Bollywood star breaks endorsement deal with tobacco company

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has ended his sponsorship of an ad campaign promoting pan masala, a chewing tobacco product. This decision follows an open letter from a health organization urging the actor not to associate himself with tobacco industry strategies targeting young people.[1].

In an open letter, Shekhar Salkar, president of the National Tobacco Eradication Organization, asked "Big B" to withdraw from an advertising campaign promoting pan masala. According to the oncologist, consumption of this smokeless product increases the risk of developing oral cancer, and the partnership with a movie star could have disastrous health consequences for the younger generations, the tobacco industry's primary targets.

Tobacco promotion banned in Bollywood and India

Following this open letter, Amitabh Bachchan announced that he had terminated his contract with his sponsor Kamla Pasand, an Indian pan masala maker, and had returned the money received through the partnership. In his justification, the actor stated that he was unaware that such a practice constituted advertising. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) guidelines prohibit celebrities from participating in endorsements for products that are legally required to include a health warning in their advertising and packaging. Furthermore, tobacco advertising is not permitted in India: since 2003, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act has banned advertisements related to the production and distribution of all tobacco products.

Personalities, a public relations issue for multinationals

This strategy shows that the tobacco industry relies on the influential nature of personalities from the worlds of cinema, music or sport. However, these figures are now more likely to make public commitments, which may prove incompatible with the interests of certain industries. In June 2021, during an interview during Euro 2021, footballer Christiano Ronaldo deliberately removed two Coca-Cola bottles from the set, before brandishing a bottle of water, posing a clear image problem for the multinational, which had spent 35 million euros to position itself as one of the biggest sponsors of the sporting event.[2].

Keywords: India, Bollywood, Advertising, Amitabh Bachchan

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[1] The Economic Times, Amitabh Bachchan terminates ad contract with tobacco brand, 11/10/2021, (accessed 12/10/2021)

[2] France Info Sport, Euro 2021: Did Cristiano Ronaldo Really Cost Coca-Cola $4 Billion?, 06/18/2021, (accessed 10/12/2021)