Earlier in the day, a viral news broke out stating that Akshay Kumar has returned as the brand ambassador of Vimal, exactly after a year when the actor received flak for endorsing the famous Pan Masala brand along with Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn. The source of the news being a new advertisement that featured the Mission Raniganj star alongside the two stars. Now Akshay Kumar has come forward with clarification.
Taking to his X(formerly Twitter) handle, Akshay Kumar on Monday shared an article of a news portal. The actor reiterated that he had dissociated himself from the brand a long time back. He wrote, “‘Returns’ as ambassador? Here’s some fact check for you. if by chance you are interested in things other than fake news. 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. Chill and do some real news.”
For the unversed, in 2022, Akshay had stepped down as the brand ambassador of Vimal after facing backlash. The actor apologised to fans for associating himself with the brand as well. “I am sorry. I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi,” the OMG 2 star wrote on Instagram in an April 2022 post.
“With all humility, I step back. I have decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. The brand might continue airing the ads till the legal duration of the contract that is binding upon me, but I promise to be extremely mindful in making my future choices. In return I shall forever continue to ask for your love and wishes,” he added.
On the work front, Akshay was seen in the recently released Mission Raniganj. He has a slew of upcoming movies, one of which is Singham 3.