Shahrukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan was booked recently under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) dealing with the sale and possession of illegal drugs. It is not the first time that someone from Bollywood gets caught in the involvement of drugs. There seems to be a connection between Bollywood and drugs that needs to be uncovered. Not going deep in the past, last year many Bollywood actors were seen walking to the office of the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) for their alleged dealing with the drugs. It all started after the death of the rising actor Sushant Singh Rajput. But, even that was not the first incident of its kind. There have been several cases of Bollywood personalities being involved in drugs. I think we are receiving more information today because of the more vigilant media. Can’t say whether a piece of news is true or false but the sharp media has the power to convince us. The drugs case, however, seems to have deeper roots in Bollywood. Admit that we are impatient to know about the connection between the Bollywood folks and illegal drugs.
History of the connection between Bollywood and Drug cartel
Dig into the history of Bollywood’s connection with drugs and you will find several examples of drug abuse.
1. In 1979, Mahesh Bhatt admitted that he was into LSD ( Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) after his failed relationship with actress Parveen Babi.
2. Sanjay Dutt is quite vocal about his substance abuse. He admits to having tried every drug available. His recovery process was very tough but he came out victorious.
3. Actor Fardeen Khan was arrested in 2001 for possessing cocaine. He underwent a detoxification course after his release.
4. Prateik Babbar also fought a long battle with drugs. He claims to have suffered from mental health issues after the death of his mother, actress Smita Patil.
5. Rhea Chakraborty, Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan Shraddha Kapoor and many other Bollywood actors were nabbed by the NCB, for the alleged possession of drugs, after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Use of drugs in Bollywood movies
Drug abuse has been given an unexplainable place in Bollywood movies. While in the real world, we are fighting hard to eradicate the culprit out of our society, Bollywood movies are glamorising the usage of these life-threatening drugs.
Movies like Page 3 (2005), Fashion (2008), Dev D (2009), Shaitan (2011), Fukrey (2013), Go Goa Gone (2013), Udta Punjab (2016) and Sanju (2018) dealt with the theme of drugs. The filmmakers’ plea is that they are showing reality on screen. The fine line between the screen act and real-life should not be crossed because it can have disastrous consequences.
I feel that it is good to spread awareness about drug abuse but glamorising it can ruin the generations and it is happening!
We watch movies leisurely but their impressions haunt our minds for a long time. Anything that’s shown in movies defines our society but their glamorisation simply defeats the purpose. From ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ to ‘Sanju’, the Bollywood movies dealing with drug abuse somewhere arose the desire in the youngsters to try these lethal drugs. I doubt how they pass the censor board norms. Showing substance usage on screen by the Bollywood heroes and heroines encourages youngsters to replicate them. It is easy to understand.
Bollywood and Drug-mafia Related?
It is open that Mumbai’s drug cartel is promoted by Dawood’s D-company. The Bollywood stars who are (or, can be) the high-paying clients are at the centre of suspicion. The repeated drug-abuse cases from the Bollywood fraternity and the glamorizing of drugs in Bollywood movies make it obvious that there is some connection between Bollywood and the drug mafia.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with VoxBox and Journery Matters.
PANORAMIC RIPPLES 
So true, the drug misuse or abuse is very rampant in Bollywood and this is not the first case that we have seen.
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I second your thoughts. Something which is known to be not good should not be promoted by media. Media has a significant impact on our lives and youngsters imitate their favorite stars. Just to add some masala in the movie, directors don’t have to use drugs.
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I think sometimes it is a conspiracy to ruin reputations. But, common people like us will never know the truth.
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yes agree completely that Bollywood and drug abuse had a close relation. I would like to add recent bharti singh case too, in your list this is sad but true reality that these role models of our country did not have an admiring image in real life.
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I think they must be careful as they are being followed by youngsters. Moreover, if caught , it should be lime lighted much. The procedure should go the way it goes for others.
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I beg to differ here. A lot of progressive countries have actually managed to curb this menace by regulating the usage.
