V Selvakumar, a social activist from Chennai has filed a complaint on Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s forthcoming ‘Thupaki’, thanks to the posters featuring the star smoking a cigar.

“Recently Chennai was filled with wall posters from Thupaki, which were also used in print media. The posters have Vijay smoking a cigar. In spite of Ministry Of Health, Government of India banning any display of smoking, this poster was pasted everywhere and used as ads”, says Selvakumar.

“In regard to the above mentioned violation of the Indian Tobacco Act, I have filed a complaint on 04th May 2012 with The Commissioner of Police, requesting to take necessary action against the violators”, he further adds.

However this is not the first time a lead actor has posed with a cigar for a film poster, remember Ajith’s ‘Aasal’ posters and Simbu’s ‘Vettai Mannan’ posters? Only about two weeks back Shahrukh Khan was in news for smoking in public.

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The first-look posters of Vijay’s forthcoming film, Thuppakki, plastered on walls across Tamil Nadu show the actor shirtless and smoking a cigar, have caused a stir amongst social and anti-tobacco activists.

Sowmya Anbumani, wife of former union minister Anbumani Ramadoss and chairperson of the environmental group Pasumai Thayagam, was the first to raise objection to the posters stating that this is not only a violation but also punishable under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Product Act.

In her press release, she said, “The film has violated Section 9(2) of the notification issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which states that promotional materials and posters of films and television programmes shall not depict any tobacco products or their usage in any form.”

Sowmya also pointed out that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a notification last year with certain amendments to showing the actual act of smoking on screen.

Accordingly, there has to be a health warning scroll in legible and readable font across the scene as a ticker stating that smoking causes cancer, smoking kills and so on.

Meanwhile, social activist Selvakumar from Mogappair has filed a complaint with the city Commissioner of Police requesting action against Vijay, the film’s director Murugadoss, producer Thanu, and others responsible for the poster and other print ads that have violated the tobacco act.

In his complaint, he has stated that the makers of Thuppakki have even violated Censor Board guidelines, which strictly state that a scene that contains smoking should a scrolling message or sub-titles with statutory warnings.

Hindu Makkal Katchi, the self-professed patrons of Hindu culture and moral policing of film personalities have also jumped into the fray.

Speaking to KollyInsider, Kannan, the state organising secretary to HMK said, “Being an icon in the Tamil film industry, Vijay should set a good example for the younger generations.

We request him and his producer to remove such posters and portions from the film, if any.

Or else we will protest in front of the actor’s house and also send bundles of cigars to his house to show our displeasure.”

It may be recalled that after style mannan Rajinikanth was thrashed for posing with a cigar in Baba, he quickly changed this to flipping a chewing-gum instead of a cigarette in his next movie Chandramukhi. Neither Thanu nor Murugadoss was available for comment.