Sanjay Gupta Questions Bollywood’s Reliance on Smoking Posters

• Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta criticized Bollywood’s frequent use of leading actors smoking in promotional film posters.
• Gupta highlighted a collage featuring Ranbir Kapoor in Animal, Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar, and Vicky Kaushal in Love & War.
• He questioned the contradiction between compulsory in-theatre anti-smoking disclaimers and the promotional material.
• Social media users debated the critique, with some pointing out lyrics from Gupta’s 2002 film Kaante, to which he replied that mandatory anti-smoking ads did not exist at the time.
• The debate occurs alongside tightened regulatory oversight from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) regarding substance representation and mandatory anti-drug warnings.

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has raised concerns regarding Bollywood’s continued reliance on smoking imagery in promotional campaigns for leading actors.

On social media platform X, Gupta shared a collage featuring promotional stills of Ranbir Kapoor from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, Ranveer Singh from Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, and Vicky Kaushal from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming Love & War. All three actors are depicted smoking in their respective character looks.

The director questioned the contrast between movie marketing materials and compulsory public health warnings shown in cinemas.

“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?” Gupta wrote.

Public Debate and Regulatory Context

The critique prompted a broader online discussion concerning the normalisation of tobacco use in cinema. Responding to the filmmaker, an X user cited lyrics referencing smoking from Gupta’s 2002 action thriller Kaante, labelling his stance ironic. Addressing the remark, Gupta noted the absence of mandated anti-smoking advertisements during that era, replying,

“There were no non smoking ads then you genius.”

Other internet users echoed his concerns, drawing comparisons to streaming service advisory warnings and debating whether cinematic depictions of smoking continue to rely on outdated tropes of masculinity.

The discussion coincides with heightened regulatory oversight regarding substance representation in Indian cinema. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) recently introduced revised guidelines notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Cinematograph Act, which mandates explicit on-screen warnings for scenes depicting the consumption, use, or trafficking of illicit drugs. These regulatory updates accompany the Centre’s reconstitution of the CBFC with an 18-member panel chaired by Shashi Shekhar Vempati.