When I was in college about 5 years ago, almost everyone I knew smoked pot. But then I know for a fact that these people are harmless and understand that synthetics like cocaine, heroine are absolutely life ruining. It’s better we start thinking in this direction too. Afterall a lot of college folks also glamorize lord Shiva for similar reasons.
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It’s true that the way Bollywood films showcase drugs in their films is so much adaptive in real life who really get inspired by these films. We need to be very visible choosing our role models.
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I am glad that you picked this topic. Yes, agree with you that, the fine line between the screen activities and real-life should not be crossed because it can have disastrous consequences. The media has a big influence on our lives, and youngsters try to imitate their favourite celebrities, and they are doing so. That’s why there is no protest against drugs.
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Aryan khan’s case is a different thing ( it could not be proved that he possessed any drug ) but yes agree with you that such things should not be glamourized as it has bad impact on society.
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Definitely these bollywood people have connections with drug mafia. I agree with your points.
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A very balanced point of view, Aditi. Bollywood needs to be more conscientious when it comes to glorifying habits that could corrupt the youth.
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These are the icons of the nation’s youth! Drugs and anything illegal is what they are up to. They are paid insane amounts of money. The sons and daughters are spoilt brats and end up trying out anything that money can buy.Your post is bang on target, Aditi.
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Use of drug is ruining our youth. We should try and stop it smartly. I dream of Drug free India.
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Drug abuse has a serious relationship with Bollywood. It’s really a hard truth. It should be stopped as this might have a serious effect on our youth.
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I’m still not sure whether he should be accused or no. But as media and a responsible medium we need to take up inspiration from right sources and people.
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Bollywood is the biggest influencers for youth of today. Drugs and Bollywood go hand in hand. Therefore us parents need to be even more vigilant with kids today as there is no age to get influenced.
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Substance abuse is rampant in today’s society and this is a cause of serious concern. I feel what we can do is to spread more awareness about how this can be detrimental to one’s health and also to one’s closed ones who suffer the ignominy of shame.
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Very interesting topic!!! Got to know so many pieces of info that I had not kept track of!!! Aweaome job!!
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Bollywood has had connections with the drug mafia for years. They should stop glorifying drug abuse. Whether we believe it or not, people are influenced by what they see on the screen.
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As “stars” actors get a lot of adulation. There must be responsible behaviour too as many people emulate them Infact i feel there should be a clause in their contracts with brands…that way there is big money at stake and they will be nore careful. Glamorizing drug usage and showing it as “cool” must definitely be censored.
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Your post is on point. Bollywood does often end up glorifying drug abuse although the intention might be the opposite. And there is no doubt about the connection between Bollywood and the drug mafia. As for the Aryan Khan case, that is a different matter altogether. A royal mess.
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Drugs are indeed a malaise of our times. It is something that can destroy a generation, and needs to be removed from its roots. Bollywood has a greater responsibility towards society, considering that many of the actors are role models to the younger generation.
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Bollywood is a huge industry and sadly drugs have been a real part of it for quite a while. It hurts to see young people getting into the grope of addiction.
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The first time I watched any Bollywood movie with drugs was Janbaaz. Can’t deny that they make it look glamorous and that’s where the entire problem lies. The connection and rot goes deep down.
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Coming from a family of Narcotics Revenue Intelligence, I can say with surety and responsibility, this is just not the case with Bollywood. Probably they get simple limelight due to the profession they are in, as the quoted examples above, but drug abuse is more common in colleges, hostels, BPOs, and in common youngsters.
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Bollywood movies play a great impact on the audience and the background of the actors too. We should be very careful while choosing our role model
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Yes there have been so many news and stories about the drug abuse and Bollywood. Its just too sad the way media focuses only on these and not the real issues.
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Drug has been synonymous with Bollywood for years now. So many people have been associated with the drugs case. As an industry Bollywood has major responsibility on its shoulders to promote the well being of the nation at large.
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