Anti-liquor ad has Vijay Babu in lead role

Thiruvananthapuram: An anti-liquor awareness advertisement featuring upcoming actor Vijay Babu will soon hit the big and small screens. The Excise Department is bringing out the advertisement as part of its anti-liquor awareness initiatives.

Though the department had earlier tried to get Dulquar Salman, it did not work out due to the busy schedules of the actor. Hence upcoming artiste Vijay Babu was roped in considering his increasing acceptability among youngsters, the actual target of the anti-liquor campaign.

“The post production work is in progress,” said Additional Excise Commissioner N. Prasanth. The 30-second film goes through the tragedies caused by liquor on those waiting in a long queue in front of a liquor outlet and the actor advising a youngster who is seen joining the queue.

Vijay Babu has played significant roles in 22 Female Kottayam, Honey Bee, Escape from Uganda, Ayalum Njanum Thammil and Philips and the Monkey Pen. Considering the financial constraints of the Government, the ad film is being produced at a minimum cost. “We also have a couple of other themes for effectively conveying the ill effects of liquor. Those would be produced in due course,” said Prasanth.

The department had been carrying out intensive anti-liquor campaigns through various mediums, as a result of which, a slight drop in liquor consumption during  the last Onam season was registered, it has been claimed.