The Delhi government’s Health Department has issued a notice to the director, producers and actors of the recently released movie ‘Badhaai Ho‘, asking them to remove smoking scenes as well brand promotions of tobacco products from the film. Additional Director (Health), Dr S K Arora, said there are lot of smoking scenes and also a tobacco shop displaying tobacco packs shown repeatedly in the movie which are violations under section 5 of COTPA (Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act ). These are punishable offences under section 22 of COTPA.
“A strict compliance notice has been issued to the director, producers and actors of the recently released movie ‘Badhaai Ho’ asking them to remove smoking scenes as well brand promotions of tobacco products from the film as these are violations under COTPA,” he said. “Punishment for first offence is imprisonment for up to 2 years with or without fine up to Rs 1,000 or both. For subsequent offence the punishment is imprisonment up to 5 year and fine up to Rs 5,000,” he said.
All kinds of direct and indirect advertisement of tobacco products has been banned as per section 5 of COTPA. All these could have been avoided for the sake of youngsters who actually treat Bollywood actors as “god and follow them blindly”, he said. “We have been repeatedly issuing notices to Bollywood but they continue to violate rules. The Bollywood industry apart from legal, has moral responsibility.The industry has to wake up and feel responsible for the country, especially youngsters who follow them blindly like god,” Arora said.
Arora said 40 per cent of all cancers, 90 per cent of oral cancers, 40 per cent of TB cases and 20-30 per cent of diabetes, hypertension, heart attack, brain stroke are because of tobacco habits only.