Bollywood’s Badshah, Shah Rukh Khan has always had a reputation for being utterly candid in his interviews and bluntly stating his opinions no matter the topic. Recently, a throwback video of King Khan addressing the controversy over his endorsement of soft drinks. For the unversed, Shah Rukh was frequently criticised for promoting such products as many argued they were harmful to children in the 2000s. SRK responded to the backlash staunchly as he questioned why actors were condemned for endorsing harmful products even though manufacturers weren’t stopped from making them. He also raised a point about cigarette production during the conversation.
Shah Rukh Khan responds to criticism surrounding cola endorsement by asking authorities not to stop his ‘revenue’
A throwback video from 2006 recently surfaced showing actor, Shah Rukh Khan in conversation with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN. The interviewer told Shah Rukh that many had argued that someone like him should not endorse soft drinks as they were harmful to children. He added that given Shah Rukh’s stature, young kids could easily be influenced by him and consume such products. However, the actor had a powerful response to the criticism as he strongly pleaded with the authorities to ban the manufacture of such harmful products, saying:
“I would appeal to any authority like that. Ban it. Don’t let it sell in our country. If you think it’s bad for children, ban it. Smoking is bad – don’t let production of cigarettes go on in this country. If you think cold drinks are bad, do not let them. If it’s poisoning our people, do not let it be made in India.”