By Sandeep Bhattacharjee, IANS

Debutant actor Rehan Khan, whose first film "Jaana... Let's Fall In Love" releases this Friday, is highly disappointed, as government officials refused to meet him to give a tax-free status to the film that sends an anti-smoking message.

"I tried to contact many officials in the health ministry but nobody was willing to meet me or talk to me. When someone really comes up with a good movie, the government agencies refuse to help", Rehan told IANS.

"The upcoming Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Don' had to undergo 17 cuts because they had the protagonist smoking cigarettes in it. Government agencies repeatedly advocate against smoking scenes in Bollywood movies and want filmmakers to make movies about the ill effects of smoking," said Rehan who was in the capital to promote his film.

A product of the Kishor Namit Kapoor Acting School, Rehan was critical of the Abhishek Bachchan starrer "Bunty Aur Babli" being granted a tax-free certificate.

He said: "A movie that teaches you to be a thief gets a tax-free certificate in this country but a movie with a strong social message is neglected."

Rehaan is also overtly critical about his senior co-stars - Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman.

"Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman are just actors in our film and they have been paid for it. They don't have any emotional attachment with the film otherwise they would have been here to promote the film," he remarked.

"There is nothing to learn from Rajesh Khanna. If I have learnt anything in this industry, I have learnt it from Amitabh Bachchan. In spite of being such a big star, he is a committed professional unlike Khanna."

The newcomer, however, is hopeful that his debut film will strike a right chord with the masses.