New Delhi: The newspaper advertisements of Madhur Bhandarkar`s upcoming movie ‘Heroine’, that features lead actress Kareena Kapoor with a cigarette on movie sets, have drawn flak for blatant violation of anti-tobacco laws.
In a letter written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, NGO Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY) points out violation of law, regulating display of tobacco use in films.
"Leading national dailies (on May 23) and online versions of several newspapers carried an `on the sets` photograph of `Heroine`. The picture shows actress Kareena Kapoor smoking a cigarette and holding a glass of amber colour liquid, depicted as alcohol," the letter said.
"This amounts to a blatant violation of the Rule 9(2) of the said notification," the letter addressed to Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, joint secretary in the information and broadcasting ministry read.
The letter cited the notification saying that "any promotional material and posters of the films and television programmes shall not depict any tobacco products or their usage in films".
"It is a violation of Section 5 of Control of Tobacco Products Act, which prohibits all forms of advertisement (direct, indirect/surrogate), promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products."
The HRIDAY letter has also asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), as the implementing agencies of the rules, to direct the promoters and filmmakers to recall the promotional content.
"We strongly urge MoIB to check for the compliance of such scenes with the notified regulations at the time of screening for acquiring certification from the CBFC," it said.
While the movie is slated to release Sep 21, the activists have expressed concern over the promo leaving adverse impact on people.
"We are concerned that till then this photograph would make rounds in the media leaving an adverse impact on the public especially, women and children," said Radhika Shrivastav, deputy director, HRIDAY.
"There is a very high prevalence of tobacco use among Indian women with nearly 20 percent of them using tobacco in various forms. Studies have also shown that Indian adolescents who are exposed to tobacco use in Bollywood films are twice as likely to be tobacco users," Shrivastav added.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.