Mumbai: On the occasion of his 79th birthday on Monday, actor Amitabh Bachchan announced on social media that he had terminated his contract with a pan masala brand just days after its commercial was aired.

It is learnt that a national anti-tobacco organisation, supported by doctors from the cancer hub Tata Memorial Hospital, had reached out to the actor to ask him to stop promoting pan masala as it is carcinogenic. “Mr Bachchan is the true hero for cancelling the endorsement,” said Tata Memorial Centre professor and oral cancer surgeon Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, who is part of the NGO Voice of Tobacco Victims.

On Monday, Bachchan’s blog carried a statement from his office that said, “...A few days after the commercial was aired, Mr Bachchan contacted the brand and stepped out of it last week.” It further said that when Bachchan became associated with the brand, he wasn’t aware that it fell under the category of surrogate advertising. The money received for the promotion too has been returned, it added.

Bachchan added his reaction, saying, “Some decisions were needed to be made and they have been made and done ... am no longer their ambassador.”

Earlier, during social media interactions, Bachchan had responded to a query by stating he agreed to the assignment because “I get paid,” as do people working in the industry. “We pointed out to him that gutka and pan masala have been banned in 11 states, including Maharashtra. So, in a way, one is promoting poison by associating with it,” said Dr Chaturvedi.

He further said the NGO had reached out to many actors who endorse pan masala or elachis that are used as surrogate advertisements for gutka. “Tobacco cannot be advertised, but there are many products -- such as clothes label, stationery, bottled water or soft drinks and even food items -- made by tobacco companies to promote their brand,” said the doctor. When gutka was banned, sale of pouches of pan masala and smokeless tobacco went up. People bought them separately and mixed them.”