IMA boycotts Akshay Kumar-starrer Gabbar is Back

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the umbrella body of doctors practising modern medicine, has decided to boycott Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bansali movies after their movie 'Gabbar is Back' showed them in poor light.

The association, which has more than 2.5 lakh members across India, has sent a letter to the union minister for information and broadcasting, saying that the movie has shown medical profession in a bad, derogatory and unrealistic manner. "IMA is anguished about the way medical profession is projected in the movie "Gabbar is Back. We have marked copies to the censor board and the Union health minister, hoping that some action will be taken on the same," said Dr Jayesh Lele, president-elect, IMA-Maharashtra.

Dr Lele said the movie shows doctors in extremely poor light as they carry out a fraudulent act of providing medical treatment to a person who is dead even before arrival at the hospital.

"The hero of the movie is aware that the patient is dead as he is carrying a death certificate with him. However, he still approaches the hospital as if the patient is alive. This sends a wrong signal to society and we strongly condemn this," said Dr Lele.

Written by AR Murugadoss, the movie "Gabbar is Back" is produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. "The movie is a total instigation of the general public against medical profession. With violence against doctors on the rise, such type of unjustified message through the movie will only add fuel to the fire," he added.

In its letter, IMA has demanded that the objectionable scenes be immediately censored from "Gabbar is Back" and till such time, the movie be banned.