Music director Pyarelal of the legendary Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo joined the debate triggered by Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss' remarks on smoking and drinking scenes in movies. Pyarelal said that such conditions were impossible to implement. If scripts demanded such characters, clipping them would mean limiting artistic creativity, he added.
"If an actor is playing the role of a crook, how can you expect a devotional song to be picturised on him, without a cigarette or alcohol in his hand? I think that will limit the creativity of the writer or director," Pyarelal said. "Or please spare songs on Mirza Ghalib 'shayaris' because most of them can't be imagined without drinking scenes."
Recently, Ramadoss had commented that actors should not drink or smoke on screen in films and serials as drinking or smoking scenes glorify the use of alcohol and youngsters in their bid to imitate their icons, end up taking to the vices.
"We make music keeping the situation and character in mind. I think Shah Rukh Khan or Dilip Kumar in a Devdas song without a liquor bottle in hand would not be acceptable. Sanjay Dutt in Choli Ke Peeche, Dev Anand in Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya are some examples where you cannot compromise with the character's demand," continued Pyarelal, who scored music for almost 500 films in a career spanning 35 years, along with Laxmikant.