Amitabh Bachchan Explains Why He Scrapped Contract With Paan Masala

Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 79 on Monday, has stepped down as the face of an advertising campaign of a paan masala brand.

A blog post, addressed by “the office of Mr Amitabh Bachchan”, on Sunday night mentioned that the megastar has returned the money he received for promoting it.

“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. Mr Bachchan has terminated the contract with the brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion,” the post read.

Several fans of the actor had expressed their displeasure over his decision to feature in the advertisement.

The National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), an NGO, had also appealed to Bachchan to not be part of advertisements that promote paan masala brands.

(With agency inputs)