Akshay Kumar admits doing the Pan-masala ad was a mistake: I could hardly sleep that night

With the theatre release of his movie Selfiee, Akshay Kumar is currently all over the headlines. He is currently promoting the movie and participating in interviews to discuss his journey, his films, and his professional career to date. But, during a recent media interview, Akki discussed the period when he received a lot of criticism for appearing with Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn in a pan-masala ad and explained why he had apologised for doing that endorsement. 

Over the course of his three-decade career, Akshay has sponsored a number of companies, but this was the first instance when he faced significant backlash for working with the company on an advertisement.  The actor has been a part of controversies because of his personal affair a lot of times, but this time he admitted his guilt because he realised he had made a mistake.

Akshay Kumar finally explained to Aaj Tak in an interview why he had apologised to his followers. The Bell Bottom actor shared, “I have made mistakes and I owned up to them also. Like I did that elaichi brand ad. I admitted it was a mistake. That night itself, I could hardly sleep and I was restless. So, I wrote what I had to write and gave clarification.”

Further, when Akshay Kumar was asked in the media conversation if he ever felt that the apology came in a little late, Khiladi Kumar revealed, “I felt it was a mistake. Everyone learns from their mistakes and I learned there.” 

For the uninformed, Akshay Kumar joined the Vimal ad campaign for their elaichi as a brand ambassador alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn, and right away, rumours about Akshay's "double standards" began to circulate. Pan masala is what Vimal is best known for.

However, after the backlash, Akshay Kumar issued an apology on his Twitter handle, and owing to his mistake, he had written, “I am sorry. I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back. I have decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. The brand might continue airing the ads till the legal duration of the contract that is binding upon me, but I promise to be extremely mindful in making my future choices. In return, I shall forever continue to ask for your love and wishes.”