The Adanis are temporarily halting an advertisement in which Sourav Ganguly promotes Fortune rice bran cooking oil for a healthy heart.

The decision came after Sourav suffered a mild heart attack and it coincided with barbs at the endorsement on social media.

Angshu Mallick, deputy CEO of Adani Wilmar, said in a statement that the company had not dropped Sourav as the brand ambassador of Fortune rice bran cooking oil.

“We shall continue to work with Sourav and he will continue to be our brand ambassador. We have only taken a temporary break in our TV commercial till we again sit with Sourav and take things forward. This is a very unfortunate incident and can happen with anyone,” he said.

“Recently, we heard about a senior IT executive who collapsed on the treadmill while exercising. Does that mean treadmill is bad?” Mallick asked.

Sourav was appointed the brand ambassador in January last year and Ogilvy & Mather was the creative agency for the brand.

Mallick defended rice bran oil. “Rice bran oil is one of the world’s most healthy oils. It contains natural antioxidants. Rice bran oil is not a medicine but only a cooking oil. There are several factors which affect heart ailments, including dietary and hereditary issues,” he added.