HYDERABAD: Everyone knows that cigarette smoking is injurious to health and keeping in mind the health hazard, a mandatory disclaimer is displayed before any movie plays. However, reel life always mimics real life in some respects and at times people get inspired by what they see on a 70mm screen.
A 15-year-old teenager landed in a hospital in Hyderabad with a severe cough. The 15-year-old smoking example may not be new, but it was unique in this case. The minor boy was apparently inspired by the smoking style of ‘Rocky Bhai’ in the recent blockbuster film KGF 2. Within a span of two days, the minor drank a pack of cigarettes.
However, this ‘feat’ landed the minor in the hospital when he started coughing continuously. “The parents didn’t even know that their son smoked a pack of cigarettes and that too for the first time. When I did all the tests including chest X-rays, I noticed a stain on this boy’s fingers which is usually Found on smokers,” Dr Rohit Reddy Pathuri, Consultant Pulmonologist, Century Hospitals, Hyderabad, tells Zee Media.
However, the real drama unfolds when the boy confesses to his parents in front of the doctor that he is inspired by ‘KGF 2’s Rocky Bhai’ who smokes in Style. “Immediately the mother started crying and the father started beating the boy. I separated them all and advised the boy separately and the parents separately,” says Dr. Rohit Reddy Pathuri.
Fortunately, the teenager’s medical condition did not turn critical and she was sent home with her parents in the hospital for half a day with prescribed medicine and proper consultation.
“Parents of teens should make sure they keep track of what their children are doing, and what factors are influencing their child’s actions. Rather than repenting later, it’s important that they Parents should play a role in creating awareness about the ill-effects of acts like tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. After an incident of child thrashing, like in this case, may not always lead to the best outcome,” said Dr. Rohit Reddy he said.
Cigarette smoking during childhood and adolescence causes significant health problems, including an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical fitness, and potential effects on lung development and function. Among adults who smoked daily, 87% had tried their first cigarette by age 18, and 95% had tried their first cigarette by age 21.