Anti-smoking disclaimers may soon be replaced by creative ones

In wake of suggestion by broadcasters and filmmakers to replace the current unpleasant anti-smoking disclaimers with more creative ones, the Health Ministry is working on new health spots having strong recall value.
The Ministry is developing new health spots and disclaimers which will replace the existing ones, following suggestion by the members of Film and Television Producers' Guild of India that when same advertisements are repeatedly shown, they create fatigue among spectator and also loses its value.
"They asked us to work upon improving the recall value and we have taken up this feedback," a Ministry official said.
On the Guild's suggestion that the Ministry should tone down the health spots and show them aesthetically, the official said, "But then we have straightaway told them that we cannot compromise on the hard hitting component of the advertisement, but yes are creating new health spots which will have a strong recall value."

All films with scenes depicting cigarette smoking have to show anti-tobacco health spots of minimum 30 seconds at the beginning and middle of the films, displaying tobacco products or their use.
Also, an audio-visual disclaimer of a minimum 20 seconds on the same are displayed at the beginning and middle of the films displaying tobacco products or their use.