TN Govt Pulls Up Tamil Star Vijay For Smoking In ‘Sarkar’

A notice has been sent to team ‘Sarkar’ including actor Vijay for lighting up a cigarette.

Vijay in Sarkar.

(Photos Courtesy: Twitter)

While fans and Tamil film lovers went gaga over the first look of Tamil star Vijay’s new film Sarkar, the Tamil Nadu Health Department isn’t impressed. The state health department has instead issued a notice to the producer, director and actor of Sarkar for violation of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003. Vijay appears with a cigarette between his lips in the first look of Sarkar.

According to Dr Kolandaisamy, the Director of the Department of Public Health, the teaser and poster of Sarkar violated the sections concerned with the brand promotion of tobacco products. He also added that if this notice sent to the Sarkar team is not complied with, the department will send them a legal notice followed by prosecution.

It was former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss who first called out Vijay for holding a cigarette in the poster of Sarkar via a series of tweets.

As Health Minister in 2005, it was Dr Anbumani Ramadoss who first brought about the move to ban the depiction of smoking in films and TV serials. Later, as a rule, a statutory warning against the use of tobacco was brought in whenever any character was shown smoking in any film.

Sarkar is produced by Sun Pictures and directed by AR Murugadoss.