Sunny Deol speaks why he avoids pan masala endorsements: ‘Mera zameer nahi manta’

Sunny Deol has drawn a firm line regarding brand deals, ruling out pan masala endorsements entirely. The actor revealed he’s received offers to promote such products but has repeatedly declined, explaining that it clashes with his own personal beliefs. In a recent conversation, Sunny spoke about how he picks and chooses his endorsements, and why certain high-paying deals just don’t align with what he stands for.

Sunny Deol on rejecting pan masala ads

During an appearance on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Sunny was directly questioned about why he avoids endorsing pan masala brands. He made it clear that his position on this wouldn’t change going forward. “I don’t do pan masala ads and kabhi karunga bhi nahi. I wouldn’t do any of those things. Aatey hai but nahi karunga. I don’t want to do something which I don’t believe in,” he said. He further explained that, in his view, pan masala simply isn’t something he’s willing to endorse, leaving little ambiguity about where he stands on such deals. “Main in sab cheezon ko manta nahi hoon. I don’t think this is a good thing to promote,” Sunny said. He noted that this same reasoning has guided many of his other career choices as well, revealing that he has turned down several offers purely because they clashed with his personal values. “Kitni cheezein nahi karta because mera zameer nahi manta isliye aur jo karni hoti hai voh kar leta hoon,” he added.The discussion also shifted to why Sunny hasn’t been as visible in advertising compared to many of his peers. Despite other well-known actors frequently landing big brand deals, Sunny confessed he genuinely couldn’t explain why he hasn’t received similar attention from advertisers. “If I represent India and I represent the way of everything else, somehow ads don’t come to me. Why don’t they come to me? I have no idea,” he said.

Sunny Deol compares it to a lean phase in films

Sunny drew a parallel to an earlier point in his career when film roles were similarly scarce, saying, “Just like films which were not coming before, I don’t know the same about the ads.” His comments come at a time when the topic of Bollywood stars endorsing pan masala-related brands has been drawing fresh scrutiny. Notably, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration recently sent show-cause notices to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff for featuring in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.

Sunny Deol on the work front

On the professional front, Sunny is currently featured in ‘Batwara 1947’. He also has Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’ in the pipeline, where he’ll be seen playing the role of Lord Hanuman.

FDA issues show-cause notice to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff

Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have been served a show-cause notice by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in connection with their Vimal Elaichi advertisement, which the authority says appears, on the face of it, to be an “indirect or surrogate” way of promoting banned pan masala and tobacco products. What made matters worse was that the ad carried the same branding used for Vimal Pan Masala, according to the notice issued by the FDA’s Greater Mumbai division on August 11. The notice referred to the trio as brand endorsers and asked them to respond within 15 days.