New Delhi: Toeing a different line from that of his predecessor on banning smoking and drinking onscreen, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Sunday that such a restriction was not "practical" and filmmakers should first stop showing "objectionable things" such as murder and arson.
Azad said he did not agree with the view that people get influenced by such scenes on screen and imitate them in real life.
His predecessor Anbumani Ramadoss has earned the ire of film stars for trying to impose a ban on smoking and drinking on screen.
"There are so many objectionable things, which are shown on screen like murder, arson and so on. Such things should be banned first. I think we should try to implement whatever we can," Azad told reporters when asked to comment on the issue.
"They are so many criminal acts shown on films. Film is entertainment which is also related to reality. These things happen in society. So, many of these things are shown in films and then you stop films also" he added.
According to Azad, imposing a ban on such things was "not practical.
"We cannot do anything which is not practical. Such things (banning smoking and drinking on screen) are very difficult. Cinema is part of entertainment and it is just to enjoy," he said.
To a question on ill-effects of tobacco, Azad said he had never smoked or had taken gutkha and other tobacco products.
"I never smoked in my life. Never taken gutkha and other products. I don't even remember their names," he said.
Ramadoss had vehemently opposed smoking and drinking in cinema and advertisement, which drew strong remarks from the film fraternity.