New Delhi: Admitting to differences with the Health Ministry on the proposed ban on smoking in films, Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Friday said the two ministries need a reconciliation on this issue.
"The final arbitrator is the court," I&B Ministry Secretary S K Arora said in reference to the PIL filed by film producer Mahesh Bhat in Delhi High Court against the proposed smoking ban in films.
"How can Devdas be depicted without a smoke and how can Winston Churchill be portrayed without his cigar," an I&B official said.
I&B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi has stated that measures should be taken to discourage smoking but the ban would come in the way of artistic freedom.
Last month, the Health Ministry issued a notification on the on-screen smoking ban while announcing some exemptions also.
The fresh notification states that smoking scenes will be allowed during live telecasts, old movies and films made on historical characters.
The ban on on-screen smoking is part of the anti-tobacco law which is being implemented by the government in phases.
Anti-tobacco campaigners had hailed the move and called it a "sensible step".
While the ban was to be implemented from August 2005, it has been deferred twice on the request of the I&B Ministry and the film industry.
According to the present deadline, the ban is to be implemented from January, 2006.
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