South Asian Business news and information

Indian government has decided to become tough against smoking scenes in the movies. Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has recommended to the Indian government that movies containing smoking scenes being given ‘A’ (adult) certificate. If Indian government accepts this recommendation then we will see some radical changes in the way movie business is done in India.

Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is an influential pressure group and they have good relationship with Indian government. So, I expect that something will be done to discourage showing smoking in the films. Smoking is a serious health hazard in India and nearly one million people die from diseases related to tobacco. I also cannot deny the fact that many teenagers indeed get influenced when they see their favorite hero smokes in the movie.

Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has proposed:

'We have suggested awarding 'A' certificates to all movies showing smoking scenes. It's a unanimous decision and the health ministry has also shown its keenness about it,' said PHFI president K. Srinath Reddy.

'A committee will judge the requirement of the scene vis-a-vis the story and ask the character who is a part of the smoking scene to speak against tobacco consumption at the beginning of the movie, during interval time and at the end of the movie,' Reddy told IANS.

I agree with everything proposed by PHFI and I will be very happy if Indian government really implements these suggestions. In fact, I would love to see Indian government implementing them within this year (2007). However, I just wish that Indian government could show the same tough attitude against nudity in Indian entertainment industry. In the west, nudity is a part of everyday life and they are strict about labeling nudity. Often, we can see warning signs that a movie or TV program should not be viewed by people under certain age. I wish that the same thing could be applied in Indian entertainment industry.

Dhoom 2 was one of the most successful movies in India in 2006. The main attraction of this movie was that the leading two actresses (Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu) were seen wearing bikini. Even the kissing scene in Dhoom 2 upset the Bachchans and they used their connections to chop off the scene from the movie.

Nudity is becoming a problem in Indian movies and hardly anyone seems to care about it. I cannot see any attempt by the Indian government to fight back against nudity in movies and the Television industry. I would love to see organizations like Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) raise their voice against nudity in Indian entertainment industry. If movies containing smoking scenes have to be issued ‘A’ certificate then why movies containing bikini scenes be spared?