NEW DELHI – Former 007 star Pierce Brosnan has been asked to explain whyhe features in a commercial for an Indian mouth freshener linked to chewingtobacco, Delhi authorities said Wednesday.

Health officials in the Indian capital said they had issued a show causenotice requiring Brosnan justify his starring in a James Bond-style addating back to 2016 for pan masala — a mixture of betel nut, spices andsometimes tobacco.

The adverts for Indian TV channels, newspapers and billboards showed abearded Brosnan grappling with villains and flirting with beautiful womenbefore revealing a can of pan masala, a twist that invited ridicule at thetime.

But local authorities remain less than impressed, insisting the ads arestill at large and warning the 64-year-old Irish actor he could beviolating Indian laws against tobacco advertising.

“We saw Pierce Brosnan s posters advertising Pan Bahar (a pan masala brand)at tobacco shops in Delhi in the last fortnight,” S.K Arora, a healthdepartment officer with the Delhi government, told AFP.

Arora said authorities had reached out to Brosnan through Pan Bahar, thepan masala company in question and “even directly on his Twitter account”– but had not heard back.

Brosnan could face a fine of 5000 rupees ($78) or up to two years in jailif he did not answer within 10 days, Arora added.

The makers of Pan Bahar insist their product does not contain nicotine, butmany pan masala mixtures in India designed to freshen breath and aiddigestion contain tobacco along with pastes, areca nut and spices.

Arora said chewing tobacco had been linked to cancer and millions ofIndians chewed pan masala every day. The distinct mixture leaves lurid redstains on the mouth after being chewed or when it is spat out. APP / AFP