Govt should not award movies showing smoking: NGO

An NGO working in the health sector has urged the Centre not to award movies that have smoking scenes.

"Centre should not award movies which promote smoking on screen," member of Voluntary Health Association of Goa (VHAG) and renowned filmmaker Raman Kumar told reporters in Panaji today.

He said if filmmakers want awards from the government, then they should find out some or the other way to avoid showing smoking on screen.

"While showing such scenes, at least they should carry a disclaimer," said Kumar, who has directed films like Saath Saath, Kasam Teri Kasam and Raja Bhaiya.

Kumar said in absence of direct promotion of tobacco products, the filmmakers are being used by the mighty tobacco lobby.

Claiming that justification of 'creativity’ given by the filmmakers to allow smoking is just an excuse, he said KL Sehgal and Dilip Kumar, who played the protagonist in Devdas never smoked on screen.

"But when the same role was played by Shahrukh Khan, he smoked on screen," he said adding Khan smokes in real life also.

Another anti-tobacco NGO, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), has said 54% of youth start smoking after they watch their filmstars lighting up on screen.

"Of these 54%, 50% of will die of cancer, if they get addicted to Tobacco," NOTE general secretary Shekhar Salkar said.

Quoting the World Health Organisation's survey, Salkar said three out of every four films produced in India show smoking.

"Teenagers who watch Bollywood characters smoke are three times as likely to do so themselves. If young people see one of their idols light up on screen, they are 16 times more likely to think positively about smoking," he added.