Smoking scenes: activists oppose Benegal report

Activists on Tuesday opposed a recent proposal to do away with the static mandatory anti-tobacco message shown in movies and television serials when smoking scenes appear on the screen.

The suggestion came from a panel of experts headed by eminent filmmaker Shyam Benegal, whose advice was to show the anti-tobacco messages at the beginning of a film as a part of the title credit.

The reasoning given by the committee was that static warning messages like ‘Smoking Kills’ that appear simultaneously with scenes depicting tobacco use hinder the flow of the film.

This has been opposed by health workers who said any dilution of the existing norms would be damaging from a public health perspective.

“The mandatory anti-tobacco health spots and disclaimers help to convey a clear message about the ill-effects of tobacco use to the audience. The simultaneous display of a warning along with the act of tobacco use or smoking during a scene helps counter the pernicious promotion of tobacco use,” Hriday, an NGO which campaigns against tobacco, stated.

The panel has submitted its report to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which is yet to take a decision.