Women Smoking Cigarettes

Never mind that it was more in jest, but the posters plastered all over town chose to highlight it in earnest.

Actress Deepika Padukone too doesn’t think twice before lighting up a stick in her recent release or giving the choicest abuses in Lafangey Parindey.

Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut too have broken the holier-than-thou heroine image in their recent onscreen outings.

And now promos of No One Killed Jessica show Rani Mukerji puffing away unabashedly and cussing away to glory.

If you thought that actors were only getting bold as far as getting intimate on-screen is concerned, think again. Our Bolly beauties are not only going brazen in the bedroom, but are also giving men some tough competition in the till-now male domain of puff and cuss.

Trade analysts attribute this bid by filmmakers to give their actresses a touch of realism. “Today, several women smoke and are heard abusing. It is now acceptable, but it still draws attention to the lady. It’s the same for the filmmakers. Their actors, though flawed,stand out and seem more real too,” reasons trade analyst Komal Nahta.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra seconds the observation saying, “It reflects a liberal and bindaas attitude, shows that the woman is bold with a care-a-damn attitude to the world. Also, it shows that women are not considering themselves any less than the men.”

Film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar justifies saying, “Women across the board, in the metros at least, smoke and drink. And when we are reproducing reality on-screen, we also will imitate real people.”

Priyanka Chopra agrees. “Women today are not afraid to push boundaries when it comes to their on-screen image. Though I don’t endorse smoking personally, I have no qualms in not being the vice-free Miss Goody Two Shoes on-screen,” she says.

According to Vidya Balan too, women today are asserting their confidence through their independent thoughts and views. “They are unapologetic about their sexuality, about who they are, and that’s what is being shown on-screen too. Why show honey-coated stuff that women don’t relate to anyway?” counters Balan.