Amitabh Bachchan on Maggi Controversy: Watch Your Step With Endorsements

The following content was provided by ndtv.com under their RSS syndication rules and the content wholly belongs to them.

 

With his name cropping up in an FIR for endorsing Maggi noodles, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who promoted the popular snack before Madhuri Dixit, said that he is extra cautious with his endorsements and even has a special clause in his contract to protect himself.

 

A case has been registered against Nestle India in a local court in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh by food regulator FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration), after they found monosodium glutamate and lead in excess of the prescribed limit in Maggi samples they tested.

 

Big B, Madhuri and Preity Zinta have been separately named in an FIR by a local advocate in Uttar Pradesh.

 

Responding to a question on the controversy, the 72-year- old Piku star said, “I did check with Nestle, who make the product, whether this is all right and if they are sure. I even put a clause in my contract where I said that I hope you people defend me, legally, if something happens. I don’t endorse it now because my contract is over.”

 

Mr Bachchan said as a celebrity his name gets dragged into controversies so he has become careful.

 

“Every time there is something consumable, I try to have a look at it because they are always up for a lot of controversies. And, if you are in some celebrity position, then you are bound to get attacked and getting drawn into it,” he told a news channel in a recent interview.

 

“These are some precautions I like to take. I will always be cautious but if there is a question; I refer it back to the question and say look, this is it. Now what do we do and are you going to answer to it? Because obviously, all the attention is being drawn towards me and I wouldn’t like that,” he further added.

 

“But if there is a legal issue and there is an affirmation of the content and if there are authorities that have confirmed that, then you need to look at it differently and stop.”

 

Madhuri, who is the current face of the brand, was first to get Haridwar Food and Drug Administration’s notice for claims made about the nutritional value of Maggi in the advertisement.

 

The 48-year-old actress later took to Twitter to explain that she met with the brand officials.

Like most of India, I have enjoyed Maggi noodles for years. I was very concerned after recent reports and met with the Nestle team (1/3).

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) May 30, 2015

”

Nestle explained that they always place the consumer first and have the highest quality standards. (2/3)

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) May 30, 2015

Nestle has reassured me that they adhere to stringent testing for quality and safety and are working with the authorities closely.

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) May 30, 2015

 

Categories: amitabh bachchan, dixit nene, drug administration, madhuri, madhuri dixit, maggi noodles, nbsp, nene madhuridixit, uttar pradesh

Newcomer Meenakshi Dixit Steps Into Madhuri"s Shoes, Two Decades Later

The following content was provided by ndtv.com under thies RSS syndication rules and the content wholly belongs to them.

 

Meenakshi Dixit, who is making her Bollywood debut in forthcoming political satire P Se PM Tak, said that the experience of shooting for the movie with veteran filmmaker Kundan Shah helped her grow from a heroine to an actor.

 

“Thanks to this experience, I think I’ve grown from a heroine to an actress. By the end of the shoot, I feel I’ve grown as a human being and that my perception towards life, myself and cinema has completely changed,” Meenakshi told IANS.

 

In the movie, which releases in cinemas on May 29, Meenakshi plays the role of a prostitute. She said she didn’t have any qualms of taking up such a role in her debut Bollywood film.

 

She said: “I’d like to believe that I’m a typical commercial cinema heroine and that I always felt I was more suitable for commercial roles. All my work so far in the south has been very commercial. But this was a challenging role. It was something I had not done before and I was only apprehensive thinking ‘Will I be able to carry such a role without making a fool of myself?’”

 

Although it’s a role of a prostitute, Meenakshi said her director presented her “respectfully on the screen”.

 

“For this role, I was made to look five shades darker and had to wear clothes that looked least fashionable; some were even torn. I also had to ruin my Hindi and speak with an accent. Shah-ji never tried to make me look beautiful on screen, but the character I play is by itself beautiful,” she said.

 

Mr Shah had originally written the script for Madhuri Dixit, nearly two decades ago.

 

When asked how she landed the project, Meenakshi said: “His first choice for this script was Madhuri, and he even went to her but the project didn’t materialise. He told me that Madhuri inspires him.”

 

“Whenever he gets stuck with a story or with a particular scene, he’d ask himself how Madhuri would do it if she was part of the project. When Madhuri turned down the offer, he decided to cast a newcomer. He auditioned a lot girls and fate worked in my favour,” she said.

 

What surprised Meenakshi was why Kunadan Shah would risk his project with a newcomer.

 

“I was taken aback by their decision and told myself if I could bag this role, it would be one of the biggest achievements of my career. I prepared well for the audition, which took a toll on me because the process was very intense. I had to audition four times to finally bag the role,” she added.

 

Known mostly for her work in Tamil and Telugu films such as Dookudu, Billa 2, Baadhshah and Thenaliraman, Meenakshi believes P Se PM Tak will show the southern filmdom what more she is capable of doing.

 

“Until this film, I thought I could only do commercial cinema. This opportunity has helped me discover a side of me that I didn’t even know existed before. Southern audiences will get to see my true potential as an artist in this role,” said the actress, who currently has two Tamil films and a Kannada film in her kitty.

 

Categories: commercial cinema, madhuri, meenakshi, meenakshi dixit, nbsp, pm tak, role, shah, ve grown