Chennai: On Sunday, Aug 13, College students in Chennai shouted slogans and displayed protest placards to actor Aamir Khan, urging him to withdraw his endorsement of Coca-Cola.

Members of Youth for Social Change, the students, Jennie Dolly Antony and Meghna Sukumar, shouted slogans at the Kamarajar Arangam auditorium Saturday night, "Aamir, stop endorsing coke", and "Ganda matlab Coca-Cola". They also held up a placard that read: "Aamir, set an example: Boycott Coke."

The security personnel instantly grabbed the placards and attempted to throw the girls out. Other students from Youth for Social Change, who were seated elsewhere in the auditorium, began shouting slogans. They also held up anti-Coke placards, urging the star to stop endorsing the cola.

At an awards ceremony to commemorate the death anniversary of Gollapudi Srinivas, a director who was tragically killed when he was 26, at which Aamir Khan was the chief guest, a protest took place calling for celebrities to stop endorsing colas.

"We do not want to disrupt the awards ceremony. We wish to not just mourn the dead but also fight for the living," a student said.

"Coca-Cola is bad for health. And celebrity endorsers like Aamir Khan and Madhavan are acting irresponsibly by using their larger-than-life screen image to peddle these dangerous drinks to unsuspecting youth who think it is cool to consume junk food," another student added.

The Centre for Science and Environment in a study found that the colas apparently contain dangerously high levels of pesticide content, a controversy that has been contested by the cola giants who claim they meet all industry and health standards.

The students were in hope that Aamir Khan will withdraw his endorsement. "We are not going after other celebrities. They have never claimed to have a conscience. Aamir has lent his support for the Narmada Bachao Andolan and for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy," a student said.

Originally, the students had sought an appointment with Khan, as they did not want to interrupt the awards ceremony, unfortunately, their request was denied.

"Left with no choice we had to raise the issue inside the hall," a student said. The group is now planning a nationwide campaign to pressurise celebrities to stop endorsing Coke, Pepsi and other unhealthy products.