Akshay Kumar’s strong stand

In a stern message to the other stars in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar has turned down a lucrative offer to star in a pan masala advertisement even though the makers were reportedly offering him the highest endorsement fee till date.

Stars are increasingly becoming conscious about their brand image — recently Shah Rukh Khan had turned down an endorsement offer from an undergarment brand after a large section of his fans from Kolkata pointed it out to be him that the owner of the company is reportedly accused of abetting the suicide of his son-in-law.

“It is not a question of money, it’s about my values. I can’t endorse anything that I can’t let my children use. I can’t endorse a pan masala or a gutkha even if they promise me the moon,” says Akshay.

Akshay maintains that not only gutkha, he has decided not to endorse the surrogate advertisements of liquor that so many Bollywood and sports stars endorse with much fanfare.

 “I am not against any company or against a brand. But since I promote martial arts and sports, I can’t be seen promoting any brand that goes against the very basic nature of sports. I can’t send out confusing signals to my fans like this. I also have a son at home who is picking up fast what he sees around,” he adds.

Though Akshay has associated himself with cigarette brands in the past, this time even cigarettes is a strict no-no.
“I think when we endorse a particular brand, I am encouraging everybody to use it,” he says.

“ I don’t mind telling people to wear baniyans (incidentally he has been paid a bomb to endorse the hosiery brand) but I will suffer from a guilt feeling if I tell everybody to drink everyday to become successful. I don’t know what others are doing but I can’t, I am sorry,” Akshay adds.