Recently, the Kerala High Court quashed a case against popular Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, saying actors cannot be held responsible for movie scenes depicting alcohol consumption without displaying the mandatory statutory warning.
Have you ever wondered whether such a display of statutory warning actually brings down the rate of alcohol consumption or smoking? Despite religiously displaying it in almost all booze or smoking scenes barring a few exceptions, Kerala still tops the list of tippler-states in the country.
In a recent blockbuster Malayalam movie, one of the lead actors carries a sign-post with the said warning before one of the booze-scenes, accompanied by a clever tagline, Ineem endhum aavaloh! (Now we can get away with anything!)
But, how many of us really notice the statutory warning on the movie screens? Especially, when the hero or villain may have just taken in a puff or a gulp and is all set to woo the heroine or maybe take on an entire set of goons at one go.
Even when the movie shows an ordinary scene about a couple of guys gulping down a glass of some local brew, how much does that unsettle you?
Indeed, cinema mirrors real life. As long as these habits persist, movies will continue to feature them. So, these statutory warnings are almost like a joke on the audience.
Displaying the warning once before the movie begins is fine. And rather than putting it up before every scene, a one-minute video of the lead actor telling the audience that the story warrants such scenes should be considered. The video should also convey that the actors do not endorse drinking or smoking in any way.
Perhaps watching one of your screen idols convey the message is much better than the warnings popping up before every scene.
Is the Censor Board listening?
(The author Chintha Mary Anil works with The News Minute. )
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