Hansal Mehta Voices Opposition to Mandatory Smoking Disclaimer on OTT

• Hansal Mehta criticized the mandate on Twitter, calling it a “progressive decision.”
• His statement sparked a divided reaction on the internet.
• Some people agreed with him, while others disagreed.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has voiced his criticism against the recent mandate that compels OTT platforms to include disclaimers for smoking or tobacco products. He ironically referred to it as a “progressive decision.”

Hansal Mehta, the director behind popular Netflix series “Scoop” and SonyLIV’s “Scam 1992,” expressed his thoughts on Twitter on Wednesday, “Yes. The only reason tobacco products and smoking kill is our shows/films. By putting these tickers we will have healthy people who don’t smoke. Very progressive decision.”

Hansal Mehta provided a response specifically addressing the inclusion of a smoking disclaimer on OTT platforms mentioned in the report, “This decision was made to protect people’s health and raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco.”

Hansal Mehta’s statement sparked a divided reaction on the internet. A Twitter user expressed their thoughts in response to his tweet, “It’s so easy to ban movies. Why don’t they ban tobacco ? Hypocrites.” However, another user refuted Hansal’s remark and wrote, “If this decision stops 100, 10 or even 1 person to quit / not getting habituated to smoking or tobacco consumption, I genuinely think it’s a good decision !”

Yes. The only reason tobacco products and smoking kill is our shows/films. By putting these tickers we will have healthy people who don’t smoke. Very progressive decision.

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“This decision was made to protect people’s health and raise awareness about the harmful effects of… https://t.co/zFOv0Sq73n

— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) July 26, 2023

Another user attempted to engage in a reasoned discussion with Hansal. They wrote, “Sir, films do have the power to influence the gullible. With the distribution and access of today it becomes more important to have checks.. self regulation should be foremost.. I am scared about my kids childhood, with the kind of content available on OTT these days..”

According to reports, The government has mandated OTT platforms to display an anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen whenever a tobacco product is shown or used in a program. This announcement was made in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

As per the revised regulations, all publishers of online curated content that feature tobacco products or their usage are required to show anti-tobacco health messages. These messages should be displayed for a minimum of 30 seconds each at the beginning and middle of the program.

The regulations require OTT platforms to show a visible static anti-tobacco health warning at the bottom of the screen whenever tobacco products or their usage are depicted in a program. Additionally, they must play an audio-visual disclaimer about the harmful effects of tobacco, lasting a minimum of 20 seconds each at the beginning and midway through the program.

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