Tollywood high on drug overdose - TeluguPeople.com News

HYDERABAD: Two peddlers and 25 grams of cocaine recovered by the Hyderabad Police last week ensured that Tollywood actor Varun Sandesh's "Happy Days" were over, at least for the time being. But while the crackdown has hit novice addicts (Sandesh allegedly being one of them, no proof as yet), industry biggies continue to snort.

The introduction of the "drug trend" in the local cinema industry is attributed to one Tollywood "demigod" and, sources say, he is still at it - raids and arrests notwithstanding. The actor, not unknown in Bollywood, is referred to as the "father of cocaine" in Tolly-town.

Hyderabad's filmy janata woke up to coke just over five years ago when the industry began getting bigger and paycheques of lead actors fatter. The white powder became a symbol of affluence, say insiders. Unlike the cheap ganja, prevalent till the beginning of the decade, the price of a gram of good cocaine is roughly around Rs 2,500-3,000.

"Drug abuse has been rampant in Tollywood ever since its inception. It has turned more high-end these days and celebs, instead of smoking ganja, are now snorting or injecting themselves," says a well-known producer, pointing out that "some percentage" of the 70mm stars were addicted to coke, besides other narcotic drugs. He even claims that the star numbers were steadily rising on the coke charts.

City cops admit to this coke abuse in Tollywood, but also waste no time in flashing their record in arresting the menace. As per their files, since July 22, 2010, the department 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, mostly Africans whose population has grown rapidly in Hyderabad and their local counterparts, many named in these cases are Tollywood celebrities and well-heeled socialites.

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. Police sources say it is the "lack of evidence" that let the well-connected snorters out of the net, but believe that the case helped in checking drug abuse to some extent.

But the cops' claim is dismissed by Tollywood insiders. Sources say that the crackdown did little apart from pushing the addicts to more "safer" havens. If they were earlier seen turning night clubs into cocaine dens, they have now become a bit conscious and indulge either within the four walls of their house (a farm house in most cases) or select hotels in the city, sources say.

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.

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.