By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jun 6: An anti tobacco NGO has objected to the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement to the media that there was nothing wrong in showing smoking in the movies.
 
“It is well known that our film stars have a large number of fans among youths who would copy and imitate the actions of their heroes without giving a thought to the consequences of their actions,” National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) General Secretary Dr Shekhar Salkar said.
 
He said that new health minister should change his view as his statement would encourage the film industry to show more puffing on screen.
 
The minister on May 31 at a function in New Delhi had reportedly said that restrictions on the display of smoking on screen were impractical.
 
“It is just entertainment. There are so many objectionable things which are shown on screen like murder, arson and so on... such things should be banned first. I think we should try to implement whatever we can. We cannot do anything which is not practical. Such things (banning of smoking and drinking on screen) are very difficult. Cinema is just to enjoy,” Azad had said.
 
Dr Salkar today opined that the movie goers do get influenced by smoking and drinking scenes in films and try to imitate them in real life.
 
“We appeal to Azad to change his views on the influence of smoking scenes in movies in order to save the large number of unsuspecting youths from falling in the deadly clutches of tobacco,” he added.
 
NOTE has a track record of fighting for anti tobacco cause in the country. The association has initiated legal proceeding against Bollywood superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to court, for promoting smoking onscreen had incidentally praised Aamir Khan and director Murgadoss, for cinematically endorsing and propagating the smoking ban in the blockbuster film Ghajini.