<p>The lobbying began on the eve of release of the much-awaited sequel of Shahrukh-Farhan Akhtar’s earlier film Don. Don-2 reportedly has smoking scenes. <br /><br />The producer is apprehensive of restrictions coming in the way of the film’s release without any anti-tobacco message or blurring of a scene. In November this year, the government came out with a new set of rules that allowed smoking scenes in films and television serials only if there are very strong editorial justification for them. <br /><br />In films or TV programmes, where smoking scenes are editorially justified, the actor who puffed on the screen has to be featured in a separate spot in which he or she will speak about the ill-effects of tobacco. The disclaimer would be 20 seconds long and has to be shown in the beginning or middle of the film.<br /><br />When a tobacco scene appears on the screen, a prominent anti-tobacco display with a warning has to be scrolled at its bottom. If the film is shot or dubbed in a vernacular language, the scroll would also have to be in the same language.<br /><br />Despite repeated efforts by Deccan Herald to contact Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Pankaja Thakur, he was not available for a clarification on whether Don 2 had received the censor board certificate. <br /><br />Earlier this month, a Telegu movie titled “Bezawada” was released with those warning messages in 11 smoking scenes of the movie. Many members of the film industry, however, are against the notification. Representatives of the film industry had met Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, who in turn asked her officials to take up the matter with the Union health ministry.<br /><br />On receiving complaints from the I&B ministry, which cites court rulings, the health ministry has forwarded the contentious notification together with rulings from Mumbai High Court and Supreme Court to the Union Law Ministry for its opinion. <br /><br />“The health ministry notification on smoking rules on films has been referred to the law ministry. There is no further decision,” a health ministry official said adding that I&B ministry did not raise any objections when the notification was discussed among the ministries.<br /><br />The Centre took the decision on banning smoking scenes after studies showed that glorifying smoking on screen drives the young generation to pick up the deadly habit. <br /></p>
<p>The lobbying began on the eve of release of the much-awaited sequel of Shahrukh-Farhan Akhtar’s earlier film Don. Don-2 reportedly has smoking scenes. <br /><br />The producer is apprehensive of restrictions coming in the way of the film’s release without any anti-tobacco message or blurring of a scene. In November this year, the government came out with a new set of rules that allowed smoking scenes in films and television serials only if there are very strong editorial justification for them. <br /><br />In films or TV programmes, where smoking scenes are editorially justified, the actor who puffed on the screen has to be featured in a separate spot in which he or she will speak about the ill-effects of tobacco. The disclaimer would be 20 seconds long and has to be shown in the beginning or middle of the film.<br /><br />When a tobacco scene appears on the screen, a prominent anti-tobacco display with a warning has to be scrolled at its bottom. If the film is shot or dubbed in a vernacular language, the scroll would also have to be in the same language.<br /><br />Despite repeated efforts by Deccan Herald to contact Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Pankaja Thakur, he was not available for a clarification on whether Don 2 had received the censor board certificate. <br /><br />Earlier this month, a Telegu movie titled “Bezawada” was released with those warning messages in 11 smoking scenes of the movie. Many members of the film industry, however, are against the notification. Representatives of the film industry had met Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, who in turn asked her officials to take up the matter with the Union health ministry.<br /><br />On receiving complaints from the I&B ministry, which cites court rulings, the health ministry has forwarded the contentious notification together with rulings from Mumbai High Court and Supreme Court to the Union Law Ministry for its opinion. <br /><br />“The health ministry notification on smoking rules on films has been referred to the law ministry. There is no further decision,” a health ministry official said adding that I&B ministry did not raise any objections when the notification was discussed among the ministries.<br /><br />The Centre took the decision on banning smoking scenes after studies showed that glorifying smoking on screen drives the young generation to pick up the deadly habit. <br /></p>
