Up in the smoke

Things are not going to be that easy for artistes who want to puff away to glory with nicotine stuff, though it was a fad in early days.

Censor Board, if everything goes as per record, will hereafter ask the producer/director to justify the scene where a hero or a negative character holds a cigarette or a cigar.

Slogans like Smoking is injurious to health or Smoking kills may not help. Already these messages are shown whenever old films or beamed on television. For the new crop things may not be that easy, if the norms come into full force.

There are many instances where the youth, influenced by their favourite hero smoking tried to emulate him and have become smokers, even though the artiste is a non-smoker in real life.

In some instances where the artiste is a smoker and makes it public, such acts influence the youngsters. A senior actor in Tollywood was a chain smoker and his habit was well publicised in those days. Needless to say, many emulated him.

He had health problems and since he is rich could afford to go to foreign countries and get quality treatment. His fans need not be that lucky. Celebrities need to contain such habits to their private life.

The issue became serious ever since a cigarette company in US had to pay huge amount as compensation after a women sued the company and could establish that her husband died of smoking and he was addicted to that particular brand.

Tobacco companies in India, since then, diversified into other businesses hoping that one day they have to close shop. But the Indian way life and approach to a problem is different and they are safe at the moment.