Let’s kick ‘butt’!

 

 

If all goes as planned, Shah Rukh Khan (known to be a chain smoker) could well be the new poster boy of the anti-tobacco lobby. At least, that’s what a group of NGOs is desperately hoping.

 

“We’re in the process of writing a letter to Shah Rukh Khan to urge him to come out on TV and declare how bad smoking is and discourage youngsters from imitating actors shown smoking in movies. We’re also hoping he can rope in other actors to do the same,” says YK Sapru of the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA).

 

Worldwide too, anti-tobacco organisations  are in overdrive. To coincide with the Oscars last weekend, Action on Smoking and Health (ASA), a New Zealand based NGO, launched a massive media campaign to force smoking out of kid-rated movies.

 

Smoke-screen?

 

While India has banned smoking in public places as well as tobacco advertising and sporting events’ sponsorship by such makers, the proposal to implement the same in Bollywood has been stuck in red tape for a while now. The Health Ministry and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry apparently are still debating the nitty-gritty.

 

“We’ve heard that it will be amended in such a way that any movie showing smoking will have to carry an ad in the beginning about its ill effects,” says Sapru.

 

One of the reasons for the revision of the ban could be the strong resistance from the film industry — which went into panic mode when the proposal first surfaced.

 

 

In fact, last September, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt moved the Delhi High Court challenging the government’s notification banning smoking scenes in films and TV.

 

“They say that tobacco sale is increasing because of films. That’s ridiculous. My sources say that quasi-government bodies are also involved in the tobacco racket. My reminder to those supporting the ban is that this is a free society,” fires off Bhatt. Retorts Sapru: “How can people say it’s their birthright to smoke when it affects so many others ? Does he know that second-hand smoke is more harmful?”

 

 

 

A study (to be published soon) conducted by the Salaam Bombay Foundation with 900 children from 23 schools shows that onscreen smoking directly influences adolescent smoking. One of the questions asked was about the movie ‘Swades’ — where Shah Rukh, who plays a positive role, is shown smoking too. Over 70 percent of the kids said they thought his character is ‘cool’ and that they would like to be exactly like him.

 

 

In January this year, Amitabh Bachchan issued an apology for appearing in film posters of ‘Family’ with a cigar after the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) sent him a legal notice.