Take Care
Contents
Background
Take Care is a teledrama that was broadcasted on the Independent Television Network (ITN) from 1 June 2024, in Sri Lanka. ITN is the first state-owned media channel in Sri Lanka with a wider geographical coverage in the country. Take Care is produced by Saranga Disasekara, who also plays its leading male role. Dinakshie Priyasad, wife of Saranga Disasekara, and Rebecca Dilrukshi play the two female leading roles. The writer and director is Anuksha Rasanjana De Silva.[1] The writer, Rasanjana De Silva, has scripted multiple TV series that depict tobacco smoking, such as Black Rose, We,Take Care, and There is a body. Read more details in our page on Anuksha Rasanjana De Silva.
Tobacco Related Activities
Tobacco smoking by two of the leading roles, played by Saranga Disasekara and Dinakshie Priyasad, are depicted in multiple scenes in this teledrama.[1].
Promotional material for the teledrama shared on Saranga Disasekara’s Facebook page showed one of the female leads, Dinakshie Priyasad smoking a cigarette. This clip was not shown to date in the teledrama broadcasted. The accompanying caption indicated that it was among many scenes censored before airing the teledrama. [2]
The director and writer of the teledrama, Anushka Rasanjana De Silva, shared a post on his Facebook account justifying his portrayal of tobacco smoking in the teledrama, despite Tobacco product placement being prohibited by Section 35 of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act, No. 27 of 2006.[3]
Implications
Multiple research studies have shown that exposure to portrayal of tobacco products or their use in television and in movies is associated with initiation of smoking among viewers, especially among adolescents and youth, and sustenance of smoking among current smokers.[4]A large body of evidence suggests that tobacco industry is known to have commissioned celebrities to promote tobacco and related products in media and through entertainment activities.[5]
National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act No 27 of 2006 is the main legal framework for tobacco and alcohol control in Sri Lanka. Section 35 of the NATA Act prohibits tobacco and alcohol advertisements and promotion in media including ‘the internet’. NATA Act defines tobacco advertisements as, “any writing, still or moving picture, sign, symbol or distinctive colours or other visual image or any audible message or any combination of the aforesaid that promotes or is intended to promote – smoking, the purchase or use of a tobacco product, a trade mark registered in respect of a tobacco product or articles that include tobacco products, a brand name associated with a tobacco product, the name of the manufacturer of a tobacco product.”
Thus, portrayal of tobacco products and their use has a negative effect on tobacco control measures in the country and violates the NATA Act.
TobaccoUnmasked Resources
- Dinakshie Priyasad
- Saranga Disasekara
- Rebecca Dilrukshi
- Anushka Rasanjan De Silva
- National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act
The local language translations
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Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ITN Sri Lanka. Take Care | Episode 06 - (2024-06-16) | ITN, 16 June 2024, accessed June 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Saranga Disasekara. Facebook, 7 June 2024, accessed June 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Anushka Rasanjana Desilva. Facebook post, 18 June 2024, accessed June 2024
- ↑ M Bennett et all. Exposure to tobacco content in episodic programs and tobacco and E-cigarette initiation, October 2020, accessed August 2024
- ↑ A. Charlesworth, S. Glantz. Tobacco and the Movie Industry, 2006, accessed August 2024
