'Rocking Star' Yash is the talk of the nation after the stupendous opening his KGF: Chapter 2 took when it was released on April 14. Directed by Prashanth Neel under the Hombale Films banner, the mass period action drama had the Kannada superstar reprising his role as Raja Krishnappa Bairya aka, Rocky after he took the country by storm in 2018 in KGF: Chapter 1. With KGF 2 already a phenomenal box office success and reports indicating that the film is headed to hit the landmark 1000 crore mark in worldwide collections, an official statement from Exceed Entertainment has now been issued stating that Yash has declined an endorsement deal worth crores for a paan masala and cardamom brand.
Yash's decision has come weeks after Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar issued an apology when he was featured in a paan masala brand advertisement. Arjun Banerjee, the head of the talent management agency Exceed Entertainment, said in a press release, "I remember when we became a part of the team with Yash and his long time friend and associate Prashant in March 2020, we created an informal group for communication and it was named ‘storm is coming' that is the belief he is instilled in us, at a time when no one knew when will the filming of KGF2 will complete let alone release and be a monstrous hit."
Mr. Banerjee further added, "At this point, we as a team are looking at long-term partnerships only, whether it’s in the form of strategic investments, endorsements, or equity deals. Recently we declined a double-digit multi-crore offer from a pan masala brand and are going to be extremely mindful of who we associate with. Given his pan-India appeal, we want to use this opportunity to give the right kind of message to his fans and followers and invest our time and sweat with brands that have a conscience, are like-minded, and want to play the long game, just like the man himself."
The news of Yash refusing the endorsement comes a few days after Akshay Kumar opted his way out of being associated any further with the paan masala brand. He was seen alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn in the promos of Vimal's cardamom products, which is also known for selling tobacco products. Akshay had last week issued an apology note to fans and added that the fees from the endorsement will be used for a worthy cause.