Bollywood and drugs

A look into few names who have been found to have abused drugs at some point of their lives.

Even as Philip Seymore Hoffman’s lingers in our minds, we can’t help looking back at drug abuse instances in our very own Bollywood. Hoffman is not alone. Though there may not be any certified fatal causality for drug abuse in Bollywood, there are reasons enough to believe that these substances are a major part of lives of many celebrities we have known.

Here we list some instances that have come to public knowledge.

Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor

The youth icon who is easily the most loved film star in his generation has admitted to have tried drugs. He smoked ‘weed’ while in his filmmaking school and then revisited ‘pot’ while shooting for Rockstar. He believes that helped him in his performance.

Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt, who is now in between serving a 5-year sentence for possession of illegal arms, was not as lucky as Ranbir. He was arrested in relation to a drug case in 1982 and did 5 months of prison time. In fact, at the heights of his young career he was sent to rehab in the United States by his father.

Fardeen Khan

Fardeen Khan

Another star-son, Fardeen was caught red-handed with his hands deep in drugs.  In 2001, when Fardeen was just about starting out in his career he was arrested for illegal possession of cocaine. 11 years later he was later let off the case as a first-timer and sent for de-addiction at a government hospital.

Interestingly his father Feroz Khan had made his unhappiness clear about his son being hounded. And in fact his response also proved that the likes of Fardeen and Sanjay Dutt are not few in Bollywood. “Why single out Fardeen’ Eight out of 10 kids in Bollywood are drug users.”

DJ Aqueel

DJ Aqeel

One of India’s most celebrated DJs Aqueel is a part of Fardeen Khan’s extended family. On June 3, 2007 Aqueel was detained in Dubai for alleged possession of 0.06 gms of ecstasy. He was cleared within a few days as his blood showed no trace of the drug.

Manisha Koirala

Manisha Koirala

Now on way to recovery from ovarian cancer, Manisha Koirala was rumoured to be have succumbed to the temptation of substance abuse at the heights of her career. There is of couse no solid proof on that matter except a convicted drugpeddler named Ali revealing her name in his diary. Some time later Manisha along with Sanjay Dutt had campaigned against substance abuse.

Mamta Kulkarni

Mamta Kulkarni

One of the strongest connections of Bollywood with the durg business would probably be the relationship between once-upon-a-time actress seductive Mamta Kulkani and her husband Vicky Goswami – a onetime drug lord who has served a 16-year prison sentence in South Africa.

Apurva Agnihotri and his wife Shilpa

Apoorva Agnihotri and Shilpa Saklani

More recently, Apurva Agnihotri and his wife were found positive in a drug test after they were found at the rave party that the Mumbai police busted in 2012. The couple however continue to deny any involvement in the rave party!

Some other names include Rahul Mahajan, Fashion designer Prasad Bidapa, actor Vijay Raaz, Producer of Sholay 3D Shaan Uttam Singh, models Gitanjali Nagpal and Shivani Kapoor – they have either been detained for possession or found using drugs. But then these are just a few. And as the late Feroz Khan pointed, there are plenty more in this Bollywood and drugs association. Plenty who have cleverly refrained being caught with proof!

Our word to them – Quit before you turn into another Hoffman!

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