The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday, May 24, dismissed a plea against the hit movie KGF: Chapter 2, which had claimed that it promoted the habit of smoking. A division bench of Chief Justice Awasthi and Justice Ashok Kinagi was hearing a petition filed by the Cancer Patients Aid Association, which claimed that smoking was represented as ‘heroic’ and ‘stylish’ in the film, and further contended that it was a violation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (COTP) Act.
While the petitioners demanded that the Central Board of Film Certification revoke the clearance it had issued to the film and reissue a fresh one after ensuring that the makers of the film had complied to the rules under the COTP Act, the court said that the petition had become infructuous or unnecessary, as the movie had already been released in theatres on April 14.
Livelaw also quoted the petition as saying that Yash, the lead actor in the film, was a popular figure in Karnataka and other parts of India, and therefore, had a moral and social responsibility, especially while dealing with health issues like the usage of tobacco.
Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2 was directed by Prashanth Neel. Released in the original Kannada version and dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil, the film broke several records at the box-office, becoming one of the biggest hits in India.
Producer Vijay Kiragandur earlier had stated that KGF 3 will go on floors this October, and they are planning for a 2024 release, according to reports. However, Karthik Gowda, executive producer of Hombale Films, later said that they will begin the work on the film only after an official announcement.
Gowda tweeted, "The news doing the rounds are all speculation. With a lot of exciting projects ahead of us, we @hombalefilms will not be starting #KGF3 anytime soon. We will let you know with a bang when we start the work towards it."
Besides theatres, KGF: Chapter 2 the movie is now available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. Both Prime members and non-Prime members can rent the film for Rs 199 on the streaming platform.