Published 20:09 IST, January 14th 2021
'KGF2' teaser: Karnataka Health Department, Anti-Tobacco Cell object to smoking visuals
The teaser of KGF: Chapter 2 which has been receiving love from people, recently witnessed objections from Karnataka State Health Department, Anti-Tobacco Cell.
The teaser of the highly anticipated film KGF: Chapter 2 which has been receiving love from people, recently witnessed objections from The Karnataka State Anti-Tobacco Cell and Health Department regarding smoking visuals. The Yash starrer teaser showed the South Indian superstar lighting a cigarette and smoking. According to The Indian Express, the Karnataka State Anti-Tobacco Cell said that the visuals showing the actor smoking, violated Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply, and Distribution) 2003 followed by which the department decided to seek deletion of the teaser from online platforms.
Objectionable smoking visuals in KGF: Chapter 2 teaser
On the other hand, the Karnataka Health Department has also appealed to Yash, to remove the problematic scenes from the teaser and film. At one point in time, the teaser showcases a scene where the actor blows up a row of jeeps with a machine gun and goes on to light a cigarette using the barrel of the red-hot gun. The leading portal quoted the Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K Sudhakar who said that Yash is into social work, and he admires him a lot. According to him, the Health Department has made an appeal to him about his upcoming film. A smoking scene in the film has been brought under his notice and he is well versed with the fact that the department officials have asked Yash to remove that scene. Owing to the young fan base of the actor, Sudhakar feels that this is important for all and is applicable to all his films.
Meanwhile, a letter objecting to the visuals in the forthcoming film’s teaser has been sent to the film’s director Prashant Neel, actor Yash, and producer Vijay Kiragandur. According to the notice, it is mandatory to display the statutory warning, “Smoking is injurious to health” warning on the screen if they decide to showcase such scenes in the film or teaser. The teaser of the Yash-starrer Kannada movie sent netizens into a frenzy with stunning visuals and action sequences. That was evident in the statistics that the two-minute video was recorded within just 24 hours. The makers of KGF: Chapter 2 shared that movie was ‘rewriting history’ as its teaser received over 78 million views within 24 hours of its release. This including 4.2 million likes, which is being reported as the best among the releases in the South film industry.
Updated 20:09 IST, January 14th 2021