote products that are banned, like cigarettes, tobacco, and alcohol, by making them look like something else.

Other celebrities who promote pan masala include Hrithik Roshan (DB Siggnature [Dilbagh Pan Masala]), Salman Khan (Rajshree Elaichi), Ranveer Singh (Kamla Pasand), Saif Ali Khan (Pan Bahar), Soundarya Sharma (Vimal Elaichi), Chris Gayle (Kamla Pasand), Sunil Gavaskar (Kamla Pasand), Virender Sehwag (Kamla Pasand), and Kapil Dev (Kamla Pasand).