Shah Rukh Khan Says smoking in Films is "creative liberty".

Shah Rukh Khan Says smoking in Films is "creative liberty".

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan cocked a snook at Health Minister
Anbumani Ramadoss for his appeal to him and other actors to quit
smoking onscreen saying actors should not be asked to curb "creative
liberties".

Shah Rukh took the cover of creative liberties while responding to
Ramadoss's remarks that he and super star Amitabh Bachchan should stop
setting a bad example by smoking in public and in films since
"children have their first puff of cigarette due to celebrites."

" As filmmakers we should have creative liberties because cinema is
all about make believe, Shah Rukh said a day after the remarks by
Ramadoss, who has been campaigning for a ban on smoking in films,

The star however said he agreed with Ramadoss on his concern over an
alarming increase in young people taking to smoking.

Ramadoss had said Shah Rukh should not have smoked in the stands while
watching a cricket match in Mumbai and that he and Bachchan could
learn a thing or two from superstar Rajinikant regarding smoking
onscreen.

Shah Rukh(42) has earned the ire of anti-smoking groups on different
occasions for lighting up in public in violation of a 2004 ban.

In October, the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication slapped
a legal notice on Shah Rukh asking him to explain his actions after he
was spotted smoking at a cricket match and at a media conference.

Defending himself, Shah Rukh had said that the cricket stadium where
he was photographed smoking is a private club as it falls under the
Cricket Club of India, moreover the actor noted that there wasn't a
'No Smoking Zone' specified in the area.