Survey: Do you like the anti-tobacco ads they show before movies?

Every time we go to the movie hall we’re inundated with two advertisements - one about ‘Mukesh', the youth who got cancer after chewing tobacco. And 'Sponge' – a descriptive video which explains

By: Nirmalya Dutta | | Updated: February 3, 2014 5:21 pm

Every time we go to the movie hall we’re inundated with two advertisements – one about ‘Mukesh’, the youth who got cancer after chewing tobacco. And ‘Sponge’ – a descriptive video which explains using pictures the dangers of smoking. The anti-tobacco health spots and disclaimers are being provided by the health ministry as per the ‘Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA)’ rules. These ads are created with the help of experts, veterans who’ve seen thousands of cancer patients.

Please take this survey and tell us what you really think about the ads.

They have created a lot of hue and cry with directors condemning them for showing audiences something unpalatable when they’ve paid money to be entertained. Woody Allen refused to let his movie Blue Jasmine release in India because he didn’t care for the ads while Ram Gopal Varma and Anurag Kashyap have also spoken out against the ads. Refusing to play those ads before his soon-to-be released movie Ugly he said: ‘I don’t want my audience to get distracted and my film is not an advertisement hoarding for social service messages. And I as a filmmaker will not take on the charitable stance of ridding society of all its ills. And the health ministry can’t do both: take revenue from the tobacco industry and make it my responsibility to educate people about why they should avoid tobacco. I take my films seriously.’

Disclaimer: Health.india.com is resolutely against smoking and tobacco use. The dangers of tobacco use are well-documented. This is an effort to gauge the public opinion of the effectiveness of anti-tobacco advertisements.

Please take this survey and tell us what you really think about the ads.

Mukesh