A lot of celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff among others have been trolled for endorsing Pan Masala brands. There are several other actors who have rejected multi-crore deals on moral grounds. Weighing in his two cents on the long-running debate, actor John Abraham who will next be seen in Vedaa recently slammed his contemporaries for promoting Gutka brands. Here's what he said.?
John Abraham who appeared on Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast said that some of the people who talk about fitness are seen endorsing pan masala. Saying that he is not disrespecting anyone and only talking about himself, he said, "I will not sell death, because it's a matter of principle." Adding facts to the debate, he asked, "Do you know that the yearly turnover for the Pan Masala industry is Rs 45,000 crore? Which means that even the government is supporting it, and that¡¯s why it isn¡¯t illegal"
He continued, "You¡¯re selling death. How can you live with it?" As he said this he made it clear that he is not criticising his colleagues but he is only speaking about himself and his own beliefs.?
Allu Arjun, best known for his role in?Pushpa?was reportedly offered Rs 10 crores to promote a pan masala brand. Kartik Aaryan was reportedly offered Rs 15 crores. KGF actor Yash was also offered multi-crores to endorse a pan masala brand. All of these actors, however, rejected the offers on moral grounds. Akshay Kumar who advertised Vimal Elaichi had apologised to fans after getting massively trolled. Amitabh Bachchan had also terminated his contract with Kamala Pasand and returned his promotion fee after realising it was surrogate advertising.?
Ajay Devgn was once asked about promoting Pan Masala brands when he said that he was only promoting Elachi. "I would say it without naming it because I don't want to promote it; I was doing elaichi. What I feel?is more than advertisements, if certain things are so wrong, then they should not be sold".
What are your thoughts on John Abraham's statement? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also Read:?People Troll Mahesh Babu For Endorsing Pan Masala After Saying 'Bollywood Can't Afford Me'
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