# Murmu urges film stars not to endorse harmful health products 2026-09-22T17:22:48+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets President Droupadi Murmu has urged popular film stars not to endorse products harmful to people's health, saying a true star spreads light, not darkness. Speaking at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, she highlighted the strong influence celebrities have on children and young people. "When successful artists speak about the benefits of a disciplined lifestyle, millions of children and young people emulate them," she said. Murmu also called for greater participation of women on the juries that select films for the National Film Awards. "I would like to see women's participation ensured in every regional jury," she said, adding that incorporating the female perspective forms a holistic human outlook. The President also appealed to the film industry to ensure respect and social security for workers, small-scale artists and assistants contributing to the creative economy. She recalled making a similar request at the previous National Film Awards ceremony. The awards ceremony was attended by top film industry talents. Kartik Aaryan won Best Actor for his role in 'Chandhu Champion'. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three sources report President Murmu's National Film Awards speech with near-identical framing, leading with her call against harmful endorsements and her remark that a true star spreads light, not darkness. The coverage is uniform straight reporting, with no discernible slant. The key difference is that Hindustan Times includes the President's appeal for workers' social security as a separate section, while Odisha TV and NDTV Profit subordinate it to the endorsement and women-on-juries points. None of the sources examine which specific products or endorsements she was referencing, or whether the industry has responded. The President's office posted her Hindi remark on X, giving the appeal official weight. The next relevant date is the release of the full citation list for the 72nd National Film Awards. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with the endorsement call, includes workers' social security as separate section, no editorialising - odishatv.in (neutral report) Starts with the endorsement call, adds women-on-juries and workers' appeals, wire-style reporting - ndtvprofit.com (neutral report) Lead focuses on endorsement call and women on juries, short treatment of other points Tags: Droupadi Murmu, Ekta Nagar, National Film Awards Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/murmu-urges-film-stars-not-to-endorse-harmful-health-products/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/murmu-urges-film-stars-not-to-endorse-harmful-health-products/#story-in-brief