The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed annually on June 26, since 1989. Many campaigns, rallies, and programs are conducted to mark the day. It’s no secret that the glamorous world of Bollywood had a relationship with drugs. There are a number of celebrities who have come under the radar for drug consumption. There are Public Relations of celebrities to protect the image of the ‘stars’ from being associated with drug abuse. For instance, we all are aware of Sanjay Dutt’s arrest in 1982 for possession of drugs. If you weren’t aware of before, the movie ‘Sanju’ might have shed light on the topic.
On the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, here’s a look at celebrities and their association with drug abuse.
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir was praised for his acting skills and bringing perfectly the life of Sanjay Dutt in the movie ‘Sanju’. The actor who is riding high on success has confessed he was riding high on drugs during his college days. In an interview to Deccan Chronicle, he was quoted saying, “I have tried drugs when I was in college and got into bad influence. But I realised that nothing will happen in life if I continue with drugs. When we did that section, I did a lot of research.” According to reports, during ‘Rockstar’, Ranbir took the help of drugs as an acting tool to help him focus better.
Vijay Raaz
The ‘kava biryani’ famed actor Vijay Raaz was arrested at the Dubai airport in 2005 for possessing 25 grams of marijuana. The actor was in Dubai for the shooting of Vikram Bhatt’s movie ‘Deewane Hue Paagal’. According to reports, the actor was quoted saying that he was innocent and was made to sign papers given by Arabic speaking officials. The officials assured him that they were trying to help him.
Fardeen Khan
Son of veteran actor Feroze Khan was arrested in 2001 for possessing a small quantity of cocaine. After that Fardeen underwent a detoxification course in the same year. In 2012, the actor Fardeen Khan was granted bail with immunity in the drug case. The actor was last seen on screen ‘Dulha Mil Gaya' in 2010.
Mamta Kulkarni
In April 2016, the crime branch seized 20 tonnes of ephedrine and 2.5 ton of acetic anhydride from a company in Solapur and other locations in Thane and Ahmedabad. A deeper investigation in the case revealed the involvement of Kenyan based international drug mafia Akasha brothers, Vicky Goswami and former Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni. According to PTI, in April 2018, a special NDPS court has ordered attachment of properties of former Bollywood actor Mamta Kulkarni, who is one of the keys accused in the multi-crore drug racket case unearthed by the Thane Police in 2016.
Parveen Babi
The veteran actress had a rocky personal life and was vocal about her love affairs and drugs. According to reports, the yesteryear actor was addicted to LSD after her breakup with director Mahesh Bhatt.
Other celebrities who made headline for their association of drug abuse include Aftab Shivdasani (caught doing drugs in a night club in Pune), television couple Apurva and Shilpa Agnihotri (caught by Mumbai Police in a rave party) and leading disco jockey Aqeel (arrested at Dubai airport for possessing illegal drugs).
