Bond in trouble: Pierce Brosnan asked to explain 'Pan Bahar' advert
Indian law prohibits advertisements of tobacco products. Photo: NDTV
(Web Desk) – Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan, best known for having played James Bond, has been asked by Indian authorities to explain why he was in an ad for Pan Bahar – a ‘local mouth freshener’ which is largely associated with an addictive form of chewing tobacco.
Indian law prohibits advertisements of tobacco products.
In case Brosnan fails to respond within 10 days, he could be fined INR 5,000 rupees or sentenced to jail for two years, reported the BBC. But the report also added that it was unclear how this can be enforced if Brosnan fails to reply.
The former Bond actor had condemned the “un-authorised” use of his image in the ad for Pan Bahar in 2016, when it first appeared.
“We have issued the notice to Pierce Brosnan through the company, and also reached out to him via social media platforms,” officials from Delhi s health department told the Indian Express.
Brosnan told People magazine that the contract was to advertise a single product - a “breath freshener/tooth whitener” that contained no “tobacco” or any “harmful ingredient”, reported the BBC.
Ashok & Co, the company that produces Pan Bahar, told the BBC in 2016 that there was no tobacco or nicotine in the product. The product is consumed by millions of people, who get addicted to its mildly psychotropic effects.
Both pan masala and gutka have been linked to cancer, with many Indian states banning their sale and running campaigns to discourage people from buying them.
