We Love You SRK, But You Must Answer for DHFL!

Posted on 19th August, 2025 (GMT 03:30 hrs)

ABSTRACT

This statement calls on Shah Rukh Khan to take accountability for endorsing DHFL between 2015 and 2018, a period when lakhs of small depositors were persuaded to trust the company before its collapse in 2019, which wiped out over thousands of crores of rupees. Citing the Consumer Protection Act, it argues that Khan failed in his duty as a celebrity endorser to exercise due diligence, and demands a public apology, disgorgement of his endorsement fees, penalties under law, and a temporary ban on financial product endorsements. Drawing on his iconic film roles, the appeal frames accountability not as hostility but as an act of love and justice, urging Khan to stand with victims as the true hero he portrays on screen. It ends with a call for public action—signatures, solidarity, and collective pressure for justice.

Shah Rukh Khan… the Baazigar, the Badshah, the King of Bollywood, the face of trust for millions. But today, the very people who trusted your word, Mr. SRK, your smile, your credibility… they feel betrayed.

Between 2015 and 2018, you stood before the cameras, as the Brand Ambassador, telling ordinary Indian citizens that Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited—DHFL—was a safe and reliable place to invest. Lakhs of small depositors—pensioners, senior citizens, middle-class families—put their life savings there, believing you, their beloved Raj, their inspiring Kabir Khan, their fearless Don. But DHFL collapsed in 2019 in one of India’s biggest financial scams— thousands of crores of rupees vanished. And lakhs of lives were destroyed.

And yet, Shah Rukh, do you remember your own dialogue from Jawan?

“sawaal poochho, sawaal karo!”

Mr. Khan, under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, even before its 2019 amendment, you carried a statutory responsibility as a celebrity endorser. Section 2(1)(r) of the 1986 Act defined “unfair trade practices,” which included misleading advertisements. Endorsing a financial product without exercising due diligence fell within that ambit. The 2019 Act only sharpened these provisions—Section 21(5) explicitly mandates due diligence by celebrity endorsers, Section 2(47) redefines misleading advertisements, and Section 89 lays out penalties.

But when you endorsed DHFL between 2015 and 2018, did you ever verify its books? Did you examine its financial health? When the cracks began to appear, you neither withdrew your earlier endorsement nor warned the public. Instead, your image continued to legitimize a sinking ship, deepening the trust that ordinary people placed in a company already collapsing under the weight of fraud.

In Chak De! India, you told your team that seventy minutes can change their lives. But here, lakhs of small depositors lost their entire life’s sixty or seventy years of savings… because they trusted you. In Swades, you returned home to serve your people. Will you return now, to serve the victims of DHFL?

We are not asking for charity. We are asking for accountability—from you, given the sensitive and humane persona you embody. When Mithun Chakraborty realized his mistake in endorsing the Saradha chit or ponzi fund, he returned ₹1.19 crore to the authorities. Will you follow that example? If he can, why can’t you? Will you return the crores you earned from DHFL endorsements to a relief fund for victims? And will you offer a public apology to those whose lives were shattered while you are choosing silence?

In Raees, you said: “Koi dhandha chhota nahin hota, aur dhandhe se bada koi dharm nahin hota.” But Mr. Khan, when that dhandha is built on lies and destroys innocent lives—silence is not daring. Accountability is.

And in Jawan, your character promised the people their stolen rights, and you fought for them as a charismatic hero of social justice. That is what the victims are asking from you now. To stand up, to acknowledge, to help them get back their haq—their rightful savings.

The victims demand: a formal inquiry into your role as DHFL’s brand ambassador by the Central Consumer Protection Authority. A public apology, acknowledging the harm your endorsement caused. Disgorgement of your endorsement fees to support victims. Penalties under the law, as prescribed by the CPA. And a temporary ban on endorsing financial services, so that no other family suffers like this again.

We say all this not because we hate you—but because we love you. You are the world’s fourth richest film actor, but beyond the money and stardom, you are still “our Shah Rukh,” the one who gave us hope, romance, and dreams. That love that you portray on screen is why this call for accountability matters so much.

In My Name is Khan, you said: “My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist.” Today, we ask you: will you say—“My name is Khan, and I will not abandon the victims of DHFL”?

Shah Rukh Khan, the ball is in your court. The victims are waiting. India is watching. Will our beloved King of Bollywood rise to the role of a true hero……not a reel but real hero… or stay silent?

Mission SRK: Hold the Brand Ambassador Accountable in the DHFL Fiasco. Justice for DHFL Victims.

And to everyone watching, whether you are a DHFL victim or not: please like this video, share it, comment with your thoughts, subscribe to this channel, and press the bell icon to stay updated. Most importantly—sign the petition; the link is in the video description box. Every signature counts. Together, we can demand accountability.

Mission SRK: Hold Brand Ambassador Accountable in the DHFL Fiasco! (AN ONLINE MASS PETITION)

 SIGN HERE: https://chng.it/DCxVVJz8bW

This petition demands legal and ethical accountability from Shah Rukh Khan, who endorsed DHFL while it engaged in large-scale fraud. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, he was obligated to perform due diligence — an obligation he allegedly failed. OBMA calls for a formal CCPA inquiry, public apology, refund of fees, and penalties to uphold responsible celebrity conduct in financial advertising. 

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Shah Rukh Khan is not alone in being called out for his association as a brand ambassador with companies linked to the DHFL–Piramal affair. Similar public appeals have also been made by our OBMA to Rahul Dravid and Farhan Akhtar, both of whom endorsed Piramal Group ventures, raising concerns over the ethical responsibilities of celebrities who lend their credibility to corporations implicated in alleged controversies. This shows that the accountability question extends beyond SRK, encompassing other high-profile figures who played a role in shaping public trust in these financial and real estate entities.

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