One of the producers of the Chinese crime drama film "Mr. Six," also known as "Lao Pao'er" in Mandarin, responded to accusations by the Beijing Tobacco Control Association that the film contains an excessive number of scenes depicting smoking by claiming that the film aims to realistically reflect the life of Beijing's residents during the time period, reported the Global Times.
On Thursday, the association sent an open letter to the Global Times, wherein it strongly criticized the film for what it considers an excess of shots depicting smoking. The association claimed that it ignored the regulations that make all indoor public spaces, work places and public transport vehicles in Beijing smoke-free.
"The 138-minute film is full of scenes depicting the lighting and passing of cigarettes and smoking . . . It seems that everyone in the film can smoke, which goes against reality and is unnecessary. They smoke unscrupulously and illegally in public places," said the association in its open letter.
The associated then demanded that the film's producer apologize to Beijing residents, include a notice at the beginning of the film stating that smoking is harmful to one's health and that it is banned in public spaces, and organize a public service activity advocating against tobacco use.
A senior associate of Huayi Brothers, the film's production studio, told news portal cnr.cn on Saturday that the film does not encourage smoking but merely aims to artistically recreate the residents' real life.
The employee said that the anti-tobacco ban had not yet been put in place at the era the film is set, and smoking was quite common for residents at the time.
"Mr. Six," which stars well-known director Feng Xiaogang, is about a street punk called Lao Pao'er, who was powerful in Beijing's streets. Released on Dec. 24, the film has made 687 million yuan ($106 million) in the box office as of Sunday.