Creative Smoking

Creative Smoking

So at last Mr. Shah Rukh Khan has decided to quit smoking.

But he might continue to use his so dearly held creative freedom to smoke on the screen.

He may not even smoke a real cigarette during film shooting and yet will surely influence his teen aged fans to imitate him in real life.

How ever there are few important points to be noted:

1. The Health Minister is not wrong in suggesting to Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and
Mr. Shah Rukh Khan to avoid smoking in movies.

2."Creativity just cannot escape public scrutiny and even admonishment, if it tantamount to social evil. In this case, it is an unadulterated invitation to death itself," Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary, National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), said reacting to Shahrukh's contention.

Shahrukh, had earlier responding to Union health minister Ambumani Ramadoss's appeal to Amitabh Bachchan and Khan to stop setting bad example by smoking in public and in films citing that children have their first puff due to celebrities, said that actors could not be asked to curb their 'creative liberties'.

3.Now lets get back to the basic question of the Creative Freedom.

How important it is to use smoking character to make a point in a film scene?

It is in fact an easy stereotyped tool to project a macho image and other variety of dramatic elements.

4. The film directors and actors use it as a handy prop so often.

The concept again revolves around few stereotypes:

a. A smoking man looks macho.

b. A smoking woman looks liberated.

c. A smoking woman also project promiscuity.

c. A smoking character looks really thinking hard.

d. A smoking character projects being in control.

There are other variety of scenic needs which are immediately solved by putting a cigarette in hand.

5. Lets have a look at the definitions of the words create and creativity:

Create

: to evolve from one's one thought or imagination to make by investing with new character or functions.

Create

: author, bring into being, compose, conceive, parent, form, give rise to, throw together

Creative

: generative, ground-breaking, innovative, originate, handmade

Creativity:

creativity creativeness, formativeness, innovation, inventiveness, originality, productivity, craftsmanship, authorship, creatorship

Creativity involves the translation of our unique gifts, talents and vision into an external reality that is new and useful. We must keep in mind that creativity takes place unavoidably inside our own personal, social, and cultural boundaries.

5. Now where is the creativity in real sense?

6. Creativity with out being innovative boils down to stagnant stereotypes and pathetic repetitions.

7. And we also know Hindi films and so called creative film makers love repetitions and proven formulas to produce a hit and most of times they fail.

8.So what ever creativity Mr. Shah Rukh Khan may be referring to is in fact enveloped in thick layer of easy formulas.

But then Hindi films are rarely known to be creative in real sense.

It also seems quite clear that these hugely popular film stars have little or no sense of any social responsibility.

But if they are found to be otherwise we will all only benefit.