Rohit Dhawan’s ‘Dishoom’ starring Varun Dhawan, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez released on 29 July. The movie has got into trouble now over a poster in which John Abraham is seen smoking a cigarette. A Mumbai-based NGO, working against Tobacco consumption, notified the actor to withdraw the poster.
General secretary of the National Organisation for Tobacco Consumption (NOTE), Shekar Salkar, said, “We will be writing a letter to John Abraham along with the producer and the director of the movie asking them to withdraw the poster which violated the anti-tobacco law”. A senior officer also added that they would be filing a complaint with the police against the actor and the director. Saying the poster promoted the use of tobacco, and it’s against the law, he insisted that the poster be immediately taken down.
It’s ironic that John Abraham is a non-smoker in real life and is known for his strict health regimen. According to ToI, the actor was initially very skeptical of his smoking scenes and wanted to do away with them. But the director insisted that they retain the scenes. “When you see the film, you will understand that the smoking is relevant from the first to the last frame. Of course, we don’t propagate it, but sometimes you have to play certain characters” he actor said.
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However, it’s not the first time the actor was seen smoking on screen. In the past, he has smoked in films No Smoking and Shootout at Wadala. He smoked as many as 60-80 cigarettes every day for those films. Talking about his smoking experience in this film, he said, “My throat used to burn due to excessive smoking. I had to keep drinking water to soothe it”.
The movie has been enjoying a successful run at the box office. According to Hindustan times, the movie is a “formula potboiler that serves the purpose of entertainment if you’re looking for some light moments”.