Disclaimer Is Injurious To Movies

A common man in India has planned to escape his stressful life, by going to

a movie theatre. You know what he’ll face first? Yes, an awareness clip

that describes the ill effects of smoking. And it will not stop there,

every time a smoking scene comes in the movie a disclaimer appears. Two

years before, Indian Health ministry passed the act which forced the movies

to show the disclaimers we’re facing now.

The consequences like the cancellation of Woody Allen’s ‘Blue Jasmine’

release in India and Anurag Khasyap’s opposition on behalf of his ‘Ugly’

are well known. Like this, several acts intended to control tobacco usage

have passed before. Banning advertisements of tobacco products, WELL DONE.

Smoking in public as a punishable offence, AWESOME. Printing “Tobacco

kills” on tobacco product covers, JUST GREAT. But, why movies? What about

other entertainers like books? Let’s just assume a disclaimer printed every

time Lord Shiva lights up a joint in our well acclaimed ‘Shiva Trilogy’,

the book will become a nightmare isn't it? One buys a book to enjoy its

content, not to learn the side effects of smoking. The same applies to a

movie ticket.

Speaking of the clip that played in the beginning of movies, is it

displayed for the right audience? No. What about people who don’t smoke?

And, What about kids, who doesn't even know what tobacco is? It might

create a negative popularity among them. And, those disclaimers during the

smoking scenes, Do we have a disclaimer that states “Raping Women is a

punishable offence” during rape scenes? No one praises rape in our movies,

yet they happen everywhere. Sometimes, the disclaimer appears in the screen

and we can’t even find the guy who smokes, we have to search and our

discovery will be some person in the long shot or out of focus. Eventually,

this induces us to find that smoking person and distracts us from the movie.

 Despite airing these disclaimers for years, people continue to smoke and

still India is the home of 12% smokers. Let’s hope our government will come

up with something meaningful, which saves us all from those incoherent

disclaimers & clips, and allow us to enjoy the movies peacefully.

Photo Courtesy: JS Photography