Shah Rukh Khan's paan masala ad triggers Dhruv Rathee’s recent outrage

In Bollywood, image is everything and money flows like confetti. A new moral showdown is brewing now because YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has taken aim at the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan for endorsing a paan masala brand despite his reported 140 crore net worth. It’s the kind of cultural hypocrisy check we’ve been overdue for.

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee questions why India’s biggest star Shah Rukh Khan endorses a harmful product

Dhruv’s point cuts sharp: when you’re already sitting atop a financial Everest, why cash another cheque for selling something that damages public health? He called out the star for promoting a harmful product for what’s rumoured to be ₹100–200 crore, asking the obvious: “Do you really need this money?”

King Khan, of course, hasn’t responded. He rarely does when the critique is moral rather than material. But it’s an uncomfortable question, especially when his onscreen charm sells everything from cars to fairness creams — and also paan masala, that shiny euphemism for slow poison.

Bollywood’s biggest names have long played this game of selective ethics. You won’t find them near tobacco ads, but slap the “tobacco-free” tag on paan masala, and suddenly, the cheque clears and consciences fade. The defence is always the same — “It’s legal, it’s my brand choice, I’m not forcing anyone.” But Dhruv’s jab hits a deeper nerve: if you’re a cultural god, don’t pretend to be a salesman.

At the heart of it, this isn’t about SRK’s finances but his responsibility. His influence shapes what millions consume, literally and metaphorically. And when someone with that kind of sway still chooses profit over principle, it stings. Maybe Dhruv’s rant won’t make SRK drop the deal. But it’s sparked the kind of debate Indian celebrity culture desperately needs — one that asks if success should come with a conscience clause.

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