Don’t attack my creative freedom, says Aamir Khan

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s recent directive to ban smoking on screen – or show it with disclaimers in the beginning and middle -besides a list of other ridiculous demands, has not gone down well with prominent members of the film industry. While some call it regressive, others fear it will curtail their creative expression as filmmakers. Still others feel the Government is being overly authoritarian and reign in the freedom of expression. Here Aamir Khan puts forth his point of view:
“I have never advocated smoking, which is why I have stayed away from doing tobacco advertisements. However, it is unfortunate and unreasonable that we are asking for cigarette smoking to be justified in our cinema. If I make a historical film on Sir Winston Churchill, whose trademark was his cigar, then I can hardly disturb the frame with a disclaimer or a ticker saying ‘Smoking kills’. Also, if I show Churchill without his cigar, I am not being true to my subject. Not showing my character the way he was is not only curbing my creative freedom as a filmmaker, but I am also being dishonest with my audience. My audience will most certainly object to my disturbing the frame with a public service message, even if it is in the backdrop. I am in favour of having a disclaimer at the beginning of a film where you warn the public about the perils of smoking. I don’t even mind recording a separate clip saying how the use of tobacco/ cigarettes is harmful. But I am not in favour of anyone interfering with the creative process of my film. Murder is illegal too, but we show it on screen. We don’t have disclaimers for it. If the Government feels so strongly about smoking, they should ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products. If the sale is legal, then why attack smoking only in cinema? My answer to the Government’s directive on banning smoking on screen or showing it with justifications in a film is a three pronged one: 1. If you show other illegal activities on screen, then don’t attack only smoking; 2. Don’t attack my creative freedom; 3. Don’t take away the audience’s right to enjoy cinema by imposing views/restrictions on them, especially when they could be watching a crucial scene. How can you do that?”