Amitabh Bachchan, in a recent blog post, revealed that he stepped down as the face of a paan masala brand as he was "unaware" of some of the details. Amitabh Bachchan, who is also a brand ambassador for the pulse polio campaign, was criticised for promoting the paan masala brand. Now, a statement shared on his blog post, which said "From the office of Mr Amitabh Bachchan", read: "Kamala Pasand - a few days after the commercial was aired, Mr Bachchan contacted the brand and stepped out of it last week." The statement added the the 79-year-old star signed the contract with the brand without the knowledge that it categorises as "surrogate advertising": "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."
The statement also revealed that Amitabh Bachchan, after terminating his contract, has returned the money he received for promotional duties: "Mr Bachchan has terminated the contract with the Brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion."
Amitabh Bachchan's statement arrived following a massive backlash the actor received for endorsing the brand. Last month, the National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), an NGO, had reached out to Mr Bachchan, appealing him to not endorse commercials that promote paan masala brands.
In terms of work, Amitabh Bachchan has films such as Brahmastra, Jhund, Mayday and Goodbye coming up. He currently hosts the 13th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati.