Kunal Kohli urges FDA chief to raid homes; jokes about expired kitchen stock

In a playful Instagram post that has already gone viral, filmmaker Kunal Kohli urged Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to turn his high‑profile food‑safety raids into a nationwide household inspection campaign. Kohli, who has been quick to joke about the IAS officer’s recent crackdown on restaurants and roadside eateries, wrote that “I request Tukaram Munde to raid kitchen shelves & refrigerators in Indian Households across the country. There will be expired items, from years ago, neatly & safely preserved, the bottles & packets wiped clean every month & put back on the shelf or refrigerator never to be used again.”

He followed the message with a call for a “Tukaram Munde cleaning” of every kitchen, adding a hashtag and tagging the commissioner’s official handle. The post was shared amid a wave of media attention on the FDA’s aggressive inspections, which have led to the suspension of licences for several well‑known Mumbai eateries and the shutdown of establishments that supply food via online delivery platforms after finding expired products and other violations.

Commissioner Mundhe, who has become a household name in India for his surprise raids on food outlets across Maharashtra, has drawn comparisons to Anil Kapoor’s character in the 2001 film Nayak. His department has been conducting checks at restaurants, hotels, roadside stalls and other food‑service venues, aiming to enforce hygiene and safety standards and to prevent the sale of expired or contaminated food.

In a related development, the FDA has also issued show‑cause notices to Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff. The actors were criticised for appearing together in a 2024 advertisement for Vimal’s elaichi (cardamom), a brand linked to pan‑masala products. The FDA warned that the campaign could be seen as indirect promotion of a prohibited product and gave the actors 15 days to submit written explanations.

While Kohli’s call for household inspections is clearly tongue‑in‑cheek, it highlights the growing public scrutiny over food safety in India. The FDA’s recent actions have brought renewed focus on the need for stricter enforcement of food‑safety norms, both in commercial settings and, as the film maker jokingly suggests, in everyday kitchens across the country.