"Wasn't Aware It Falls Under Surrogate Advertising": Amitabh Bachchan on terminating pan masala contract

Amitabh Bachchan has terminated his contract with a pan masala brand. Big B was the face of the brand. The official statement has revealed that he was unaware of the ad falling under the "surrogate" advertising category. He has also returned the fee that was paid to him for the promotion of the brand. Big B made the announcement in his blog post.

The official statement

The statement read - "From the office of Mr Amitabh Bachchan" and addressed the topic. It further 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 Mr Bachchan has terminated the contract with the Brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion."

When fan questioned Big B

Last month, a fan had asked Amitabh Bachchan why he promotes the brand. To which, Big B had said, "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."

It has been reported that a few days back, a letter had been sent to Amitabh Bachchan and the President National Organization For Tobacco Eradication. "As an oncologist and member of an NGO working in the field of tobacco cessation, I am aggrieved and provoked to wage war against the dubious measures, such embellishment done by various influential and famous Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and Hrithik Roshan, leading to increased tobacco use among students," the letter read.