Actor Yash, who is currently basking in the success of his gangster-action drama, KGF Chapter 2, has reportedly turned down a multi-crore advertisement deal with a paan masala company. This was later confirmed by Exceed Entertainment, the agency that handles the Kannada star’s brand endorsements.
The agency’s Talent & New Ventures head, Arjun Banerjee released a statement saying, “I remember when we became a part of the team with Yash and his long time friend and associate Prashant in March 2020, we created an informal group for communication and it was named ‘storm is coming' that is the belief he is instilled in us, at a time when no one knew when will the filming of KGF2 will complete let alone release and be a monstrous hit.” In the release, he further added that the team is looking for long-term partnerships, where the messaging needs to be correct. He wrote: “At this point, we as a team are looking at long-term partnerships only, whether it’s in the form of strategic investments, endorsements, or equity deals. Recently we declined a double-digit multi-crore offer from a pan masala brand and are going to be extremely mindful of who we associate with. Given his pan-India appeal, we want to use this opportunity to give the right kind of message to his fans and followers and invest our time and sweat with brands that have a conscience, are like-minded, and want to play the long game, just like the man himself.”
Recently, Akshay Kumar stepped down as the brand ambassador for Vimal Elaichi. The advertisement that featured Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Devgn received a huge backlash from the actor’s fanbase. He issued an apology and promised to be ‘extremely mindful’ of his future choices.
Besides Yash Telugu superstar, Allu Arjun, also recently refused a similar produtct endorsement, which led to debates on 'responsible endorsements.'