Phantom cigarette, anybody?

Does anybody remember Phantom Sweet Cigarettes? In the 70s, it was manly for Phantom cigarette, anybody? a boy to strut around with one of these ciggies in the mouth. Like Amitabh Bachchan and his half-chewed beedi in ‘Deewar’. They weren’t tobacco-stuffed cigarettes, of course. Just white candy sticks made of chalky sugar with a red tip that looked like the real thing. They were sickly sweet. But popular. As far as my pocket money could stretch, I was Phantom cigarette addict. Not because of Mr. Bachchan’s swag, but because of all the masked and caped comic book superheroes back then – the Phantom was my favourite. Associating with the brand made me feel proud, indeed.

The Phantom, however, in all his jungle adventures by Lee Falk, never smoked. Nor did he drink. He wasn’t into sweets, too. But I thought it was cool to appear with a packet of Phantoms. And to offer them around as grownups did. By the time I learned that sugar candy was as harmful as, say, a cigarette, I had stopped reading Phantom comics and was smoking cigars. So it was strange that somebody tripping on nostalgia sent me a Children’s Day hamper last week that had among other goodies these Phantom Sweet Cigarettes. Why me, I don’t know. But I was really happy to find the Phantoms in the hamper. I thought they were banned. After a bitter battle in court between the candy confectioner and tobacco manufacturers. Apparently, the brand survived. And now Phantom Sweet Cigarettes are available online too!

About Mark Manuel

The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.

With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.

Further

His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. He has interviewed almost every famous person. In the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.

Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. In a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work, Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward.

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