FORMER 007 STAR Pierce Brosnan has sparked ridicule on social media by starring in a new James Bond-style spoof commercial for an Indian mouth freshener that left fans shaken, stirred and somewhat appalled.

In adverts for Indian TV channels, newspapers and billboards, the now bearded Brosnan cut a familiar pose as he grappled with villains, flirted with beautiful women and took a spin in a high-end sports car.

But instead of concealing a Walter PKK within his immaculately-tailored tuxedo, Brosnan was revealed to be carrying a can of pan masala – a mixture of betel nut and spices that leaves lurid red stains on the mouth after it is spat out.

“Class never goes out of style,” the 63-year-old Irish actor says at end of the commercial for the Pan Bahar brand, in a brogue not unlike Sean Connery’s.

The video advertisement was complemented by a front-page ad on The Times of India.

The new ad triggered a flurry of jokes, sarcastic comments and photoshopped images of Brosnan on social media, with his lips stained red or his head superimposed onto the torso of a tobacconist clad in a grubby singlet.

Pan masala is mixture of areca nut, pastes, spices and sometimes tobacco meant to refresh palates and aid digestion, but the makers of Pan Bahar say their product is free of nicotine.

With reporting from AFP. - © AFP, 2016

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