Shatrughan Sinha recently opened up about his long-standing campaign against tobacco consumption, a cause he championed during his tenure as Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Transport in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. He recounted an incident involving Shah Rukh Khan, where he saw the actor struggling to breathe after a stage performance. Shah Rukh has said that the reason for this is old age. Shatrughan pointed out that it was due to his smoking habit. The veteran actor also reflected on her journey with smoking, which she initially took up after seeing Raj Kapoor but later gave up completely.
Talking to Lehren Retro, Shatrughan said, ‘Shah Rukh was dancing on stage and I and my wife Poonam were sitting in front. I saw Shah Rukh laughing and he looked at me and said, ‘Sorry sir. I think age is catching up with me.’ I said, ‘It’s not age, it’s smoking.’
Shatrughan emphasized that everyone should quit smoking and shared his personal experience of quitting smoking. He said, “I used to smoke myself, but on World No Tobacco Day, which is celebrated every year, I asked, ‘What am I doing to myself?’ Then I decided to quit smoking and take no supplements. I really admire all the people who quit smoking like Amitabh Bachchan. We both decided to quit smoking together. He did immediately but I couldn’t leave at that time. Even Shashi Kapoor quit smoking, so there are many such people.”
When asked if he started smoking after seeing Raj Kapoor, he said, ‘Oh yes. I also feel guilty that I had a hand in promoting the habit of smoking and presenting it with style in films and my dear friend Rajinikanth also picked up the same style and presented it in his films.
Interestingly, at his birthday celebrations earlier this year, Shah Rukh Khan has announced that he has quit smoking. Addressing his fans at the event, he said, “The good news is that I don’t smoke anymore guys. Mujhe laga tha ki maa maai no bhaga bhaga kar raha hu (I thought I wouldn’t be able to breathe after quitting smoking, but I still do). Acknowledging the challenges of adjustment, he added optimistically, “Inshallah, that too will be gone“(By God’s grace, that too will be fine).”
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