In 1999, the two brothers decided to go separate ways. Elder brother Vikram Kothari took charge of the stationery and pens enterprise while younger brother Deepak Kothari took control of the pan masala empire, said Saffar.

However, the master Pan Parag commercial which would surely find itself among the classics that played on the telly in its formative days was the one that featured Ashok Kumar and Shammi Kapoor, each holding a tin of the blue and yellow Pan Parag. Interestingly, the two giants of Hindi cinema came together for the first and the last time through that ad. Kapoor once said in an interview that it fulfilled his dream of working together with Ashok Kumar. But that bit of detail fades in contrast to what the message the commercial — which otherwise tried selling a product not for the health conscious — gave out to its customers. Along with its newer ads, the Ashok Kumar-Shammi Kapoor commercial does peep through the small screen at us some times. Menaka says, “Because of the popularity of the Jalal Agha ad, we recreated it with Aman Verma, which was equally appreciated. We are rerunning the Ashok-Kumar Shammi Kapoor ad in different mediums now to create a sense of nostalgia for people.”This is why the IARC has classified pan, both with and without tobacco, as carcinogenic. Although the IARC does not specifically mention pan masala in its list of carcinogens, it goes without saying that pan masala is also a carcinogen given that it contains the same ingredients as pan. Solution – Educate people about the harmful effects of all the other ingredients in pan masala and publicise the fact that the entire mixture is carcinogenic. The alcohol industry in India typically uses this a lot, for example, Bacardi does it by advertising music CDs (the surrogate) to promote alcohol (the actual product) but we all know we don’t go to Bacardi to refresh our playlists. Dinesh Pouches Private Limited is one of the leading companies in the tobacco industry. It is well known for its flagship product "2100" which was launched in the year 1993 by Late Shri Jagannath Ji Malani. The company offers pan masala containing a blend of betelnuts, cardamom seeds, Kesar, kewda, sandalwood oil, lime, catechu, ruh khus, katha and natural perfumes. At present, the company has wide presence in the domestic markets of Rajasthan and Gujarat, with customers and distributors in other parts of India. 2. DS Group

The India pan masala market has several major players, including Dinesh Pouches Private Limited, DS Group, Manikchand Group, Pan Bahar Products Private Limited, Pan Parag India Limited, Red Rose Group of Companies, and Shikhar Group. More information about these companies has been provided below. 1. Dinesh Pouches Private LimitedAccording to a 2015 study, another common surrogate advertising strategy for tobacco companies is to sponsor Filmfare awards, sports events, and various other events as they help with brand recall and build a positive brand image. Vimal Pan Masala’s ad might also be using a surrogate advertising strategy but unfortunately, I have no proof for this. Smoking Cessation Local stop smoking services are free, friendly and can massively boost your chances of quitting for good. These services staffed by expert advisers provide a range of proven methods to help you quit. They’ll give you accurate information and advice, as well as professional support, during the first few months you stop smoking. They also make it easy and affordable for you to get stop smoking treatments, such as: * Varenicline (Champix) * Bupropion (Zyban) * nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches and gum One-to-one and group stop smoking sessions You’ll normally be offered a one-to-one appointment with an adviser, but many areas also offer group and drop-in services as well. Depending on where you live, the venue could be a local GP surgery, pharmacy, high-street shop, or even a mobile bus clinic. Jennifer Percival, who trains stop smoking advisers, says that using both treatment and specialist support is proven to give you the best chance of stopping smoking. “The majority of people who see an adviser will get through the first month after quitting without smoking a cigarette. “Overall, you’re up to 4 times more likely to stop smoking for good if you use a combination of stop smoking… I also wanted to understand why it is so difficult for law enforcement authorities to regulate the use of these products. I realised that the laws are heavily focused only on tobacco and NOT on carcinogens in general which is why companies simply remove tobacco but keep the other carcinogens in. Betel nut is in the same category as tobacco in the list of carcinogens, yet tobacco is the only one that receives all the negative publicity. Dharmendra Chaturvedi, head of the media cell of the Kanpur-based Kothari Chemicals which makes Pan Parag, also remembers the ad but fails to put together his thoughts on the impact it caused nearly three decades ago. He would rather have his CMD Deepak Kothari talk about it, “But he is out of the country. Call later,” says Chaturvedi. The commercial certainly touched a hot social subject then. Fabulous actor that he was, Ashok Kumar played out splendidly the role of an anxious father of an Indian bride, always on the edge when it comes to meeting demands from the groom’s family. That nervous half-laugh of relief towards the end when Shammi Kapoor insisted on welcoming his son’s marriage party with just Pan Parag, weaved into it a vital social truth of the times. Hence, the instant viewer connection. And a high recall value.