‘Badhaai Ho’ in trouble over smoking
in ‘Badhaai Ho’. The Delhi government has issued a legal notice to the director, producers and actors of Hindi movie Badhaai Ho, out now in the UAE, seeking removal of smoking scenes and promotion of tobacco products, an official said on Sunday.
SK Arora, Additional Director (Public Health) and State Tobacco Control Officer, said there were a number of scenes in Badhaai Ho where the characters can be seen smoking. Tobacco brand promotion was also shown.
This, he said, violated Section 5 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA).
“There are repeated scenes of smoking and of a tobacco shop. There are scenes displaying brands of tobacco products. The brand promotion of tobacco products — direct and indirect — are banned under section 5 of COTPA. Our legal notice is based on these things,” said Arora.