Indian Medical Association condemns the movie ‘Gabbar is Back’ for its derogatory portrayal of the Medical Profession

Indian Medical Association condemns the movie ‘Gabbar is Back’ for its derogatory portrayal of the Medical Profession

New Delhi May 8, 2015: Last week saw the National release of the much-awaited film ‘Gabbar is Back’ produced by none other Sanjay Leela Bansali and Viacom 18 Motion pictures. The star cast of the film includes Akshay Kumar and Shruti Hassan. The director is Mr Krish and scriptwriter Mr A R Murugadoss.

The film has however come into controversy with the Indian Medical Association - one of the oldest National voluntary organizations representing doctors of modern medicine around the world having as its members 2.5 lakh doctors spread over 29 States and 1700 local branches.

Speaking on the issue, Padma Shri Awardees and the present National President - Dr A Marthanda Pillai and Honorary Secretary General of the IMA - Dr K K Aggarwal in a joint statement said, “The Indian Medical Association is in deep anguish about the way the medical profession has been projected in the Movie “Gabbar is Back. It’s portrayal is derogatory and unrealistic and we together stand against it.”

‘Gabbar is Back’ showcases doctors in a hospital setting carrying out the fraudulent act of providing medical treatment to a person who was already “dead” before arriving at the hospital. Akshay Kumar who plays the role of the doctor is shown to be aware of the patient’s death however he makes everyone at the hospital believe that he is critical but still alive.

With cases of violence against doctors on the rise, a totally unjustified message such as this one as shown in the movie will only add fuel to the fire and further provoke public outrage against the medical profession. The IMA wants the above-referred scene to be withdrawn from the movie immediately. Till such time that this is done, the movie should be boycotted and banned.

The video clipping of the scene has been sent by the IMA to its 2.5 lakh doctor members to create awareness about the issue and to request all of them to boycott the film.

The IMA feels that if the Censor Board, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Health Ministry or the Home Ministry do not take any immediate action against this, IMA will be forced to start a public protest against the movie.

One can view a snapshot of the movie by clicking the following link: http://tinyurl.com/kzkg48o