Tollywood Becoming Hub of Drug Abuse
In just five years, the Tollywood tinsel town has gradually transformed in to a hub for drug abuse. As per the records, since July 22, 2010, the police has busted 12 cocaine gangs in the city, arrested 23 peddlers /users and seized 1.821 kg of the narcotic drug. Apart from drug peddlers, many named in these cases are Tollywood celebrities and well to do socialites.
The growing up of drug menace, particularly in Tollywood, is attributed to two reasons - affordability and availability. It can't be ignored that in the past five years the industry began expanding and as well as paycheques of lead actors began to swell up. Cheap ganja, that was prevalent till the beginning of the decade, has been replaced by the white powder called 'Cocaine'. The price of a gram of good cocaine which is roughly around Rs 2,500-3,000, has also become a symbol of affluence. The drug menace in the city is, however, not limited to the film industry. It is widespread. The IT boom and MNC jobs have added to the demand for drugs, say the police. "The city has also become an education hub. So, entrepreneurs and affluent students are also found doing drugs," says a city cop.
The introduction of the "drug trend" in Tollywood cinema industry is mainly attributed to one popular hero, who is also well known to the Bollywood. Sources say, not withstanding raids and arrests, the hero is still at snorting cocaine freely. By the way, he is reffered to as "Father of Cacaine" in the tinsel town. And this father's cocaine-lineage is also on the expand. Take for instance the case of star actor Ravi Teja's brothers Raghu Babu and Bharath who were caught red-handed with coke in August last year. The scandal spread shockwaves through the filmy circuit and threw up several other big names. But it was just the duo that was put behind bars. Even they are now out on bail. Recently two peddlers and 25 grams of cocaine recovered by the Hyderabad Police. In this case, upcoming hero Varun Sandesh's name has surfaced, though no proof has yet been found. But while the crackdown has hit novice addicts, like him, the industry biggies still continue to snort dope unabated.
Police sources say it is the "lack of evidence" that let the well-connected snorters out of the net, but believe that there had been progress in checking drug abuse to some extent. But these claims of police are being dismissed by Tollywood insiders. Sources say that the crackdown did little apart from pushing the addicts to more safer havens. The high and mighty are also known to take 'snorting' trips to other metros such as Mumbai and Bangalore to get their fill of the white powder. "There are some really influential names who still do drugs openly because they know the police can do nothing to harm them," says a Tollywood insider. Not surprising then that some elite pubs in the plush locales of Hyderabad still have "reserved" tables for such personalities that are turned into snorting grounds once the lights are dimmed.