Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff respond to Maharashtra FDA over Elaichi ad; Shah Rukh Khan yet to reply

Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have submitted their responses to the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in connection with the Elaichi advertisement, while Shah Rukh Khan’s response is still awaited.

Responses from Devgn and Shroff have been received by the regulator.

However, the FDA has reportedly not yet received a reply from Shah Rukh Khan, according to a report by CNN-News18 reported on.

Further details are awaited.

The development comes weeks after Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff were issued show-cause notices by the Maharashtra FDA over their association with the this campaign.

The regulator questioned whether the advertisement could amount to surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra.

The FDA argued that although the advertisement is for an elaichi product, its branding could create an indirect connection with the pan masala brand.

According to the regulator, the visibility of the Vimal brand in the campaign could therefore function as an indirect advertisement for the banned product.

“Upon examination of the said advertisement, it prima facie appears that the advertisement promotes the Vimal brand, which is mainly associated with Pan Masala, a product prohibited for manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale in the State of Maharashtra for a period of one year, with effect from the date specified in the Prohibition Order dated the 13th July, 2026, issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety, Maharashtra State, under Section 30(2)(a) of the FSS Act, 2006,” the notice read.

The notices were delivered to the three actors through different channels.

Devgn was served the notice at his Juhu residence, while Khan received his at Mannat in Bandra.

In Shroff’s case, the notice was sent through his production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.

The FDA action subsequently triggered considerable debate over celebrity endorsements and surrogate advertising.

Despite the controversy surrounding the notices, none of the three actors publicly commented on the matter at the time.

With responses from Devgn and Shroff now submitted, attention remains on Shah Rukh Khan’s pending reply and what further action, if any, the Maharashtra FDA may take.