'Actors talk about fitness and endorse paan masala': Fans claim John Abraham took sly dig at Akshay Kumar, SRK, Ajay Devgn

Bollywood actor John Abraham is leaving no stone unturned to promote his film Vedaa, which is set to release this coming week. In the upcoming action entertainer, John will be essaying the role of former Indian Army officer Abhimanyu Kanwar, who mentors Sharvari's titular protagonist, in her fight for injustice.

John, who is known for his fitness and healthy diet, is often seen promoting healthy living among youth and often urges people to opt for exercise and diet. John has, of late, grabbed headlines for the statements he has made in the media. And once again, the action has grabbed eyeballs for his recent remark on actors endorsing pan masala.

'Actors talk about fitness and endorse paan masala'

In one of the promotional interviews for Vedaa, John slammed the actors for endorsing paan masala. Although John didn't name anyone, it was clear that he was hinting at celebs doing ads for various pan masala brands.

During his appearance on Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast, John said, "I have no patience for actors who promote health on one hand and endorse paan masala on the other. I would never want to sell death."

He added, "If I live my life with honesty, and if I practice what I preach, then I'm a role model. But if I'm presenting a fake version of myself in public and behaving like a different person behind their back, they'll spot it."

He said, "People talk about fitness, and the same people endorse paan masala. I love all my actor friends and I'm not disrespecting any of them. I want to make it clear that I'm talking about myself. But I will not sell death, because it's a matter of principle. Do you know that the yearly turnover for the paan masala industry is Rs 45,000 crore? You're selling death. How can you live with it?"

As soon as the clip went viral, netizens were of the view that John had taken a sly dig at Akshay Kumar, SRK, Tiger Shroff and Ajay Devgn.

A user wrote, "Special for Akshay Kumar he always give advice to fit."

Another wrote, "No Akshay Kumar was harmed in this clip.."

For the unversed, several A-listers, including Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan, have in the past faced flak for their association with paan masala and gutka brands.

In 2022, Akshay Kumar publicly apologized after appearing in an ad for Vimal Elaichi alongside Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan. He clarified that while he has never endorsed tobacco, he also mentioned that he has stepped back from endorsing the brand. "These ads were shot on 13th October, 2021. I have not had anything to do with the brand ever since I publicly announced the discontinuation of the endorsement. They can legally run the already shot ads till the end of next month," he wrote on X.