The Hindu : National : From a rebel act to `cool' behaviour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 04, 2005

National

National

From a rebel act to `cool' behaviour

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: Traditionally portrayed as a vice of the "bad guys" of Indian cinema, smoking came to epitomise the "cool look" of Bollywood "good guys." Associated with certain types of characters on screen, smoking characterised arrogance, rebellion, power and control in the early 50s, its "glamourisation" began later in this decade when superstars of yesteryear — Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor — were shown smoking. In South Indian films, cigarettes have long been associated with style and sophistication.

Smoking as a style accessory in South Indian films is believed to have begun in 1949 with a hit Tamil film "Velai Kari," and the association grew stronger over the years, reaching a pinnacle with superstar Rajnikanth's much-imitated act of flicking a cigarette between the lips before lighting it.

A survey conducted by the World Health Organisation in 2003 on the portrayal of tobacco in Indian cinema — that formed the basis of the ban on smoking scenes in films and television serials — suggests that the highest number of smoking incidents in the past 12 years has been recorded in movies starring Shahrukh Khan, who is an idol both among teenage smokers. The second highest on-screen smoking scenes have been filmed on Rajnikanth. Gulshan Grover, Ajay Devgan and Chiranjeevi follow closely.

Extremely high

The portrayal of tobacco consumption in Indian cinema is extremely high. It was prevalent in 76 per cent of the films that were reviewed between 1991-2002 when the study was being conducted. It was highest at 85 per cent in 2002. The portrayal of smoking by females is higher (8 per cent) in earlier films compared to just about 2.5 per cent in contemporary films, the study says.

The incidence of smoking among positive characters (the hero) is 50 per cent, but the incidence of smoking among "bad guys" has declined considerably. The depiction of smoking among the "good guys" went up sharply from 22 per cent in 1991 to 53 per cent in 2002, unwittingly depicting smoking as a normal activity.

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