After Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan’s shocking revelation that he was duped into endorsing Pan Bahar, the Indian pan masala brand hits back saying that Brosnan was made fully aware of what he was getting himself into. In fact, Pan Bahar has also stressed on the point that its product does not contain any tobacco or nicotine. Claiming to be in no violation of the contract it had signed with Pierce Brosnan, Pan Bahar stated that the actor was made aware of the product and its contents.
Pan Bahar manufacturers have asserted that the pan masala contains only betel nut, kewara, catechu, lime, sandalwood oil, and cardamom seeds. The manufacturers rebutted claims of their product containing any tobacco or nicotine. Although chewing of betel quid is also associated with oral cancer itself, Pan Bahar stays strong in its defense. As per health regulations, it was also brought to notice that product packet contains a warning which explicitly states, “chewing of pan masala is injurious to health”.
Earlier, Indians were shocked to with Brosnan’s face flashing across billboards and newspapers on October 7 and ever since, the social media erupted with a lot of negative things to say for Brosnan. The James Bond actor had then in an exclusive interview with People magazine had accused the Indian pan masala brand of deceiving him into doing an advertisement. Brosnan stated that he was originally led to believe that the advertisement would be for a “breath freshener/tooth whitener”. He added that he was left “deeply shocked and saddened” by this after having lost his first wife, a daughter and many close friends to cancer.
“As a man who has spent decades championing women’s healthcare and environmental protection, I was distressed to learn of Pan Bahar’s unauthorized and deceptive use of my image to endorse their range of pan masala products,” he stated in an interview with People magazine. Brosnan said the he felt “grossly manipulated” and had requested the withdrawal of all advertisements that flash his face, promoting the brand. Pan Bahar is yet to comment or work up a strategy to deal with this hurdle, having spent a lot of money on the ads alone.
