TOBACCO IN MOVIES AND IMPACT ON YOUTH - Smoke Free ...

Tobacco in Movies & Impact on Youth
A 2005 release “Parineeta” had a scene where the female lead asks the hero not to
smoke because it is not good for him but the hero answers that he is mature
enough to understand about what is good and what is bad for him and continues to
smoke.
In “Nazar,” a movie released in 2005, a minor character is shown smoking in the
hospital and the nurse there admonishes her against smoking to which she replies
that if one has to die, one will die anyway and in the next sequence she is shown
murdered.
“Hum Tum,” a super hit movie of 2004 had a scene where the hero offers the
female lead a cigarette stating that those who have never smoked can not
understand the pleasures of smoking. In this movie too this is a clear instigation to
experiment with smoking. There are many such movies instigating
experimentation and at the same time also showing some cigarette brand at the
subliminal level. Some of them are Hum Tum, C U at 9, Kaal, Padamshree Laloo
Prasad Yadav, etc.
In another movie, “Padamshree Laloo Prashad Yadav,” the hero (Suniel Shetty)
offers a cigarette to a person (two different sequences) and on refusal by the
person to smoke claiming that he had never smoked before, the hero instigates
him. In a catchy dialogue sequence the hero asks him that the way you learned
about other things in your life and the way you learned producing children, the
same way you should also learn to smoke.
In “Let’s Enjoy,” (released 2004), there are elaborate dialogues praising cigarettes
and claiming it to be “Babaji ka prashad” (Divine potion). “Bachke Rehan Re
Baba,” shows a main character consuming “Gutka” (Chewing tobacco) in many
situations and is shown obsessively attached to tobacco. He praises the taste of
“Gutka” many times in the movie.
In “Page 3,” released in 2005, a police officer admonishes a journalist about
smoking and in the next sequences the journalist lights the cigarette of the police
inspector and both laugh over the previous warning. In another movie (Koi Mere
Dil Mein Hai) the father asks his son to smoke whenever he feels tense. Besides
there are many movies where a character is smoking and consuming alcohol
(doing both), he/she is admonished about not drinking but not about tobacco
consumption. Some of such sequences are in Bardaast, Chaahat, Madhoshi, etc.
These scenes are only illustrative in nature and not an exhaustive list. In the
movies showing tobacco at least 33.7% movies had a positive dialogue/action
facilitating tobacco consumption and 30.6% movies had a sequence which made
fun of the dangers of tobacco or belittled the warning statement.
Promoting smoking among females
Fewer females smoke in India except among certain socioeconomic groups and in
some geographical pockets, whereas the west has a large consumer segment in the
form of female smokers. It is a well known fact that tobacco companies strive
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