Sarkar poster faces heat from activists

It is blatant violation of Section 5 (Prohibition of Tobacco Advertisement, Promotion, Sponsorship) of COTPA - Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 and GSR 786 of COTPA, which prohibits the display of tobacco products or their use in the promos and poster of films, S Cyril Alexander, State Convener, Tamil Nadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control (TNPFTC), said.

As many youngsters imbibe the ‘stylish gestures’ of popular actors like Vijay, doctors said that such poses of celebrities, who should serve as role models instead, is highly condemnable.

“This is not the first time where he is shown with tobacco products. Whenever confronted, he and his team immediately tender an apology and settle the issue. But the issue creates a hype for the movie even before the release. This is a marketing ploy adopted by Vijay to promote his films,” added Cyril.

“Many doctors and NGOs constantly conduct programmes to highlight the ill effects of such habits among children. But, posters like these only encourage them to pick up the habit,” regretted Pulmonologist Dr Mohan M.

Suggesting that the Central Board of Film Certification should take severe action against the violators of Section 5, Cyril insisted that it was the responsibility of industry to abide by the rules, keeping safety of the public, in mind.