WHO Study: Tobacco brands in Indian movies nearly triple after 2004 advertising ban

Chandigarh, India — Despite film industry promises to self-police tobacco promotion on screen, tobacco brands popped up in more than 40 percent of Indian films released since 2004. That is almost triple the 15 percent incidence observed before the enforcement of a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. As per the research study by the Chandigarh based NGO, Burning Brain Society and supported by WHO, 89 percent of the films released and analyzed after the tobacco advertising ban included generic or branded tobacco imagery. This is significantly up from the 76 percent of Indian films with tobacco as reported by the WHO study in 2003.

"Indian films are being turned into blatant cigarette commercials," says the study's lead investigator, Hemant Goswami, chairperson of the Burning Brain Society, "Along with anecdotal testimony one hears about product placements and payoffs, sheer numbers tell us that tobacco companies recently barred from advertising their products through other forms of mass media are rushing to use motion pictures instead."

Though cigarettes are consumed by about 15 to 20 percent of the tobacco users in India, but in over 90% of the movies containing tobacco scenes, the leading man or woman in Indian films is shown consuming cigarettes. Almost all the brand placement and visibility is of two cash rich multinationals and an Indian tobacco company who are currently fighting for a larger market share in India.

The new study is especially timely because the Indian government, which ratified the global Framework on Tobacco Control and legislated a stringent tobacco advertising ban in 2004, has announced regulations clearing almost all tobacco imagery from future films and broadcast programs. The burst of tobacco brands display in films after the advertising ban went into effect challenges the Indian film industry claims that it can be trusted to “self-regulate”. The film survey also found that 31 percent of recent Indian movies showing tobacco actually mocked or contradicted health warnings. Fully a third of the films explicitly promoted tobacco use in a very subtle way.

To gauge the effect of this on-screen hype, the study surveyed more than 1,100 children, adolescents and young adults. One in three of these were able to recall seeing a particular tobacco brand in an Indian film. The study reports that exposure to smoking in movies promotes tobacco as a normal behaviour and associates it with style and glamour which creates sufficient influence on many youngsters and arise a desire in them to smoke. This is even noticeable in the attitude of some youngsters who have still not experimented with tobacco but admitted imitating smoking behaviour of the movie characters, thinking it to be fashionable and imitable. Nearly 60 percent of the children and youngsters admitted using articles like pen or pencil akin a cigarette in their hand in emulation of some movie actor smoking. On the issue of creativity, an overwhelming 96 percent said that tobacco's absence from a film would not lessen the film's quality or make them less eager to see it. Health advocates have warned that India's liberalized economy having a 500 million population under 18 is an irresistible target for multinational tobacco companies.

The report includes recommendations that go beyond the government's current proposals to limit tobacco imagery. For example, the study proposes unambiguous action under Section 5 of the Indian legislation “Cigarette and other tobacco products Act 2003” which has a provision of imprisonment up to five years for advertising tobacco. The action is recommended against the tobacco companies, all the film companies, producers, actors and directors who have shown tobacco products, brands or pack shots amounting to indirect promotion and advertising in their movies after the enactment of the anti-tobacco legislation.

"While Indian producers and directors argued for so-called “creative freedom,” giant tobacco companies have turned a medium of creativity and entertainment into a promoter of a lethal chemical addiction. Bollywood has a fan following in millions and if the film industry wants it can save millions of lives; it can actually reverse the cycle by deciding to support the health initiative by blocking the scientifically incorrect images about tobacco use and by actually projecting the fatal consequences of tobacco. Bollywood is fully aware of tobacco imagery's impact on adolescents, the age group most vulnerable to smoking appeals, and can actually help check the 2200 people dying every day because of tobacco’s chemical addiction. It can also lend a hand to prevent over 5000 children from taking to tobacco every day,” says Mr. Hemant Goswani.

“There can be no freedom to misguide children and youngsters. No one can be allowed to circumvent the law and push a chemical addiction by promoting tobacco brands and scientifically incorrect messages in the name of freedom of speech,” added Hemant.