Thursday, November 5, 2026
- Article
- Comments (0)
Dhoni gutka bestseller at Re1 a pouch
PUJA AWASTHI | Lucknow, June 2, 2012 15:47
Tags : Dhoni pan masala | Sania Bhabhi pan masala |
Tags : Dhoni pan masala | Sania Bhabhi pan masala |
For gutka users in Uttar Pradesh's impoverished Bundelkhand region, Dhoni is all the rage – not the captain of the Indian cricket team – but a pouch of gutka bearing his name that comes for a rupee a pouch.
Bearing the tagline “As pure as gold”, Dhoni gutka has far outstripped all the other brands in sales, even though they are priced at almost twice the others. According to local estimates, the daily sales top Rs 6 lakh.
Needless to say, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is probably completely unaware that he has lent his name to a brand of gutka. Suraj Kumar, proprietor of Suraj Industries, the company which manufactures the brand, provides a rather street-wise explanation. He says, “What is the need to ask for permission? We are giving him free publicity.”
Meanwhile, there are other issues, more grave than unauthorised use of a star's name, involved in this case. The Uttar Pradesh government is considering a strict ban on gutka and paan masala, after a PIL was filed by the Indian Dental Association. Further, the gutka has been smuggled into Madhya Pradesh, a state where the production and sale of gutka is banned.
This however, is not a new phenomenon. In 2006, Dhoni gutka had made its appearance in the cricketer's home state of Jharkhand. But in 2007, the brand disappeared after India’s disappointing loss in the World Cup only to emerge again after India won the T20 World Cup.
Neither is Dhoni the first sportsperson to be thus exploited. “Sania Bhabhi” paan masala, manufactured in Pakistan, sports a smiling image of Sania Mirza and bears the innuendo filled tag line “Taazgi bhara ho ang ang jab ho Sania bhabhi gutka sang” (loosely, freshness is assured with Sania Bhabhi paan masala) is a best seller across the border.
Meanwhile, cricket lovers find this less than amusing. Prateek Singh, student of Konch Degree College, Lalitpur says, “Dhoni is an idol for many. Why should his name be associated with a harmful product?” Well, in a country like India, answers like that are never forthcoming.
Issue Dated: Feb 5, 2017
