Cuttack: The Odisha State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has halted proceedings against Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan in a consumer complaint alleging that a Mountain Dew advertisement featuring him and Salman Khan misled a minor child into believing the soft drink could enhance physical strength and sporting performance.
The interim stay was issued after the actor challenged an earlier decision of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Kalahandi, which rejected his plea to be removed from the case.
The State Commission has now issued notices to the complainant and PepsiCo, seeking their responses, while it decides whether the case against the actor can proceed at the district level.
The complaint was filed by Deepak Kumar Dubey, a resident of Khariar in Kalahandi district, on behalf of his 11-year-old son on September 19, 2025. Dubey claimed that the television commercial, which showcases high-energy stunts and suggests that consuming Mountain Dew provides extra strength, energy, and victory in races or sports, unduly influenced the child. After watching the ad, the boy reportedly insisted on buying the drink to improve his school sports performance and even tried imitating the stunts. The father argued that such portrayals create unrealistic expectations among children and constitute misleading advertising.
The case, registered in the Kalahandi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, names actors Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan, PepsiCo (the manufacturer of Mountain Dew), and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) as parties. It seeks symbolic compensation of just Re 1, along with a public apology and directions to curb similar misleading ads targeting young viewers.
Roshan’s legal team, including advocates Tirtha Kumar Sahoo and Shubham Satpathy, successfully argued for the stay during a hearing on Friday.
Consumer rights observers note that the case highlights growing scrutiny over celebrity endorsements in India, particularly those that could influence impressionable minors with exaggerated performance claims. Similar complaints have surfaced in other states regarding soft drink advertisements promising unrealistic benefits.
