Cinema VinesFilmmaker Sanjay Gupta has taken to X on Sunday, September 27, 2026, to voice a criticism that has sparked debate across the Indian film community. He pointed out that several recent Bollywood posters—specifically for Animal, Dhurandhar and Love & War—feature their leading men with cigarettes, while audiences are shown anti‑smoking reels before and during screenings. In a collage he shared, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Vicky Kaushal are all pictured holding or surrounded by cigarettes, a visual he says clashes with the health warnings that theatres now display.
Gupta’s post read, “What is the point of those unpleasant anti‑smoking reels we have to endure before and during films when these are the posters of the films?” The comment drew a wave of replies on X, with users debating whether smoking remains a staple of a hero’s screen persona despite the growing regulatory push against tobacco imagery. One user even referenced Gupta’s 2002 film Kaante, noting a cigarette reference in the song “Rama Re,” and asked why the filmmaker would condemn posters but not past work. Gupta replied that the regulatory environment was different back then, stating, “There were no non‑smoking ads then you genius.”
His remarks come at a time when India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has just published revised guidelines for film certification, effective from September 18, 2026. The new framework expands on earlier rules by adding provisions that cover the depiction of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, alongside violence and other sensitive content. Films that portray the consumption, use or trafficking of illicit narcotics must now carry an on‑screen anti‑drug warning, a move that mirrors the anti‑smoking warnings already mandated for tobacco use.
Gupta’s criticism highlights a perceived double standard in the industry: while posters continue to showcase smoking as part of a character’s image, theatres are required to display health warnings that remind viewers of the dangers of tobacco. The debate underscores the tension between creative expression and public health responsibilities, and whether the current guidelines are sufficient to curb the glamorisation of smoking in cinema. As Bollywood grapples with these new rules, filmmakers and audiences alike are left to question the effectiveness of anti‑smoking reels and the broader cultural messages that films send to the public.
