May 11: Indian government has banned the glamorizing practice of smoking in Hindi cinema long time before. Now it is the big brother, Hollywood, working on the same issue. In Hollywood, films can now earn a tougher rating if their characters light up.
Now Jack Nicholson's Costello in The Departed cannot use cigarettes as ‘punctuation, weapon or mere diversion’, Sharon Stone's breakout vixen role featuring her seductively smoking in the thriller's most infamous scene will loose the sheen of smoke and Uma Thurman, Brad Pitt, Harvey Keitel, John Travolta and others won’t be blamed to spur teens to light up as it was after ‘Pulp Fiction’.
In Hindi cinema it was enforced by the government but people in Hollywood seem to be the believers of self regulation. After deliberate attempts in concerned quarters Motion Picture Association of America MPAA, has decided that movie raters would take into account ‘depictions that glamorize smoking or movies that feature pervasive smoking outside the historic or other mitigating context.’ The decision was revealed on Thursday.
The decision would make smoking a major factor to be considered alongside violence, profanity, nudity and drug use by the Association’s rating board, the Classification and Rating Administration. The new policy might complicate creative processes because a strict rating can hurt ticket sales.
While explaining the new policy, MPAA Chief Executive Dan Glickman said, “Due to nicotine’s highly addictive nature, smoking is considered as a unique public health concern, and no parent wants their child to take up the habit.�
"The adequate response of the rating system is to give more information to parents on this issue."
Anti-smoking advocates and researchers, who advocated a tougher stance on the issue from time to time might be feeling relieved. Pressure had been building lately on Hollywood to finally do something about smoking in movies. This month, at least 32 state attorneys called for the MPAA to give films containing smoking an R rating, unless they reflected the dangers of the habit or portrayed a historical figure.
“With the inclusion of smoking as one of the factor for rating system, created in 1968, it might open the door to advocacy groups for the environment, obesity, alcoholism and other causes to demand similar treatment,� he said.
For decades, some of Hollywood's most memorable actors ‘glamourised’ smoking and without any problem but things are going to change now.
Some box office hits, depicting smoking, were signified as ‘cool’ in reviews. In posters for Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean was seen holding a cigarette. Audrey Hepburn dangled an elegant cigarette holder between her fingers in some of the most memorable images from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Sharon Stone smoked her way though her shockingly risqué police interrogation in Basic Instinct. Due to a cigar-puffing newspaper editor even Box-office hit Spider-Man 3, was rated PG-13.
Here government forced Bollywood to mend the ways and in Hollywood they felt the need of self regulation, but one thing is for sure, Sherlock Holmes can still smoke because it is history and history is all in fumes.
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