WENN
Woody Allen has pulled his new film “Blue Jasmine” from cinemas in India after learning mandatory anti-tobacco advertisements would be inserted into scenes where characters are smoking.
Indian law requires health warnings to be shown on screen when characters smoke in films, while cinemas must play anti-smoking ads before every movie, according to Reuters.
Bing: Rio Mayor offers to fund Woody’s next film
Two smoking scenes in the film, which opened in 30 Indian cinemas over the weekend, had featured on-screen disclaimers, upsetting the director.
A representative for Woody Allen tells Reuters: “Due to content in the film, it cannot be shown in India in its intended manner. Therefore, the film is not scheduled to play there.”
A spokesman for Indian distributor PVR films explains, “He (Woody) wasn’t comfortable with the disclaimer that we are required to run when some smoking scene is shown in films. He feels that when the scroll comes, attention goes to it rather than the scene. We had to abide by the law and we don’t have control over the film.”