Pan Bahar created a stir recently with its latest commercial starring none other than Pierce Brosnan in his James Bond avatar.
This move was sufficient to send the virtual space in a frenzy which left no stone unturned in trolling the brand — the product as well as the commercial.
Hello, Pan Bahar, says Pierce Brosnan
Proud to Have Mr Brosnan on Board: Pan Bahar
Responding quickly to trolls, Pan Bahar soon issued a statement claiming their product is only a mouth-freshener devoid of any nicotine or tobacco.
As we support our country’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, we are proud to have Mr. Brosnan on board and would like to thank him for lending his image for the short film of Pan Bahar and taking the brand to next level while making it classier with his elegance and style. There is rave on social media regarding the new (ad) however we believe there is lack of awareness about the product that Mr. Brosnan has done a short film for — a Pan Masala (Indian mouth freshener) which has Betelnut, Lime, Catechu, Cardamom seeds, sandalwood oil, and Kewara in it and there is NO Tobacco No Nicotine content in this product.
The statement further added:
Also confirming there is no tobacco product under this brand name... attached (is) the certificate for the declaration of NO Tobacco, No Nicotine from the brand. We need to convey the same to media so that they are aware of the fact before publishing any negative comments.
Tobacco is Not the Only Ingredient to Worry About
However, according to a DNA report, tobacco or nicotine are not the only harmful or addictive ingredients that someone consuming the pan masala needs to worry about.
Areca nut (<em>supari</em>), the main ingredient of <em>pan masala</em>, is extremely addictive. In fact it is in the league of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes to addictive properties. Not only is it addictive, it also causes a high number of cases of submucous fibrosis, which can easily turn cancerous.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Cancer Surgeon at Tata Memorial Centre to <i>DNA</i>
Additionally, the report added that such commercials also stand for other products by the same brand.
Pan masala<em> </em>advertisements simply act as surrogate ads for gutkha<em> </em>companies. They are not allowed by law to advertise gutkha, so they use pan masala<em> </em>ads. Often, the packaging and visual look of the pan masala packets are exactly similar to the gutkha<em> </em>packets.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Cancer Surgeon at Tata Memorial Centre to <i>DNA</i>
As we support our country’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, we are proud to have Mr. Brosnan on board and would like to thank him for lending his image for the short film of Pan Bahar and taking the brand to next level while making it classier with his elegance and style. There is rave on social media regarding the new (ad) however we believe there is lack of awareness about the product that Mr. Brosnan has done a short film for — a Pan Masala (Indian mouth freshener) which has Betelnut, Lime, Catechu, Cardamom seeds, sandalwood oil, and Kewara in it and there is NO Tobacco No Nicotine content in this product.
The statement further added:
Also confirming there is no tobacco product under this brand name... attached (is) the certificate for the declaration of NO Tobacco, No Nicotine from the brand. We need to convey the same to media so that they are aware of the fact before publishing any negative comments.
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Tobacco is Not the Only Ingredient to Worry About
However, according to a DNA report, tobacco or nicotine are not the only harmful or addictive ingredients that someone consuming the pan masala needs to worry about.
Areca nut (<em>supari</em>), the main ingredient of <em>pan masala</em>, is extremely addictive. In fact it is in the league of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes to addictive properties. Not only is it addictive, it also causes a high number of cases of submucous fibrosis, which can easily turn cancerous.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Cancer Surgeon at Tata Memorial Centre to <i>DNA</i>
Additionally, the report added that such commercials also stand for other products by the same brand.
Pan masala<em> </em>advertisements simply act as surrogate ads for gutkha<em> </em>companies. They are not allowed by law to advertise gutkha, so they use pan masala<em> </em>ads. Often, the packaging and visual look of the pan masala packets are exactly similar to the gutkha<em> </em>packets.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Cancer Surgeon at Tata Memorial Centre to <i>DNA</i>
