Mukesh Khanna has worked on popular television shows like Shaktimaan and Mahabharat. Recently, the actor strongly criticised Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar for endorsing pan masala products. He even stated that he scolded Kumar for promoting gutka as he is a ‘health-conscious’ person.
Speaking to Bollywood Bubble, Mukesh said, “Mere ko kaho toh, pakadke maarna chaiye. I even scolded Akshay Kumar He says, ‘Aadab,’ and then there’s Ajay Devgn, and now even Shah Rukh Khan has started. They spend crores of rupees on these ads, and what are they teaching people? They say, ‘We only promote paan masala, not tobacco,’ but it’s the same thing—gutka is being sold under the same brand name. Everyone knew that the Kingfisher bottle ad was actually promoting Kingfisher beer. This is called deceptive advertising.“
Further, Mukesh questioned the actors and asked, “Why do these people do this? Do they not have enough money? I’ve spoken up about this before; I said, ‘Don’t do it, sir. You already have plenty of money.'”
He said that crores of rupees are spent on these advertisements, where they show colourful ads and promote kesariya zubaan (saffron-coloured tongue) while on the other hand, they are teaching people to consume gutka.
Mukesh said that in his life, he has never promoted cigarettes, paan, or any harmful product. Even after being offered huge amounts of money, he has always refused.
“And I say to all the big actors, people look up to you and imitate you. Please don’t do this. You have such a huge influence; whatever you do, people will say, If they do it, why shouldn’t I?'” Khanna added.
