.... the brain is not a vessel to be filled,
It is something to be IGNITED

February 28, 2006
Tobacco Free Movies/India/001

 To:

An appeal on the
International Day of Action on Smoking, Movies and Children's Health by millions who love and admire you

Dear sir,

Recognizing you as a role-model and as a trustee of faith and goodwill of millions of people worldwide, we are writing this letter to you with great hopes. 

We recognize and appreciate the good work you did by inspiring millions of people across the country to take their children to polio booths and get them immunized. Your role-model image, words and on-screen actions made all the positive change and helped in reducing the death toll of Polio in India. 

We seek your help and cooperation in ending another dreaded epidemic which kills five million people worldwide every year and is expected to escalate to 20 million if nothing is done to prevent it.  

168 countries of the world have already recognized this epidemic as the leading cause of deaths and diseases worldwide. It forced WHO to come with its first and the only international public health convention in 58 years of its existence to end this epidemic. This epidemic is purely man-made, originating from the greed and lust of money of a handful of people but if we are willing to put in our efforts then quite fortunately and unlike Polio, HIV AIDS or Malaria, it is 100% preventable. 

Probably you have heard the name of this deadly epidemic which comes in innocuous looking colourful packs and manage to kill 2200 people everyday in India; it is called TOBACCO.  

Despite the deaths caused by tobacco; 5500 children and youngsters still initiate tobacco use everyday in India and become its new prey. Most of them think tobacco to be cool, fashionable and something that is normal to be used. They have no clue of its chemical addiction and are swayed by the scientifically incorrect messages conveyed through moving images. They are often too immature to understand the difference and mix the celluloid life with the real images. The subtle and subliminal message often conveyed through movies and television is so powerful that they presume that tobacco use is absolutely normal behaviour whereas it is an awful chemical addiction more deadly than many other prohibited drugs.  

Such facts are well documented in hundreds of scientific studies world wide and are also recognized by all the 168 countries who signed the FCTC. 

We would like to see tobacco totally prohibited and its manufacturing stopped but owing to the complexity of the issue this is possible only in a phased manner over a long period of time. As a first step in this direction it is important that all the scientifically incorrect messages conveyed through the mass media be immediately stopped. This means that all the images of tobacco use through all mass media tools be immediately stopped.  

This is important because the use of tobacco on-screen by any character has the potential of not only glamorizing it but also presenting it as a normal behaviour; which it is not. Though a lot of people are consuming tobacco in real life still this does not make it a normal behaviour; after all at one point of time a lot of people were also consuming marijuana, opium and cocaine too and this did not make use of such things as normal. Over a period of time such substances were banned. Similarly many other, much severe social evils like slavery, dowry, caste-system, etc. were in existence at some times back but have ultimately been rooted out. Tobacco is no different and will soon be outlawed completely, we are sure about it. 

But all this is not possible without the assistance of people from the mass media and the world of moving images. You and your friends can make a big difference and contribute in this mammoth task and also in reducing the death toll. 

You are in position to do this as is apparent through your contribution to the Polio eradication campaign. It has been observed that millions follow you in whatever you do and suggest. Your status as one of the most respected and admired superstar in the film industry also means that even the film fraternity listens to you when you speak and propose. Your status ensures that you call the shots when it comes to following what is right, lawful, ethical and moral. Unlike a struggling actor, no one can bully you to do things which you feel are incorrect and leads to social cataclysm.  

Owing to the concerns we briefly mention here and knowing you a good hearted empathic soul who will definitely like to pay back to the millions who place their trust in you and worship you as a demigod, we pray you to; 

ü     Abstain from using any form of tobacco product in the movies you act, direct or produce.

ü     Refuse your consent to any movie which shows tobacco use and its brand; whether or not you appear alongside such scenes or sequences. We request that it to be known to everyone that you will not associate with movies which show tobacco use.

ü     Support the initiative of 100% tobacco free movies so as to reduce the initiation of youngsters into the tobacco death trap and reduce the increasing death toll because of tobacco epidemic. Your public support on the issue shall be of immense value to the world.

ü     Support the tobacco control initiative just the way you support other public causes. Your appearance, messages, images and appeals will help millions quit this awful man created chemical addiction of tobacco. It will also prevent millions of children from treading this path and hence save millions of lives. 

We hope that you will consider our appeal which shall be visible from the public stance you take and your other actions and communication.

Yours in high hopes

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