Anti‑smoking reels versus smoking posters: Gupta raises doubts

Sanjay Gupta, a well‑known Indian director, recently used his verified X account to share three movie posters that all feature a cigarette‑holding hero. The images included Ranbir Kapoor from "Animal", Ranveer Singh from "Dhurrandhar" and Vicky Kaushal from "Love and War". Gupta questioned the efficacy of anti‑smoking reels shown before movies if the promotional posters still celebrate smoking.

The comment thread quickly turned into a discussion about the film industry's responsibility. One participant reminded Gupta of his own 2002 film "Kante", where a song portrayed Sanjay Dutt smoking, to which Gupta responded that earlier decades lacked the strict no‑smoke guidelines now in place. Another user argued that Indian cinema still markets cigarettes as a symbol of masculinity, urging filmmakers to move away from such stereotypes and focus on stronger storytelling and creative originality.