Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff have been issued show-cause notices by Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over their appearance in an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi.

The regulator alleges that the campaign could amount to surrogate advertising for pan masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra. Officials said that using the Vimal name and branding could reinforce consumer recognition of the pan masala product, even though the advertisement promotes cardamom.

The FDA has asked the three actors to remove the promotional material from their social media accounts and stop participating in further advertisements associated with the campaign. They have also been directed to provide details of their endorsement agreements and explain their involvement within 15 days.

The notices were issued under the provisions of India’s Food Safety and Standards Act, which restrict misleading food advertisements. Maharashtra authorities have described the action as part of a wider crackdown on prohibited pan masala and gutka products and their promotion.

The controversy has renewed debate over surrogate advertising, in which companies promote a legal product using branding strongly associated with a restricted or prohibited product.

The actors and the company behind the Vimal brand had not publicly responded to the notices at the time of reporting.