Movies will now have just one 'No Smoking' disclaimer

Tired of watching 'Smoking is injurious to health' warnings during movies? Well, should the

Shyam Benegal Committee

and the

Justice Mudgal Committee

report on Cinematography Act be reviewed and implemented, cine-goers will no longer be disturbed by these disclaimers. This is one of the changes that the Shyam Benegal Committee has suggested in order to enhance the movie-watching experience. 'The committee, formed three years ago, submitted the first part of its report in April and the second part in June this year. I will not be able to comment much on it unless I come to know from the ministry what guidelines they have under consideration,' said veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who heads the committee.

Speaking about the proposition of putting a 'No Smoking' warning before and during the film,

Benegal

said, 'We suggested that the 'No Smoking' disclaimer shouldn't come in between the film; it has to be there either before the movie starts or after it ends. We have also recommended to keep it as a runner, without causing much disturbance in the film.'
The disclaimer sparked off a debate in October 2013 when Woody Allen refused to release his film '

Blue Jasmine

' because of this disclaimer. He stated that the 'attention goes straight to the printed words, distracting the audience from absorbing the scene in its entirety'.

During the release of 'Ugly', Anurag Kashyap too, had raised objection to incorporating the 'No Smoking' disclaimer in the climax scene. In an interview to BT, he had said, 'A disclaimer like that kills the mood and experience of the film. It's so unfair and unreasonable. The government that wants to deal with the problem of smoking must ban the tobacco industry. They want the revenue and hence, they won't ban the industry. Why must the filmmakers carry the pain of everything?'