Sandalwood actor Yash, who rose to national fame through the movie 'KGF', has turned heads after rejecting a multi-crore advertisement deal and the reason for the rejection is that it will make him endorse paan masala. The development has come a week after Bollywood thespian Akshay Kumar had mitigated the controversy by affirming that he will no longer exercise an association with such endorsement of paan masala. 

According to reports, Yash has refused a multi-crore endorsement deal for a paan masala and cardamom brand. Exceed Entertainment, the agency that manages endorsement deals for Yash, has confirmed the news that the actor has rejected the deal. In a press statement, Arjun Banerjee, the head of the agency said, "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 has 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." 

"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 paan 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 which have a conscience, are like-minded and want to play the long game, just like the man himself", the agency added. 

The news has been going viral as the fans are praising Yash for his decision and the development has come a week after Akshay Kumar had apologized for featuring in a paan masala advertisement. He had joined Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan for the promos of a pan masala company, which also sells tobacco products. Akshay Kumar's participation to promote such products had spurred resentment among the fans against him, following which he had announced that he will no longer take such advertisement deals. 

Akshay Kumar has in last week apologized to his fans and asserted that he is spending the endorsement fee for a worthy cause. He added that he will be extremely mindful in making future choices. In a post, he wrote, "I am sorry. I would like to apologize 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."