MAM
Oil’s well that ends well: Akshay Kumar champions health
MUMBAI: It’s the greeting that oils the wheels of Indian conversation: “Kaise ho? Sab theek?” Before you can say “cup of chai”, someone’s checking if you’ve eaten, how your mother is doing, and whether that nagging cough has cleared up. Health isn’t just small talk in India, it’s the entire conversation starter pack.
Fortune Refined Soybean Oil has bottled this cultural truth in its latest campaign, with Akshay Kumar playing the concerned friend who cares about your wellbeing before getting down to business. The film captures what anyone who’s visited an Indian household knows, you’re getting a health check-up whether you asked for one or not.
“In India, asking about someone’s health is not a formality, it’s a language of love,” explains AWL Agri Business Ltd. joint president of sales and marketing Mukesh Mishra. The company wants Fortune positioned not just as cooking oil, but as “a silent caretaker in every home.”
The campaign’s tagline cuts through the clutter, “Jab Sehat Badhiya, Toh Sab Badhiya” (When health’s great, everything’s great). It’s difficult to argue with that logic, particularly when the message comes wrapped in the kind of everyday scenarios that feel like watching your own family’s WhatsApp status updates.
Ogilvy South chief creative officer Puneet Kapoor, says the team aimed to reflect “one of the purest forms of care” without getting preachy. They’ve succeeded in creating something that feels less like an advert and more like a gentle nudge from a favourite aunt.
Fortune’s pitch rests on its Nutri 5 formula, which promises five health benefits: better eyesight, stronger bones, healthy cholesterol levels, antioxidants, and improved immunity. Whether these claims hold up in your kitchen is between you and your doctor, but the brand certainly knows how to speak the language of health-conscious Indian families.
As India’s number one refined soybean oil brand, Fortune reaches one in three Indian households, roughly 123 million families. That’s a lot of kitchens, and a lot of conversations starting with “Kaise ho?”
The new campaign arrives at a time when Indians are increasingly mindful about what goes into their meals. Fortune is banking on the idea that health begins where most family decisions are made: around the kitchen table, with someone asking if you’ve been eating properly.
And really, isn’t that just the most Indian thing ever?
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
