These celebs landed in trouble for their brand endorsements
With the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Law approving changes to the Consumer Protection Act, celebrities will now need to think twice before they accept any brand endorsement projects. If passed, any celebrity who is found guilty of appearing in a misleading advertisement will be liable for a jail term of up to five years, apart from a penalty of Rs 50 lakhs.
The whole debate over whether celebrities should be held liable for the products they endorse or not, has been a long drawn one, triggered primarily by actors endorsing products such as Maggi noodles, which have been in trouble. Those who are for a harsh punishment for celebrities endorsing brands which mislead the public argue that, at the position the celebrity is in, he or she should be aware of their responsibilities as a public figure, and the fact that many look up to them.
Having said that, though, a number of our celebrities have been caught endorsing controversial products. We take a look at some who have been in trouble for the kind of ads that they have done:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: When Aishwarya Rai Bachchan agreed to be a part of a new print campaign by Kalyan Jewellers, little would she have expected the backlash it would face on social media. The ad showed Rai looking every bit the royal lady, however, what caused the uproar was that the image was juxtaposed on another one with a small dark complexioned child, standing and holding an umbrella over her. While the ad clearly seemed to show child labour, it also had an extremely racist undertone, with the fair complexioned Rai being chaperoned by a dark skinned child. While Rai’s PR team distanced themselves from the ad stating that the original photo shoot had the actress over a dark background, Kalyan Jewellers issued an apology on their Facebook page, and withdrew it.
Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta: The three actors landed in trouble over their appearance in Nestle’s Maggi Noodles ads. With the noodles in trouble over reports of it containing MSG and lead, cases were filed against the three actors by a UP based advocate. While Zinta had endorsed the brand over 13 years ago, and she took to Twitter, wondering why she was being pulled up for a brand she had endorsed so many years ago, Madhuri tweeted that she had met with the Nestle team after the reports, and the team had assured her that there is no compromise on the quality of the popular snack. Bachchan said that he had stopped endorsing Maggi two years ago and wiould fully cooperate with the law.
Shah Rukh Khan: While King Khan did not land up in any legal trouble over this one, he did face backlash over his endorsement of the men’s fairness cream, Fair and handsome by Emami. In the ad, Khan explains that he became a superstar because he wanted more out of life, and that Fair and Handsome helped him realise his dreams. In the ad, he is shown throwing a tube of the fairness cream to a young man. Amidst an uproar against the fairness cream industry, an online campaign was launched on social websites, change.org and www.avaaz.org, urging Shah Rukh Khan and other celebrities to stop advertising fairness products.
Amitabh Bachchan: Parle’s Kachcha Mango Bite proved too much for the Big B to chew, after a TV commercial which showed the megastar throwing stones at a mango tree landed the actor in trouble. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) ordered that the ad be removed after it received complaints against it for having the potential to be dangerous if children emulate the action of throwing stones at a mango tree.
Genelia D’Souza: An FIR was filed against actress Genelia D’Souza in 2012, on charges of cheating customers through a real estate venture called Anjaniputra Infrastructure, of which it was reported that she was the brand ambassador. Many customers said that they had booked apartments in the bogus project, because they associated it with her. D’Souza replied that she was not their brand ambassador, and that she had just done a one day shoot for them.
Govinda: The actor landed in legal trouble for promoting ayurvedic pain relief balm, Sandhi Sudha Plus, on late-night telemarketing shows on TV. Since he was the face of the brand the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) slapped a notice on the actor, though there were other celebrities endorsing the brand as well. The ad was one among 67 complaints filed by the FDA under various sections of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable advertisements) Act, 1955, demanding action against the drug manufacturers, the actors who endorsed the brands, the script writers and the television channels which aired them, for misleading people. Govinda claimed his innocence and said that he was unaware of the law.
MS Dhoni: The ace cricketer was issued a non-bailable warrant by a local court in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh for appearing in a magazine cover of Business Today, in April 2013, depicting him as Lord Vishnu. In the cover, Dhoni’s picture was morphed to depict Lord Vishnu, with various hands holding different products such as a packet of Lays, Boost, a shoe, and a bottle of Pepsi. Criminal proceedings had been filed against the cricketer from various parts of the country for hurting religious sentiments. Dhoni, however denied posing for any such photo, and said that the magazine had featured it without his knowledge or permission. A criminal case against him, pending before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Bengaluru was quashed by the Supreme Court, in September this year.
