Amitabh Bachchan terminates contract with a pan masala brand, issues a statement

Amitabh Bachchan/picture courtesy: AFP

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on his 79th birthday on Monday announced that he has terminated his contract with a pan masala brand, saying that he wasn't aware that it 'falls under surrogate advertising'. A statement issued on behalf of Amitabh read: "'Kamala Pasand'... a few days after the commercial was aired , Mr Bachchan contacted the brand and stepped out of it last week. "Upon checking why this sudden move - it was revealed that when Mr Bachchan became associated with the brand, he wasn't aware that it falls under surrogate advertising."

The statement from Amitabh's office further read: "Mr Bachchan has terminated the contract with the Brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion."

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The move comes after the megastar had been requested by a national anti-tobacco organisation to withdraw himself from the campaign, which promoted pan masala, saying that it would stop the youth from getting addicted to tobacco. In September, Big B had replied to a social media user, who asked him why he chose to endorse the brand.

The cine icon had then replied: "If some people are getting benefits from an industry, we should not think as to 'why am I getting associated with it?' If it is an industry, then we too should think of it as our industry. Now, you may think that I should not be doing it, but I get paid for it."

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