Ranbir Kapoor Vaping Row Escalates as CBFC Blurs E-Cigarette Scenes in One Battle After Another Despite Joint Smoking Allowed

A new controversy is shaking Bollywood and Hollywood alike. After Ranbir Kapoor’s cameo showing him vaping in Aryan Khan’s The Ba**ds of Bollywood* sparked outrage, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has now blurred out Leonardo DiCaprio’s vaping scenes in One Battle After Another. What’s ironic—and highly controversial—is that the board left a joint-smoking scene untouched, creating confusion about censorship standards and exposing what critics call Bollywood’s “moral hypocrisy.”

What Triggered the Debate

The CBFC has cracked down on e-cigarette visuals, ensuring that DiCaprio’s vaping shots are blurred for Indian audiences. This comes right after Kapoor faced public and legal backlash for vaping on screen without disclaimers. The National Human Rights Commission even intervened in that case, demanding accountability.

But here’s the contradiction: while vaping was blurred, the joint-smoking scene passed through without cuts. Profanity, suggestive content, and even liquor-brand labels were modified, but traditional smoking and drug-use depictions remain visible.

Hypocrisy in Censorship?

This double standard has left both filmmakers and audiences confused. If vaping scenes are censored on the grounds of public health and legality, why is smoking or joint-use allowed? The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act bans e-cigarettes but doesn’t outright criminalize their on-screen portrayal. Meanwhile, smoking in films is regulated by statutory warnings, yet enforcement is inconsistent.

By blurring only the vape but letting the joint pass, the CBFC has been accused of sending mixed signals—treating one modern vice as taboo while normalizing an older one.

Artistic Freedom Under Attack

For creators, this inconsistency is more than a nuisance—it’s a direct threat to storytelling. Directors argue that their work is already forced to carry disclaimers about smoking and drinking, but blurring visuals takes away from authenticity. They claim that censorship boards are not protecting viewers but rather making performative moral choices that don’t align with reality.

Supporters of stricter regulation counter that films have a strong influence on youth, and normalizing vaping, a relatively new phenomenon, could encourage curiosity and usage. Yet, the same argument could apply to smoking or drug use, making the CBFC’s stance look selective and politically motivated.

Controversial Take: Bollywood’s Moral Selectivity

The uproar around Ranbir Kapoor’s vape scene and DiCaprio’s blurred moments points to one thing—Bollywood and the CBFC don’t have a consistent moral compass. Instead of applying rules evenly, they seem to bend to trends, outrage, and optics. Vaping gets blurred because it’s “new and scary,” while smoking gets a free pass because it’s “old and familiar.”

This selective censorship not only undermines artistic freedom but also exposes the performative nature of Bollywood’s moral policing. If films are meant to mirror society, then censorship boards should stop acting like cultural gatekeepers and start respecting consistency.