Sanjay Gupta Questions Smoking Depictions in Bollywood Posters

Mumbai, September 27 (Daily Kiran) : Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has voiced his concerns about the portrayal of lead actors smoking in Bollywood film posters. This criticism comes after he shared images from three upcoming films on his official X account. The posters featured Ranbir Kapoor from "Animal," Ranveer Singh from "Dhurandar," and Vicky Kaushal from "Love and War," all depicted with cigarettes.Gupta questioned the effectiveness of anti-smoking messages shown before and during films in cinemas when the posters themselves glamorize smoking. He wrote, “What is the point of the anti-smoking reels we have to watch before and during films when the posters are like this?” His post sparked a lively debate in the comments section. One user reminded Gupta of his own 2002 film "Kaante," where actor Sanjay Dutt was seen smoking in a song. The user pointed out the irony of Gupta's stance, noting the film included a scene celebrating smoking.In response, Gupta defended himself, stating that the context and awareness regarding smoking were different during that time. He remarked, “There were no anti-smoking advertisements back then, genius.” Another user highlighted a cultural issue, noting that smoking is often associated with masculinity in Indian society. This user commented on the industry's tendency to prioritize masculinity over creativity, suggesting that it detracts from the quality of content, storytelling, and originality.