NEW DELHI - Former 007 star Pierce Brosnan sparked ridicule on social media Friday by starring in a new James Bond-style spoof commercial for an Indian mouth freshener that left fans shaken and stirred.

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 being chewed or when 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. 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.

"How desperate is #PierceBrosnan for money", wrote one Twitter user, Aseem Chhabra. 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.

-AFP