Shatrughan Sinha recently opened up about his long-standing campaign against tobacco consumption, a cause he championed during his tenure as the Health and Family Welfare and Shipping Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. He recounted an incident involving Shah Rukh Khan, where he saw the actor struggling to catch his breath after a stage performance. While Shah Rukh attributed it to aging, Shatrughan pointed out to him that it was because of his smoking habit. The veteran actor also reflected on his own journey with smoking, which he initially picked up after watching Raj Kapoor but later gave up entirely.
Speaking to Lehren Retro, Shatrughan shared, “Shah Rukh was dancing on stage and me and my wife Poonam were sitting in front. I saw Shah Rukh panting and he looked at me and said, ‘Sorry sir. I think the age is catching up to me.’ I said, ‘It’s not the age, it’s smoking.’”
Shatrughan emphasised that everyone should quit tobacco and shared his personal experience of quitting smoking. He said, “I myself used to smoke, but on one anti-tobacco day that the world celebrates every year, I asked, ‘What am I doing to myself?’ Then I decided to quit smoking and took no supplements. I really appreciate all the people who have quit smoking, like Amitabh Bachchan. We both decided to quit smoking together. He did it immediately but I could not quit at that time. Shashi Kapoor also had quit smoking, so there are many people like that.”
When asked if he started smoking after watching Raj Kapoor, he said, “Oh yes. I also feel guilty that I have a hand at promoting the smoking habit and present it with a style in films and I think my dear friend Rajinikanth also picked up the same style and presented it in his films.”
Interestingly, at his birthday celebration earlier this year, Shah Rukh Khan announced that he had quit smoking. Addressing his fans at the event, he said, “The good news is that I’m not smoking anymore, guys. Mujhe laga tha ki I will not feel so breathless, but abhi bhi feel kar raha hu (I thought I wouldn’t feel breathless after quitting smoking, but I still do).” Acknowledging the challenges of adjusting, he added with optimism, “Inshallah, woh bhi theek ho jayega” (By God’s grace, that will also be fine).”
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