From Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Fashion’ to Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Sanju’: Five times Bollywood depicted drug abuse on screen

In the midst of the Sushant Singh Rajput death inquiry, one factor that has emerged in the spotlight is the substance and drug angle. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has started probing the drug use angle in the actor's death case. Drugs and Bollywood have been connected in the past with film makers highlighting its use and the negative effects of it on their characters. From Kangana Ranaut to Ranbir Kapoor actors have played characters that were affected by the use of rampant drug use.

Here's looking at the big screen depiction of substance abuse through the Bollywood lens.

Madhur Bhandarkar has often said this on record that the storyline of his films brings him criticism from Bollywood . His film, ‘Page 3’ showed the audience the ugly side of showbiz.

Throwing light on the popular ‘Page 3’ culture in the industry, the film revolved around a rookie journalist, played by Konkona Sen working for a tabloid. Konkona's character becomes a part of the page 3 culture and a part of her evolution in the film is also how she is exposed to the dark underbelly of tinsel town. The film shows a scene where the narcotics bureau raids a filmy party where they find famous names caught doing drugs and other illegal activities.

Another of Madhur's film Fashion deals with the world of glamour and style. In the film Kangana plays a top model Shonali who is about to fall from grace after she gets addicted to substance abuse. The film has scenes of Kangana locking herself in a bathroom and doing drugs, not showing up to work on time and even resorting to various substances to battle her hardships. While the focus of the film stayed on the protagonist played by Priyanka Chopra and her journey into this world of glamour, drug use and substance abuse was a parallel narrative that ran through the film.

‘Dev D’ is filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s modern take on the classic ‘Devdas’ story where the protagonist turns to alcohol after his lover marries another person. Starring Abhay Deol in the lead character, the film received positive reviews from the audience and the critics alike.

In the movie, Abhay is seen seeking refuge in alcohol and drugs after his lover marries someone else.

Abhishek Chaubey's ‘Udta Punjab’ revolves around the state of Punjab which reportedly had a blatant drug abuse issue. The movie has a drug-addicted singing sensation, Tommy Singh, played by Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt who gets trapped by a gang of drug peddlers.

Shahid was shown as a rockstar rapper who was always high on drugs and how it affected him mentally.

Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Sanju’ starring Ranbir Kapoor is based on the life and journey of actor Sanjay Dutt. The film depicts the dark phase of Dutt’s life when he was addicted to drugs.

In the film, Ranbir is seen hooked to drugs and alcohol for a major part of his life and career. The movie also shows his struggle, fight and victory over his substance addiction.