News
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2019
Delhi protests smoking in Amazon shows
| Press Trust of India (8 Apr 2019)
A senior official of the Delhi government has asked the Union Health Ministry to stop promotion of smoking and 'hookah' in the three web series - 'Made in Heaven', 'Mirzapur' and 'Four More Shots Please' being aired on Amazon Prime Video.
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No tobacco promos at Mumbai film awards
A senior official of the Delhi government has written to the Union Health Ministry, the Maharashtra public health department and the organisers of the Filmfare Awards to "stop the advertisement, promotion and sponsorships" of tobacco brands in the 64th edition of the awards to be held [March 23] in Mumbai.
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How video games glamorize smoking
Smoking in video games is used similarly to smoking in films; it is a quick and easy habit to give a character to convey them as careless, tough, and even cool. With so many teens and young adults eager to be depicted in these ways, it’s no surprise the influence video games are having.
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2018
Where there's smoke, there's no fire
Our results suggest that watching movie smoking accounts for about half a percent of the variance in teen smoking. Or, put another way, predicting what teens will smoke by only knowing what movies they watch is little better than a coin toss.
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"Actors must stop smoking on-screen"
PMK founder S. Ramadoss has written to Nadigar Sangam president M. Nasser on advising artists, especially leading heroes, to desist from smoking on-screen in their films. [Nadigar Sangam refers to the South Indian Artistes' Association (SIAA), India's actors union.]
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Delhi gov't sends notice to 'Badhaai Ho' makers, asks them to cut certain scenes
"A strict compliance notice has been issued to the director, producers and actors of the recently released movie 'Badhaai Ho' asking them to remove smoking scenes as well brand promotions of tobacco products from the film as these are violations under Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA)," said Additional Director (Health), Dr. S.K. Arora.
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Is JUULING…going to make it to television?
After she wrote the JUUL into the script, Gamble says the production team checked with her to make sure she’d actually meant “JUUL.” “The interesting thing is, when something that is [a] brand becomes popular, there's always a lot of back and forth around that on TV,” Gamble says. “Even just mentioning a brand by name is a conversation with several departments because there [are] legalities around it.”
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Smoking featured in half of hip-hop videos, study finds
Knutzen and her co-authors suggest that their findings could present an opportunity for the music industry to self-regulate. However, they note that previous efforts to do so have failed, and measures like the Recording Industry Association of America's parental advisory labels could entice youth rather than deter them.
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What if tomorrow Vijay smokes cigarette and falls ill: PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss
| The New Indian Express (4 Oct 2018)
Tamil Nadu MP (and former Indian health minister) Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss has yet again criticized actor Vijay for his movie posters carrying images of him smoking...The Health and Family Welfare Department had sent a legal intimation notice to the actor, director AR Murugadoss and producer Sun Pictures for violating the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
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2017
Stranger Things: How Dacre Montgomery brought Billy the bully to life
Montgomery, who’s not a smoker, had to learn how to make it look convincing. But the Stranger Things cast doesn’t use Hollywood-standard herbal cigarettes: they use real Marlboro Reds. Why? “The smoke plays so much thicker onscreen,” says Montgomery. Plus, he’s fairly certain that co-stars David Harbour and Winona Ryder “just wanted to smoke real cigarettes.” Over the course of a five-hour shoot, Montgomery would go through “three or four packs,” then wake up the next day with a smoke-induced hangover.
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