India: Smoking Scenes on the Rise in Films

Source from:  Deccan Herald (in)  05/30/2013

The number of smoking scenes in films have gone up for the last eight months, after the Centre brought out a notification setting up the ground rules on the use of smoking scenes in films and television spots,  health officials have claimed.

The notification, which came into effect from October 2, 2012, laid the ground rules on how to depict smoking scenes in films and television serials in accordance with the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

"But the smoking scenes in films have actually gone up, since we issued the notification in last September," said Shakuntala Gamlin, a joint secretary in the Health Ministry.

The film producers have completely ignored the crucial condition of editorial justification while introducing smoking scenes in films, said Monika Arora, director, health promotion at Public Health Foundation of India.

"As long as the case was heard in the Supreme Court, the producers showed restraint. But once the notification was issued, they implement the order without explaining the editorial justification. As a result unnecessary smoking scenes are introduced," she said.
According to the government rule, there has to be a "strong editorial justification explaining the necessity of the display of the tobacco products or their use in the films to the Central Board of Film Certification."

Though no comparative study is available as yet, a preliminary survey carried out by Delhi-based non-governmental organisation HRIDAY on 28 recent films, suggest only one-third of these films depicted smoking in the films in accordance with the law.
Some of the films that received a thumbs up include "Dabangg 2", "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", "Race 2", "Murder 3", and "Kai Po Che".

There is a strong evidence that depiction of tobacco use in films have significant impact on children and adults. Many teenagers light their first cigarette or use tobacco product after watching their use onscreen.

Surrogate advertising too is another problem area, exposing millions of children and teenagers to the menace of tobacco. The problem is compounded in the absence of any proper law to control such advertisements.

Its virtually impossible for the Centre to implement anti-tobacco laws because millions of shops and billboards are involved. "We plan to write to the states soon giving them an advisory on how to distinguish between genuine and surrogate advertisement of tobacco products and what action can be taken against the perpetrators," Union Health Secretary Keshav Desiraju said. Enditem