A tense moment from Shark Tank India 5 has gone viral after a Jaipur-based wellness founder was strongly questioned by the sharks for calling himself a “doctor” without clear medical credentials. The episode, featuring Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar and Aman Gupta, has sparked fresh debate around misleading health claims and influencer-driven wellness brands.
The controversy involves Manoj Das, founder of Lewisia Wellness. Das introduced himself on the show as “Dr Manoj Das” and described his background as an aromatherapist and natural therapist. During his pitch, he spoke about his natural skincare and haircare products and highlighted his massive Instagram following. However, the sharks quickly questioned his marketing style and professional claims.
Shark Tank India 5 Pitcher EXPOSED By Anupam Mittal And Others
Anupam Mittal pointed out that Das’s popularity seemed to come more from viral reels than verified science. Questioning his content strategy, Anupam said, “Aapka jaadu hai aapki content creation. Aapne reels banayi hai joh bahot provocative hai. Ye aapki reels viral hogayi hai aur uske through aapka business chala hai.” He then asked Das to show some of his reels during the pitch.
After watching the videos, Anupam called the claims made in them “baseless”. The conversation then turned serious when Anupam questioned Das about using the “doctor” title. He asked, “Pehle ek baat batao, aap Aromatherapist hain, natural therapist hai, so usmein doctor aap likh sakte hain?”
Das replied that a bachelor’s degree in aromatherapy allowed him to use the prefix. This answer did not convince Anupam, who challenged him bluntly. “Agar aap keh raho ho ke aap Bachelors in Aromatherapist kar rahe ho aur aap doctor naam laga sakte ho main bhai apna naam badal dunga. Bhaiya diligence mein pakde jaaoge.”
Manoj Das Updates His Profile, AIIMS Doctor And Online Users Slam Him
After the episode aired, clips went viral online. Doctors and social media users criticised Das for allegedly misleading the public. AIIMS-trained neurologist Dr Rahul Chawla also reacted, calling Das a “quack doctor” and advising people to verify the qualifications of health influencers they follow.
Netizens flooded comment sections with mixed reactions. While many praised the sharks for exposing questionable claims, others expressed concern over how easily such brands grow online. Read some online user comments below:
“These days, there are a lot of FAKE doctors selling their products on Instagram with FAKE claims. Shark Tank cooked, fried, and roasted such fake doctors all at once!”
“Pakda gaya bechara.”
“They should be booked in fraud cases actually, to be frank our law is not that great to stop such kind of cases.”
“Dho diya isko to. Ab isko company ka naam badal kar bechna padega.”
“I have seen Anupam strongly evaluate and criticise anyone who comes with provocative claims. Really good to see this guy was grilled and exposed the truth. I hope more such people get exposed who sell products with provocative claims.”
“Such people just bank on desperate need of cure for people suffering from major life-threatening ailments.”
“But every company follows the same method. They target people’s insecurity. How did “unfair and unlovely” become a brand?”
“Majority Indian products are a scam, all the founders would have been in jail in any developed nation.”
“It was also to get ratings and viewership. The team already found him to be a fraud but wanted to show it live. Any company selling such things doesn’t need a doctor as a founder. He needs his skin products to be verified by CDSCO and BIS. After their approval only he can sell in the market “.
“Expand karne aaya tha business, Expose ho Gaya fake doctor.”
“Isne bio se dr bhi hata dia.”
As the backlash grew, Manoj Das removed the word “Doctor” from his Instagram bio. With over 611,000 followers, the change did not go unnoticed. Screenshots of his updated profile quickly circulated, with users remarking, “Isne bio se dr bhi hata dia.”
Meanwhile, Manoj Das left the show with humiliation and without a deal in hand. Shark Tank India 5 continues to air on SonyTV and SonyLIV.
