Anti-tobacco NGO wants Guzaarish posters withdrawn

PANJIM, NOV 16
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film, ‘Guzaarish’ has hit a controversy after posters of Bollywood icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan smoking cigarette displayed all across Mumbai.
The anti-tobacco NGO, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), has threatened to issue legal notice against Bachchan and the filmmaker by Wednesday.
The NGO has asked filmmaker to withdraw the posters showing smoking scenes.
 “The innumerable posters and banners of the film Guzaarish displayed all over Mumbai shows Aishwarya smoking a cigarette. We will make sure that the notice is issued by Wednesday,” NOTE General Secretary Dr Shekhar Salkar said here today.
Guzaarish, casting Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan is set for the release on Friday-November 19.
NOTE, in the past had dragged Amitabh Bachchan to high court for similar offence during promotion of film ‘Family’.
 “The display of the posters showing Aishwarya smoking raises worries in our mind that such depictions could be trend-setter,” Dr Salkar said.
He stated that NOTE India firmly believes that there is in large use of film stars to propagate smoking, who are considered as icons and even deities by their millions of fans.
“Once the fans find their favourite celebrate consuming cigarette, they automatically move closer to it,” he added. 
NOTE India had in the past knocked every door to prevent the clandestine proliferation of tobacco by using Bollywood stars.