Pierce Brosnan given show-cause notice over pan masala ad
The Delhi government sent Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan a show-cause notice on Monday demanding an explanation for featuring in an Indian pan masala brand's advert. If Brosnan doesn't reply within 10 days, he could be fined Rs. 5,000 or be given two years jail term or both. Notably, it is illegal to promote/advertise tobacco products in India. Here's more.
The state health department has issued the notice under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, which bans direct/indirect advertising of tobacco products. Other than the notice, the government has also reached out to Brosnan through social media platforms. Though Pan Bahar, the brand in question, claims to not contain nicotine or tobacco in its products, pan masala is a widely-known carcinogen.
The government's move comes a year after Brosnan slammed Pan Bahar for "unauthorized and deceptive" use of his image. In a 2016 interview with People magazine, he said he was told it was an ad for a mouth freshener. "Deeply shocked and saddened," the 63-year-old star had asked Pan Bahar's producers Ashok & Co to remove his image from all their ads.
The face of Brosnan in a pan masala ad had caused a huge uproar in 2016. The Bond star had to issue an apology saying that he could never promote products containing carcinogens as had lost his first wife, daughter and several friends to cancer.
