Professional Report - Smoke Free Movies

Javed Akhtar
What in your perception would you say is the influence of cinema on youth?
Although I do believe that the influence of cinema is perhaps overestimated…but as far as such habits as
smoking are concerned I feel that cinema does make a difference. Because when a young person looks upon
a popular figure, star, icon – male or female – he or she tends to emulate the obvious behaviour, the
mannerisms, the way they wear their clothes, they talk, the way they make their hair…the way they walk, the
style. They may not ultimately copy their morality which is more often than not rather superhuman, and there
are other compulsions, social pressures, which decide or make or mar their morality, but as far as their
mannerisms or these obvious influences are concerned, I think they do work on a young mind. I remember
when I was in college, the way Raj Kapoor used to smoke cigarettes, the way Ashok Kumar would light a
cigarette, we were aware and knew which actor smokes which way, not only that they smoked. Now, Censors
has also put some kind of conditions and they discourage any positive character/protagonist smoking on
screen.
By and large I think this younger generation of actors don’t rely on these kind of styles. It is becoming less and
less…smoking on screen has become a rarity now. It has influence to some extent. Besides by and large there
is a kind of health consciousness in the middle class and the upper middle class youngsters and they go to the
gyms. You can see that on the screen also. If you saw the actors of the 50s and 60s, they were superb actors
but their physique left much to be desired. But on the other hand, today’s actors, some of them, may not be as
talented as actors but all of them are physically extremely fit. The boys and girls…because they are health
freaks and they put some premium on health, smoking is rather a no-no. We have some actors who are chain
smokers but they too don’t smoke on the screen.
It’s said that actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgan are virtually chain smokers. Do you think that has
an impact?
No, I think that’s a fairly well guarded secret. Because they don’t do it on the screen…Sometimes…Censors
should not be fanatical about it, sometimes you have to show characters who smoke and the fact remains that
people smoke in society. So if you’re portraying such characters once in a while…In Company, Ajay Devgan
who gave a very good performance, he was smoking…but generally by and large I think smoking is going out
of fashion. People still smoke…but I’m quite convinced that in the younger generation the percentage is
definitely decreasing.
In the films that you wrote…for instance Deewaar…you built up Amitabh Bachchan’s character who comes up
from a coolie and becomes an underworld don…and throughout smoking was used to build drama, he did it in
a manner that was very stylish. How was that decision taken on whether the character should smoke or not.
At the script stage. If it is a detailed script, you would use cigarettes to give dramatic support. At what stage the
person takes out a cigarette, lights it, gives a pause, at the right moment, he throws it away…that can create a
kind of a dramatic effect. But now, after a fairly long gap, when I have written three scripts, none of my
characters smoke…that’s the difference.
Which films are these?
I have written one script for my son who is going to direct it, Lakshya. There are lot many male characters,
because it has the background of Kargill. Then there is another script that I have written for Dinesh Gandhi, it’s
directed by Honey Irani, my ex-wife, and that has the backdrop of a hospital. Most of the characters are doctors
and surgeons and they are non-smokers. Another script that I have finished for Shah Rukh Khan, and again
they are non-smokers. I used to in the 1970s – at this stage he takes a cigarette, lights a cigarette or throws
away a cigarette…We have used smoking as a part of drama also in Zanjeer. When Amitabh confronts the
villain…Villain is having a cigar while having soup. Towards the end of the scene, Amitabh take the cigar, puts
it in the soup and walks away…So obviously that could be done only if that character was smoking…So at
many places I have used cigarettes. Like in Zanjeer again, somebody is smoking a cigarette in a third class
compartment when the witness is going to court. He puts the cigarette on the hand of the man who is holding
the bar in the train and he falls off from the train. Cigarette somehow was an integral part…one of the props
that was used dramatically, but no more.
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