Gone Up In Smoke ??!!

The Cola bans are creating a lot of heat across the country.When SRK (i.e. the Bollywood star - Shah Rukh Khan) made a comment, trying to justify his Cola endorsements, saying that even mother's milk is contaminated, there was anger amongst the political brass which was vented out at a theatre screening his latest Bollywood movie, KANK (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna). Window panes were smashed down and posters were torn apart.

The point is not about the Cola controversy itself. It is not about endorsements either, which really are out of the hand of these cinestars. But such justifications and comments can only instigate more protests. What irks me more is the way SRK had vowed to quit smoking as part of his new year resolution, and gone ahead in DON and stylishly (atleast that's what the intent has been) smoked away to glory !

DON, a remake of the old Amitabh superhit, being directed by Farhan Akhtar of Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya fame, has SRK puffing away for almost 5 seconds on national television, in slow motion ! Now, what I find absolutely ridiculous is that there were restrictions imposed on smoking on the Television and especially in films. It seems these regulations which if ever existed have been thrown out of the window. And if SRK had any conscience, he would have thought twice before going on air with a 5 second slomo trailer of the biggest star in India smoking away to glory.

When a youth icon and an idol in many ways, smokes away thus, all the new year resolutions that he made on the new year, have been chucked out. Agreed that it is part of his work. But being a star and more so an icon, one should be more responsible, which sadly SRK has failed in this instance. When political parties are fighting away the pesticidal colas, do they realise that smoking is far more injurious to health ? What happened to all the regulations which were in place ? Why not protest against something so blatant ? Why don't the protests be against the smoking ban which doesn't seem to be in place anymore ?

With such levels of ignorance, by the media, the politicians and then the responsible icons themselves, it is hard to think of India wriggling out of this mess. There is no point fighting against pesticides, when cigarette smoking is going great guns ! The looseness of regulations do not impart much confidence. And it is only more than likely that even the pesticide driven protests will die a death which will again pave way for more pesticide infested colas. It is more important that the youth and the youngsters be made aware that smoking is of more serious graver consequences than the colas themselves. Stars like SRK need to realise that they can be more influential on the young generation and acts like the one in the DON promos can be far more worse than drinking colas.