Superstars Make Ad, Link with Tobacco Draws Ire

PANAJI (IANS) – Goa BJP wants Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan off their Padma awards for featuring in surrogate advertisements promoting tobacco products.

The remarks come in the wake of an ad for gutka with screen space shared by Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn.

Twitter has been ablaze with reaction with most anger aimed at Akshay Kumar who is the poster child of fitness. Moreover, he is seen as the blue-eyed boy of the powers that be espousing its causes and making films that fall in line.

“I have no words to condemn the way Akshay Kumar has joined the gang of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgan to promote cancer through a surrogate advt of tobacco product. Ironically, all these people are Padma award winners,” Goa BJP’s medical cell convenor, Shekhar Salkar tweeted.

“While @PMOIndia is working overtime to make India healthy through Fit India movement, the entire mission is humiliated by these so-called influencers with their surrogate advt trapping the younger generation into tobacco consumption. Do these actors really deserve Padmashri,” asked Salkar.

“People have put their faith in these disgraced, dishonorable actors who have sold their soul and ethics to make money at the cost of minds of innocent youth who emulate them and get adversely influenced and initiated to tobacco consumption,” he added.

Bachchan is the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan award, while Khan, Devgn and Akshay Kumar have been awarded the Padmashri.