Controversial Products That Indian Celebs Have Endorsed

It is no secret that celebrities earn a lot of additional money by endorsing certain products and signing long advertising contracts with different brands. However, these brands are not always the best for the reputation of the celebrity in question.

With Akshay Kumar recently being embroiled in controversy over his endorsement of Vimal Elaichi, we thought we could take a look at some of the most controversial products that have been endorsed by celebrities in India.

1. Pan Masala

Vimal is not the only brand that has hired celebrities to do advertisements for their “pan masala” products. From Saif Ali Khan to Hritik Roshan, many celebrities have endorsed these surrogate pan masala products and brands over the years. Some of them have even attracted a lot of negative feedback from their fans, as in the case of Akshay Kumar with Vimal.

However, celebrities as popular as Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan still continue to endorse these products because of the brand reputation and the profit that these celebs will make through the agreement.

2. Real Money Apps

The popularity of real money games and betting apps has just now gone up in India. With more and more internet users signing up to play with real money on rummy apps, fantasy gaming brands, or many popular betting sites used for sports betting, Indian celebrities are being roped in to promote these brands.

Shah Rukh Khan, Virat Kohli, Sunny Leone, Ali Fazal, Virendra Sehwag, and Nargis Fakhri are just some of the celebrities that have endorsed fantasy gaming, real money gaming, or any other kind of betting brand in India. 

3. Fairness Creams

India’s obsession with fair skin has been around for decades now. Only in the last few years has India become woke enough to realize that promoting fairness creams also promotes colorism and racism. This is why the audiences have started disliking when celebrities endorse fairness creams through ads.

Shah Rukh Khan is yet again on the list of celebrities that have been criticized for endorsing fairness creams. So are many other celebrities such as Yami Gauthum and even Priyanka Chopra.

4. Soft Drinks

While Coke or Pepsi are household brand names in the country, actors have gotten a lot of criticism for selling soft drinks through TV ads. Most of this criticism has come from concerned parents who were worried about the impact these celebrity ads would have on the minds of their children, who should be kept away from the harmful effects of unhealthy soft drinks.

Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, and many other stars have received strong criticism for endorsing unhealthy soft drink brands such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

Should celebrities endorse controversial products?

There is no right answer to this question. While it may be true that the behavior of celebrities is emulated in the country, it is also true that people who already wish to buy or use such controversial products will do it, regardless of who is endorsing them.

So maybe we should let celebrities be – after all, they are just human beings looking to make some money!