After smoking a pack of cigarettes for the first time, a teenager in Hyderabad developed a severe cough and throat ache complications needing medical attention.

Doctors at Century Hospital, a leading multi-specialty healthcare provider in the city, on Saturday announced they have successfully treated a teenager who inspired by “Rocky Bhai”, a character of the KGF movie series, smoked cigarettes and fell severely sick. The boy needed immediate medical attention to provide relief from the after-effects of smoking cigarettes, along with strong counseling.

A resident of Rajendranagar in Hyderabad, the 15-yr-old boy, whose name has been withheld to protect the child’s identity, was rushed to Century Hospital when his parents learned that he smoked a packet of cigarettes after watching the KGF2 movie three times in just two days. The boy watched the movie in the second week of its release in theaters and was inspired by the “style” of the lead character ‘Rocky Bhai’ and wanted to ape him by smoking for the first time, only to fall severely sick in the process, the hospital officials stated.

Commenting on the case, Dr. Rohith Reddy Pathuri, Consultant Pulmonologist, Century Hospital said: “Teenagers do get easily influenced by characters like ‘Rocky Bhai’. In this case, this young boy took to smoking and fell severely sick after consuming a full packet of cigarettes. Movies are a highly influencing element of our society, and it is important that moviemakers and actors have a moral responsibility to not glamorize acts like smoking or chewing tobacco, or consuming alcohol. Characters like ‘Rocky Bhai’ have a cult following and young minds do get influenced by the acts of these demigods on the screen.”

“Parents of adolescents must ensure they keep a watch on what their children are doing, and what factors are influencing their child’s acts. Instead of regretting later, it is important parents play a role in creating awareness about the ill effects of acts like smoking tobacco and consuming alcohol. Beating up children post the act, like in this case, might not always produce the best result,” added Dr. Rohith Reddy.

Doctors say that smoking during childhood and adolescence causes significant health problems among young people, including an increase in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical fitness, and potential effects on lung growth and function. Most importantly, this is when an addiction to smoking takes hold, often lasting into and sometimes throughout adulthood.