SRK to Ramadoss: Don't pick on little things

NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan cited creative freedom as he hit back at Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss for criticising him and Amitabh Bachchan for portraying smoking on screen. "I think there is a huge amount of creative freedom that should be allowed in cinema and arts, and one should not go around picking on little things - because that's just cinema, it's make believe and we should not have huge censorship on that," said Shah Rukh Khan at a ceremony where he was awarded the French title of 'Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters'. Reacting to the news, the actor said: "I saw it in the news that Mr Ramadoss feels that Mr Bachchan and I should not be smoking on screen. I truly agree with that, I think it's a great thought. More than that, I wish Mr Ramadoss prays that I stop smoking in real life. That's worse - in movies we just do it for make believe." "Every time I am in front of a television channel I always say children don't smoke, it kills you. It is the worst habit and I want to give it up as soon as possible," he added. In an interview, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had urged Bollywood mega stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to desist from smoking in their films. "..I have already made appeals to Shah Rukh Khan...I would like to make an appeal to him and Amitabh Bachchan and all other personalities," Ramadoss had told a private news channel. He was also critical of Khan for smoking at a cricket match.