A few days back our health minister A Ramadoss publicly appealed to Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to refrain from smoking on screen. Shahrukh retaliated by saying that it’s within the creative liberty of actors whether they want to smoke on screen or not. Also, he feels that no one should personally tell him what to do and what not to do; he is mature enough to distinguish right from wrong himself.

Shahrukh Khan is right when he says that the government should not impose any restrictions on the creative liberty of actors. But being one of the most recognized faces in India, someone who is completely idolized by the youth of our nation, it does become his responsibility to lead them on the right path. What Shahrukh does on screen becomes a huge fashion statement- be it his costumes or the accessories he wears. When Shahrukh is shown smoking a cigarette as a way of life our youth does get influenced into doing it, whether Shahrukh Khan accepts it or not. Be it in Swades or in Don, the immense charisma attached with Shahrukh’s persona does impart a lot of charm to smoking. It might be very tough for Shahrukh Khan but it does seem that for the sake of the youth of India he needs to abstain from public smoking at least.

With success comes a lot of responsibilities, and Shahrukh Khan has never been one to shy away from challenges. We hope he understands his social responsibility in this regard and helps our youth in overcoming the menace of smoking. Also, if our health minister is so concerned about the health of the youth shouldn’t he ban smoking altogether rather than make passing remarks on Shahrukh and Amitabh? A simple increase in cost of tobacco is enough to push the youth away from smoking. May be the minister needs to look into his own den before pointing fingers at others.