NEW DELHI: Amitabh Bachchan 's contract with PepsiCo India as its brand ambassador for eight years came to a natural end and the superstar did not snap ties with the soft drinks maker prematurely, dismaying company executives who wondered why the mega star equated the brand with " poison " on Thursday.A spokesperson of the company said on Sunday night: "Amitabh Bachchan is a living legend, and it's only natural that statements such as his can sadden employees of any organisation, as they look up to their brand ambassadors as thought leaders."PepsiCo paid the Bollywood star Rs 3 crore a year, which amounts to a total of about Rs 24 crore. The association began in 1998 when Bachchan was roped in as brand ambassador for Mirinda Lemon. Between 2002 and end-2005, he endorsed Pepsi cola, starring in campaigns for the soft drink Rohit Ohri , ex-managing partner at JWT Delhi and now chairman of the Dentsu India Group, recalls how Bachchan cited the ' ullu' ad, in which he stumbles into a home thirsting for a Pepsi, as an all-time favourite. Ohri, who was heading the PepsiCo account in those days, said: "Bachchan has endorsed Pepsi for many years. He has always evaluated the brands he endorses carefully. I'm surprised he is now having second thoughts."Bachchan told an audience at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, comprising students, faculty members and officials of Gujarat Tourism , that he stopped endorsing Pepsi after a girl in Jaipur asked him why he promoted the soft drink that her teacher had branded as 'poison'.He said he could not reply immediately, but it made him think, he said. "This impression is on the mind of the people... So I stopped endorsing Pepsi," Bachchan said. "I tell this to my son Abhishek and to daughter-in-law Aishwarya also... If you have to endorse a product then you have to conduct your life in such a manner that it does not affect others' lives."Bachchan currently endorses Maggi noodles, Kalyan Jewellers, Parle Goldstar cookies, Binani Cement and Gujarat Tourism.Social commentator and ad man Santosh Desai said: "It's not what one would expect a brand ambassador to say, especially someone of the stature of Bachchan. A certain behavior is expected of them."Bachchan didn't respond to several calls and messages seeking his comments on the controversy.Criticising a brand after endorsing it doesn't seem appropriate, celebrity managers told ET.Shailendra Singh, joint managing director of entertainment and sports marketing firm Percept, which has dealt with celebrity brand associations for close to two decades, said: "I don't think celebrities have the power to be custodians of brand quality. Celebs endorse brands only for commercial reasons." Singh drew attention to Bachchan endorsing Cadbury chocolates, even after alleged worm infestations.Vinita Bangard, founder-CEO of talent management firm Krossover Entertainment, who has worked closely with actors Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra, said: "A celeb can't de-endorse a brand he/she has backed in the past on the basis of a comment someone else has made, unless he/she can back the claim with proof."Social media has slammed Bachchan's comments, drawing parallels to a brand he currently endorses - Maggi noodles. The controversy brings to mind previous criticism of colas and other sugared soft drinks in India with regard to contamination with pesticides, depletion of ground water by bottling plants and the like.