Actor R. Madhavan to take legal action against wellness brand over unauthorised video use

Mumbai: Award-winning actor R. Madhavan has threatened legal action against a wellness brand for allegedly using a clip from one of his interviews in an official advertisement without his knowledge or consent.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the Rocketry star shared a screenshot of an Instagram Reel posted by the brand, expressing his anger over the misleading endorsement.

Mr Madhavan accused the company of manipulating his past media appearances to make it appear as though he was backing their product.

"This Reel is making it sound like I'm endorsing their product," the actor wrote across the image. "They have just taken a clip from an interview without any permissions and used it as an endorsement from my end. How are the public ever going to believe these people or their treatment? Shame."

In an accompanying caption, he confirmed that his legal team had already intervened.

"What a shame. How do these people and organisations think they can get away with this? You cannot take a clip of somebody’s interview and make it part of your endorsement. Legal notice sent. Please BEWARE of these kind of professionals and organisations," he warned his followers.

The development comes shortly after Mr Madhavan issued a separate clarification regarding a controversial film scene in which he recites a verse from the Gurbani (Sikh scripture). The scene had drawn criticism because the actor appeared to be smoking.

Addressing the backlash, Mr Madhavan stated that the production team had no intention of hurting religious sentiments, explaining that the cigarette had been extinguished before he spoke the sacred lines.

"This is a misunderstanding," he said. "Before saying this line, [director] Aditya Dhar Ji, who takes care of all these things more than me, had told me that while saying this line, you should not smoke. There will be no smoke coming out of your mouth, nor will there be any smoke on the screen, nor will there be a cigarette in your hand because this is very pure and sacred for us."

He added that he holds the Sikh community in high regard and traditionally visits the Golden Temple in Amritsar before every film release.

"In the beginning of the scene, it is possible that I had a cigarette in my hand. But after that... I properly put out the cigarette. Long before my line came, there was no smoke in the scene," he clarified, concluding with an apology for any unintentional offence caused.

(Inputs from IANS)