Angry Anurag Kashyap files writ petition in Bombay High Court against smoking disclaimer; says he is being bullied by the Health Ministry

Finally someone takes a courageous stand against the ridiculous smoking disclaimer strips that appear in movies every time someone lights up on-screen. And it had to be from the stables of Anurag Kashyap, a director who is known for his hard-hitting cinema. Anurag yesterday filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the Health Ministry and Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decision of inserting a smoking disclaimer strip in every scene where an actor or actress is shown smoking. It is Anurag’s strong intention to release his upcoming movie Ugly which has smoking scenes in it, without the presence of the irritating smoking disclaimers. And to help him achieve that, Anurag has knocked the doors of the judiciary. Addressing a joint press conference with his lawyer Madhu Gadodia, Anurag made his intentions very clear right from the very outset. “We have been guaranteed the freedom of speech by Article 19 of the Indian constitution. A lot of other illegal things like murder are shown in our film and they are not stopped. Smoking is not an illegal activity in our country. Even teenagers as young as 17 or 18 go out and smoke and there is no restriction on the same. So if smoking is not illegal, why is there a directive to insert a disclaimer on the same,” reasoned an angry Anurag. Anurag also didn’t mince words while saying that film industry is a soft target and an easy punching bag when it comes to issues like smoking. “If the concerned authorities think that smoking is really bad then they should be shutting down tobacco industries in our country. That is not happening. Everyone is interested in making huge revenue out of the same. But hypocrisy prevails when films depict a character smoking. I think I am being bullied by the Health Ministry and I refuse to take that bullying.” The filmmaker considers the disclaimer as an insult to all those who take their work seriously. Commenting on why he chose Ugly to rake up this issue, Anurag said that he had faced the same issues during the time of Gangs of Wasseypur but since studios money was involved he didn’t want to get embroiled in the issue then unlike now when he himself is the producer. Anurag sounded defiant and said if he didn’t get a positive response from the Bombay High Court, he would then move to the Supreme Court. “I have my freedom of speech and expression and living in a democracy, I will take this fight to its positive end. I will not release Ugly with those smoking notifications. “ When asked about sending a socially responsible message through his films, an agitated Anurag said, “I am socially responsible filmmaker. I am socially more responsible than all politicians and ministers running this country and I can ask them to sit in front of me and challenge me. I can then show them how socially more responsible I am than them.” Meanwhile, Anurag’s lawyer Madhu informed us that the matter would be mentioned before the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on Friday. Let’s wait and watch how this issue pans out.