Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Saturday, 26 September 2026, stated that celebrities and advertisers carry a direct responsibility to ensure the products they endorse do not compromise public health — lending official regulatory weight to President Droupadi Murmu's recent appeal to film personalities to stop promoting health-harmful substances. Mundhe made the remarks at Karnavati University in Gandhinagar, during his first visit to Gujarat.

What President Murmu Said

President Murmu had addressed successful film artists at the 72nd National Film Awards held at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on 22 September 2026, urging them to promote a disciplined lifestyle and refrain from endorsing products harmful to health. She specifically highlighted the outsized influence popular artists wield over children and young people.

The Legal Framework Already Exists

Commissioner Mundhe was categorical that the problem was not a gap in law but a deficit in enforcement. He cited Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which restricts misleading advertisements and claims related to food. He also referenced the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, part of the regulatory framework administered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

For the pharmaceutical and drug space, Mundhe pointed to the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, colloquially referred to as the MDR Act. 'It also prevents claims about purity or magical remedies; this will be done, this will be cured,' he said, paraphrasing the Act's prohibitions.

'The acts do exist, rules do exist; what we need to do is implement them and implement them very, very stringently,' Mundhe said.

Action on Vimal Elaichi Advertisement

Mundhe's remarks came against the backdrop of the Maharashtra FDA issuing show-cause notices in August to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff in connection with a Vimal Elaichi advertisement — a case that brought celebrity endorsement liability into sharp national focus.

The commissioner underscored that regulatory action was already under way under existing provisions, and that the absence of new legislation was not a constraint.

Moral Accountability Beyond the Law

Beyond legal compliance, Mundhe argued for an ethical standard that applies to every endorser and advertiser. 'Ethically and morally, everybody, every citizen, every endorser, every advertiser has a responsibility if they don't act just in the commercial interest,' he said.

He added: 'People of India are not because of somebody. So, we as a nation need to practise what is right, which is correct, which is ethically also correct.' Public health, Mundhe stressed, must remain central to all decisions involving food, drugs and advertising — and celebrities cannot be treated as exempt from the legal and ethical standards that apply to everyone else.

What Happens Next

With show-cause notices already served and the Maharashtra FDA signalling stricter implementation, the question of celebrity endorsement liability is likely to draw further regulatory and legislative attention. Industry observers note that this is the first time a sitting FDA commissioner has publicly aligned with a presidential appeal on the subject, potentially raising the political salience of enforcement action.