Mumbai, June 26 -- Cigar smoking has come of age in Bollywood. There was a time till the 80s, when the height of villainy for a Bollywood baddie was to be seen on screen with a cigar in the mouth and a glass of VAT 69 in the hand. The cigar was seen to represent power, sophistication and underworld dominance. All the veteran villains, from Ajit to Pran and Prem Chopra to Amrish Puri, liked to be featured puffing a fat or long Cuban cigar. It defined their wealthy, mob boss status in the golden era of Hindi cinema.

But today, every major Bollywood superstar from Sanjay Dutt to Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor to Amitabh Bachchan have embraced the cigar while projecting iconic swag to their authoritative characters on screen. The latest to j...