Cricketers Virender Sehwag and Sunil Gavaskar have recently appeared in the Kamla Pasand Pan Masala ad during IPL 2023
Due to the potential for harmful health effects from their consumption, the promotion of pan masala and alcohol has been a contentious issue in India. While alcohol consumption is linked to alcohol addiction and related health issues, pan masala, a mixture of betel nuts, tobacco, and other ingredients, has been linked to a number of health issues, including oral cancer.
Cricketers Virender Sehwag and Sunil Gavaskar promote Kamla Pasand Pan Masala with ad
Dear Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag, You both are cricket legends, but promoting pan masala? That's a googly we didn't see coming! Don't get stumped by the lure of money, and please don't let cancer bat in your team. Let's play a healthy match without any harmful habits on… pic.twitter.com/tdVCNkQVCt
— N I K H I L (@nikhilkalavale) April 29, 2023
Now Sunil Gavaskar and Virendra Sehwag are promoting pan masala pic.twitter.com/ADjTL50UBB
— Akshat Raghav (@akshat_raghav3) April 29, 2023
Despite this, we always see advertisements for Pan Masalas on our screens. Not only this, but also many popular celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and many others are spotted advertising pan masalas occasionally.
Although cricketers in India have traditionally steered clear of endorsing products like pan masala, it appears that some of them have recently ventured into promoting such products through advertising.
Cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag advertised pan masala during the game
The Pan Masala brand Kamla Pasand recently roped in two former Indian cricket players for their advertisement during the live streaming of IPL 2023. They were Virender Sehwag and Sunil Gavaskar, two cricketers who were well-known for their wit and simple lifestyles.
As cricketers are not typically known for endorsing Pan Masala products, this has generated a lot of discussion on social media. Many people have voiced their disapproval and questioned the veracity of the cricketers’ endorsement, as well as whether or not they actually use the product.
Many also hypothesized that if they do not actually consume pan masala, it means that all this is just for money.
Cricketers are not the first ones to receive criticism for appearing in Pan Masala ads
While Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag were severely criticized for appearing in Pan Masala advertisements, it is important to remember that many other celebrities also met with the same fate.
Prior to this, Amitabh Bachchan had promoted Kamla Pasand, for which he received a lot of backlash on social media. As a result, Big B also had to apologize to his followers. Apart from this, actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar received criticism for sharing a scene in an advertisement for Vimal, a different pan masala company.