Delhi government issues legal notice to Badhaai Ho makers

New Delhi : The Delhi Government has issued a legal notice to 'Badhaai Ho' makers and actors seeking removal of smoking scenes and promotion of tobacco products from the movie.

S.K. Arora, Additional Director (Public Health) and State Tobacco Control Officer, said there were a number of scenes in Badhaai Ho where the characters can be seen smoking.

This, he said, violated Section 5 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA).

"There are repeated scenes of smoking and of a tobacco shop. There are scenes displaying brands of tobacco products. The brand promotion of tobacco products -- direct and indirect -- are banned under section 5 of COTPA. Our legal notice is based on these things," Arora told IANS.

"The legal notice to the director, producers and actors of Badhaai Ho has been issued because there has been promotion of a tobacco brand as well as surrogate advertisement repeatedly. We demand the immediate removal of these scenes from the film," he added.

Earlier, the department had issued notices to Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Akshaye Khanna.