Celebrity advertising is fun; who take celebrities all that seriously?

If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Haridwar believes that Madhuri Dixit really cooks two-minute noodles for her ‘family’, it should grow up. While celebrities should, indeed, be careful of what they endorse, does any consumer seriously believe their favourite celebrity champions anything more than their own bank balance when they appear in commercials? Indeed, if other credulous government watchdogs — not to mention concerned private individuals — decide to hold all celebrity endorsers to their word, life will become very difficult indeed. Even inventors and marketers would falter if asked to explain in cold detail the nearmagical properties of chips and colas, underwear and deodorants, air-conditioners and detergents, diapers and fairness creams so enticingly portrayed in advertisements.

Aresponse in person by Dixit, of course, would be a considerable divertissement for the FDA — even if that is not the intention of the notice, as some suspect. Hopefully, the FDA and other official regulators will not be emboldened to advocate caveat emptor disclaimers be prominently displayed before each commercial — or, worse, decree their replacement by wholesome science lessons. In any case, other celebrities had better bone up on their facts quickly in anticipation of imminent copycat directives.