Celebrities endorsing harmful products is incorrect, says Akshay Kumar

Actor Akshay Kumar has said that the audience must understand which celebrity they should follow while imitating in their personal lives.

The actor was at the launch of an anti-cancer product called Svarn Sathi, a nutraceutical, under the central government's Swasth Bharat initiative on Saturday (2 June) in Mumbai.

"I think audience also must understand whom to follow and whom not to follow. I feel endorsing harmful product or service is incorrect. I would urge them not to endorse such things because people look up to them and imitate them so, I hope people get this message clear and straight and they will stay away from these products," Akshay said of celebrities in the film industry endorsing products that are injurious to health, like alcohol and tobacco.

Hindi film artistes, like Ajay Devgn, Gulshan Grover, Paresh Rawal, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra, among others, have over the years appeared in advertisements promoting alcohol, pan masala and other products.

Later, the Pad Man actor also posted a message on his official twitter account, writing, "I'm always for health and all things healthy. Glad to associate with Svarn Saathi, anti-cancer product made with active natural ingredients in the right composition which helps counter the ill-effects of bad habits like smoking, alcohol and tobacco."

When asked if he would recommend the product to his friends in Hindi cinema, Akshay said, "Yes definitely.. Whether it is friend or enemy, Svarn Sathi is made for everyone. I hope people will use it. I think it's very beneficial and a good thing. It fights with harmful elements which are in our body. In fact, I will gift this product to my friends as a Diwali gift."

On work front, Akshay will be next seen in Reema Kagti's sports drama Gold, followed by S Shankar's multi-lingual science-fiction film 2.0 alongside South superstar Rajinikanth.