The makers of the Kareena Kapoor starrer Heroine moved the Delhi High Court yesterday against the I & B Ministry's order to display anti-smoking messages through the smoking scenes within the movie. Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who heard the plea, issued notices not only to the I &B and Health Ministries, but in addition to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking their responses by September 10. Not only that, the CBFC was also directed to view the movie and file a report in a sealed cover at the next date of hearing.
UTV Software Communication (Heroine's producer) approached the court seeking a board certificate for his or her film with none conditions touching on smoking. Besides this, in addition they sought the setting aside of the August 2's letter issued to them by the I&B ministry, wherein an extra condition was imposed that the flicks that have smoking scenes should start with a 20-second warning on smoking perils. The said petition had the Ministry requesting the CBFC to advise the filmmakers to verify a 20-second anti-smoking message (as approved by the Health Ministry) having a voiceover of the actor who's seen smoking within the film to be displayed at first and in the course of the film. The similar needed to be played after the interval. If that wasn't enough, there has been yet another condition for the filmmakers which stated that a static anti-smoking message must be displayed at some point of the smoking scene within the film.
While UTV's counsel Parag Tripathi and Atul Nanda agreed to the 20-second message originally and within the interval of the movie, they objected to the proposed static anti-smoking message during a scene, reasoning that it will kill the creativity of the scene.
Watch Song Promo: Saaiyaan (Heroine)
