Akshay Kumar ‘starrer’ anti-smoking ad discontinued by CBFC? Here's what we know

Those who have been visiting the film theatres to catch up on their favourite films will know and agree to the fact that, before the entry of the ‘hero’ of the film, there appeared a man who, eventually, drove home the message that smoking was injurious to health.

Looking back, it was in the year 2012, when the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting made it mandatory to play the anti-smoking ads just before the film’s beginning and also post the interval. The latest update is that the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has now decided to do away with these ads, as per a report in Bollywood Hungama.

Readers may recall that, the first in the series of these anti-smoking ads ‘starred’ a gentleman named Mukesh, who eventually succumbs to the dreaded cancer at a young age because of his smoking habit.

This was then followed by the Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar being featured in the anti-tobacco ads along with Ajay Singh Pal. After having run the said educational and preaching anti-smoking ad for as many as six years, it has now been discontinued and has been replaced by another ad that drives home the same message of highlighting the ill and harmful effects and the harmful impact of smoking.

The latest ad in the anti-smoking series features a socially relevant message that drives home the point that saying bye bye to the harmful tobacco habit can eventually lead to constructive variations in your body within 20 minutes! The recent releases in the form of Alia Bhatt’s Jigra and Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri starrer Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video had the message of benefits of non-smoking, but these films were not the ones featuring Akshay Kumar!

Do watch this space for further updates and developments.

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