After the first look poster of Thalapathy Vijay's '
Sarkar' directed by AR Murugadoss sparked a controversy immediately after it was released. The poster had a stylish
Vijay in a suit smoking a cigarette. While there has been a lot of support for Vijay, the latest to voice his views is
Vijay Sethupathi, who has spoken out in favour of Vijay and other actors smoking on screen.
Speaking to a news channel, Vijay Sethupathi said, "Cigarette smoking is not as exaggerated today on-screen, as much as it was in the 80's. My father used to smoke cigarettes. I didn't get influenced by him. I wasn't influenced either when I saw Ajith smoking in movies. I too have the habit of smoking. Is actor Vijay the only one who smokes cigarettes in movies? Don't other actors smoke as well? By protesting against this, everyone is vying for publicity. Everyone knows that smoking is injurious to health. Those who want to end this problem must voice against the cigarette company."
Earlier, actor Simbu reacted to the whole 'Sarkar' row and even challenged Anbumani Ramadoss, who first sparked the issue, for an open debate regarding the issue.
Sarkar marks the third collaboration of AR Murugadoss and Vijay after two blockbuster films Thupakki and Kaththi. Produced by Sun Pictures, the film has Keerthy Suresh and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar playing the female leads with Radha Ravi, Pala Karuppiah and Yogi Babu in important roles. The film is slated to release on Diwali this year.