Smoking has long been considered a symbol of machoism in the male-dominated cinema industry. The cigarette is seen as an indication of a confident man, whether it’s being held by Balakrishna in Veera Simha Reddy or Chiranjeevi in Waltair Veerayya.
Film posters show stars like Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, and Ravi Teja with cigarettes apparently to give them a suave look. But the statutory warning — “Smoking and drinking are injurious to health” — is displayed on the screen in films that show such activities. So, is the mandatory caution losing its purpose? Has it become a meaningless gesture?
Mutyala Ramadasu, Vice-President of the Film Chamber, seems to think so, and faults heroes and filmmakers in this respect. He wants them to take more responsibility. “Unfortunately, the statutory warning has become a mere formality,” Ramadasu says.
“Just like how a cigarette packet is sold with a warning, stars and filmmakers are putting in a caution, and feeling free to do whatever they want to. So I question the purpose of such warnings.”
Fans and audiences emulate stars blindly, so, their on-screen actions have a huge impact on society.
‘IN CHARACTER’
Be it Mahesh Babu puffing on a cigarette in Guntur Kaaram or Prabhas and Ravi Teja flicking one with panache in Salaar and Tiger Nageswara Rao respectively, their mannerisms are an extension of their macho personas, and underlines male dominance. Director Gopichand Malieni who directed Balakrishna in Veera Simha Reddy, comments that such scenes subconsciously reflect the character’s (hero’s) fearless attitude.
One of the posters of Nani in his recent release Dasara shows him smoking. However, the film’s director Srikanth Odela says that it was because he wanted to stay as true to Nani’s character.
“Nani plays a young ruffian who steals coal for a living. So everything has to be in sync with his character and smoking is part of his make-up,” says Srikanth.
Director Vamsee, on his part, vehemently asserts that he has never tried to glorify smoking on screen because both he and the hero have a social responsibility. He says he takes the statutory warning that is shown in films seriously and denies that smoking is used as a symbol of masculinity.
“Scenes where the hero is seen smoking depend on his character design and backdrop. In my film Tiger Nageswara Rao, Ravi Teja plays a thief from a dark world; so naturally we showed him smoking on screen,” says the director. He adds, “In my last film Kittu Unnadu Jagaratta, I did not show my hero Raj Tarun smoking because there was a need for that,” he points out.
THE INTERNET LOOPHOLE
Another argument is that creative freedom should be allowed for making larger-than-life films and filmmakers should be given the liberty to express their ideas.
While smoking posters need to be cleared by the Publicity Cell of the Film Chamber, there’s no censorship on the Internet, it is pointed out.
“For screening a trailer and a film in theatres it has to pass through censors and the statutory warning displayed throughout. But several filmmakers are directly releasing posters and trailers on the Internet because it doesn’t need any censorship,” says a member of the Censor Board.
Mutyala Ramadasu says most posters that depict actors smoking are allowed, on the premise that filmmakers are only trying to emphasise the ‘manliness’ of the hero. But if the Board finds the poster obscene and vulgar, it won’t be approved.
Filmmaker Trinadha Rao Nakkina believes that fans and audiences have become very sensible and don’t get influenced by what a hero does on screen.
But all said and done; research has shown that fans and teens are indeed influenced by their idols who are seen smoking on screen as part of their film roles.
