Cola brands B'wood's right choice?

Mumbai: Actor Juhi Chawla was the first to star in a Pepsi commercial when the cola brand entered India. Since then cricketers have come and gone but Bollywood has remained the soft dirnk giant’s favourite brand ambassador.

But after the pesti-cola controversy, are cola brands still Bollywood's right choice?

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Wednesday had said that a fresh survey by its pollution-monitoring laboratory had found pesticides in soft drinks collected from plants across 25 states.

With the latest accusations, how do the stars perform their brand ambassador duties? Akshay Kumar, who endorses Thumbs Up, does it by remaining in denial.

"I am unaware of it so I wouldn’t want to comment on it," Akshay Kumar said.

Actor Priyanka Chopra, who's latest Pepsi commercial along with Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, is doing the rounds does it remaining fiercely loyal.

"I've grown up drinking Pepsi and nothing's happened to me. I am perfectly fine! Pepsi is made according to international standards and if the Government decides to ban a product then we will abide by it," Priyanka said.

This is not the first time soft drink brands have fermented trouble.

In the midst of the Narmada dam controversy, when a soft drink giant was accused of polluting the ground water, Coca Cola's poster boy Aamir Khan evaded the issue by promising to investigate the matter.

"I have no problem with the product but if there is a problem in the manufacturing end then I would like to understand the issue first before commenting on it," Aamir said.

Recently when Health Minister Anbumani Ramdoss requested the stars to stay away from soft drink endorsements, actor John Abraham, India's first brand ambassador for diet Pepsi, said, "I understand the Health Minister's views. I respect them. But his request came a bit too late. I have committed myself to Diet Pepsi and am proud to be their brand ambassador."

With public demands for Yeh Dil Mange Pure growing louder it seems the stars may just have to ditch the soft drinks.

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