Hindi film industry under attack as never before

Focus strays from Sushant's death to drugs and 'moral decadence'

The Hindi film industry is under attack as never before, and Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise — investigations have not decided whether it was suicide or homicide — has opened a Pandora’s Box that is unprecedented in its ramifications.

Rhea Chakraborty’s arrest and the allegations that some celebrations are consumers of narcotics has also polarised the industry, while helping to spur more attacks on Bollywood. The industry seems to have moved from the nepotism controversy to now being viewed as a drug den, which has been like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Rhea’s bail was rejected once and she has applied for it again, while the Narcotics Control Bureau questioned stars such as Deepika Padukone, Rakul Preet Singh, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor on the issue of drugs, based on certain evidence, on Friday. However, among them only Sara and Shraddha have worked with Sushant.

Trade analyst Vinod Mirani, who has been a part of the industry for over four decades, says that a huge drug-trafficking racket, with the active involvement of people from the film industry along with a few politicians, has been unearthed.

He writes in his column, “Investigations have turned into a sort of tug-of-war between the central agencies of the government of India, which has no agenda except finding the criminals, on one side and the Maharashtra state machinery and some film personalities on the other. The media is keeping the issue alive and is relentlessly being victimised for it.”

Since SSR’s death and the issues around it are being discussed both in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, BJP Member of Parliament and actor Ravi Kishan raised the issue of how drugs are taking a toll on young film people in the Lok Sabha. He said, “There is a conspiracy to finish our film industry by hollowing it out. As a responsible member of the industry, it is not just my right but my duty to raise it in Parliament.”

Vinod says, “What happened next in the Rajya Sabha was strange and totally out-of-character. Jaya Bachchan, representing the Samajwadi Party, got up to play a self-appointed matron mother figure of the industry. In a strange and illogical as well as irrelevant diatribe, she ran down a duly-elected LS member Ravi Kishan for the issues raised by him, which were very relevant.”

Vinod claimed there are inaccuracies in Jaya’s diatribe by way of facts, and added, “While Kangana Ranaut and Ravi were urging the government for protection for the industry from the drug menace, Jaya was strangely asking the government for protection from Kangana and Ravi. But she had nothing to say about the suspicious deaths of Disha Salian and Sushant.”

Hema Malini, BJP MP, said, “I haven’t seen such a vicious campaign to tarnish the image of our film industry’s reputation. Ever since Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic death, any and everyone thinks it is their right to speak of the industry as a filthy place. This is unfair. I have been a part of the Hindi film industry for more than 45 years. It has only given me happiness. I take immense pride in being part of the film industry.”

“These days anyone can go on one of the TRP-obsessed news channels and abuse anyone by name. Who are these people who are constantly attacking us? And why are they not being reined in by the law? Hindi cinema is looked up to the world over. The news channels are screaming abuses against the film industry. Sadly, some people from the industry are abetting and encouraging these news channels by joining in the mob-lynching. This must stop.”

Television actor Iqbal Khan, too, minced no words, as he says that the industry, which was much loved, has gone to the other extreme, where it has become an easy target. He asks, “Who are these people who pass judgement on our fraternity and speak viciously about it and the families in it? How can anyone just say anything online? Why don’t they do the same with politicians or government officials, who would then think twice about accepting bribes, for example?”

Manoj Bajpayee adds that despite widespread criticism, it is good that big names like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar have not said a word on the issue. Whatever they say will be twisted anyway, feels the actor, who also says that all the hate and trolling against the industry and its people is paid, like “supari”, the advance payment is taken for killing someone.

But the opinions voiced are also mostly politically oriented. The BJP baiters supported the pro-BJP Kangana Ranaut when the Bombay Municipal Corporation (which comes under the Shiv Sena) demolished her office, but opposed her statements in many other aspects. Here again, some of the people supporting the transfer of the inquiries to the hands of the CBI et al are traditionally opponents of the BJP, yet hold no truck with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi, the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.

With the Bihar (Sushant's home state) elections coming up next month, there are also claims that the actor was not on good terms with his parents and had taken Rhea in confidence about his investments so that they never come to know about his assets.

As drugs and the “industry mafia” take centrestage today, it is all about a whole lot of other people and issues. As Manoj says, “And we are getting a surfeit of quotes, theories, allegations and half-truths as news, rather than the media reporting actual news, not this rubbish. And where is Sushant in all this? He has been left behind!”