EntertainmentNews

Bollywood actors who have struggled with addiction for years- Check Out

Some of Bollywood's A-list actors have been alcohol and drug addicts. Here is a list of 7 top celebrities who have confessed to their addiction.

By Salwa Farooqui
celebrity addiction

Bollywood celebrities live a life of ultimate glitz and glamour. However, as the saying goes ‘All that glitters is not gold’, life in Bollywood too isn’t all fun and play. India’s biggest entertainment industry has some of the deepest darkest secrets to behold. From celebrity addiction stories to affairs, actors often succumb to these vices. While news of celebrity addiction is shocking, there have been instances when they have openly confessed to the problem.

Hindi film industry’s reputation as an immoral place precedes her. Social media is often quick to jump to conclusions when it comes to celebrities. The common notion about actors is that most of them are alcoholics and drug users. The recent most famous example being the video posted by Karan Johar. The video showed Karan hosting a house party at his residence amidst all the big stars of Bollywood.

The video showed actors like Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, and director Shakun Batra enjoying a downtime. However, minutes after its upload, social media began bashing the Dharma guru for their proud use of drugs. The matter earned the wrath of BJP Minister Manjinder Sing Sirsa who called out these celebs on Twitter. He went on to pen an open letter to the media
questioning these celebrities’ open drug use in mainstream media.

Take a look at his tweet here:

 

While drug and alcohol addiction has ended careers, there are numerous celebrities who have overcome their battles with addiction and have only come out happier and stronger.

Also Read: Bollywood Celebrities who have been part of embarrassing B-grade films

7 Celebrity Addiction stories from Bollywood

Sanjay Dutt     

Indian film industry’s original Khalnayak, Sanjay Dutt is an icon in his own right. The actor has faced some really hard struggles in his career, most of which were a result of his actions. Among other celebrity addiction stories, Sanjay Dutt’s remains the most talked about.

In an interview, Sanjay Dutt said, “My journey with substance abuse has been about 12 years. There are no drugs in the world that I have not done. When my father took me to America (for rehab), they gave me a list (of drugs) and I ticked every drug on it because I had taken all of them. The doctor told my dad, ‘What kind of food do you eat in India? Going by the drugs he did, he should be dead by now! I didn’t leave drugs because of my family. I left because I wanted to be out of it. I didn’t want that life. When you start the rehabilitation process, one part is physical – your body breaks down and you feel cold. But the most difficult part comes later, when your mind says, ‘Ab toh tu theek ho Gaya hai, Ek Baar maar lete hain’. That’s when you have to use your willpower.”

The actor’s biography Sanju directed by Raju Hirani showed his journey with substance abuse and alcohol in his early days in cinema.

Celebrity Addiction: Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor is Bollywood’s very own chocolate boy. From his ace performance as an actor to his handsome good looks, he has it all. Ranbir in his career has played some terrific complicated roles, one of which is Jordan from Rockstar.  In an interview, the actor had once openly confessed to smoking weed to get into the head of Jordan in the film. He also revealed that it was boring to emote and perform a concert scene where a bunch of junior artists was standing around as a fake audience. The weed really made him go for it. Ranbir Kapoor’s concert scenes in Rockstar were its highlight and the actor huge praises for his performance in the film.

Prateik Babbar

Son of veteran Bollywood stars Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, Prateikh Babbar has managed to carve a niche into Bollywood. The actor has played terrific roles in Mulk and Baaghi 2. Talking about addiction, Prateik said that he was introduced to drugs at a tender age of 13. In one such interview, he was quoted as saying, “Getting out of bed was almost impossible; nausea greeted me each morning, my body ached and I oscillated between hot and cold every few minutes. At that point, I didn’t even have a drug of choice, I took whatever I could lay my hands on.”

Pooja Bhatt

Pooja Bhatt is one of the boldest and vocal celebrities in Bollywood. The actor-director has acted in some critically acclaimed films in her career. Currently sober, Pooja had earlier gushed about her love for alcohol in an interview. Pooja Bhatt’s name irrevocably pops up, every time there is a mention of a celebrity addiction.

Also Read: Bollywood Celebrities Deep Dirty Secrets

“Alcohol is comforting, it colors your evening. It’s a socially accepted narcotic even at business lunches and in the boardroom. Also, living in a fast-paced city, being in a high-stress profession, it becomes a reason to celebrate and cope with failure. Your film is a hit, you bathe in champagne, it flops, a single malt lessens the pain. I was 45 and if I wanted to give myself 10 years of living, I had to quit now before I drank myself to the grave. I had to reclaim the sharper, brighter me which had got watered down.”

Fardeen Khan

Fardeen Khan had a soaring career all through the 90s and 2000s. The actor was among the most sought after A-list performers in the country. However, he was once arrested for possession of cocaine which got him to give up on drugs.

In a leading daily, he talked about his struggles, “Any mind-altering substance whether it’s narcotics or alcohol or prescription pills, creates a lethal dependency. Before you know it you’re sucked into a downward spiral. The idea of any addiction is very damaging. People have all kinds of weird addiction, even shopping. My only addiction (now) is the love of my family. They’re my life-supporting system. Please educate yourself vis-a-vis the consequences of whatever you are experimenting with. Addiction is not cool”

Actor Manisha Koirala

Manisha Koirala’s battle with ovarian cancer is an inspiration to many. The actor is one of the most brilliant performers in Bollywood. In one of her interviews, the Dear Maya actor had confessed to her battle with alcohol addiction.

She said: “In life, be it relationships or alcohol, we need to be the master of the situation and not the victim. My friends and family drink, my father drinks sometimes, so there’s no taboo as such. But you need to know your limits so that you don’t flip and start going on a downhill journey. It could happen because of anything- some people get into it due to pressure while others hit the bottle because of a heartbreak. It’s high emotion and drama-packed life. Creative people are more emotionally charged so I am a super sensitive person. But the reason I’ve written about it is that it goes out there and also it’s a sort of closure for me- that this happened with me, the chapter has ended and now we move on.”

Yo-Yo Honey Singh

Born as Hirdesh Singh, Yo Yo Honey Singh is perhaps Bollywood’s first mainstream rapper.  The singer became an overnight sensations for his back to back party hit songs. However, he soon began to experience downfall due to his mental illness and alcohol addiction. After 2 years of being AWOL from the music industry, Honey made his comeback in 2018.

Speaking about his struggles he was quoted as saying, “This is the first time I am talking about it as I want my fans to know what happened to me. Nobody knows about this, and I wanted to tell the world myself, not through a spokesperson. The last 18 months were the darkest phase of my life, and I wasn’t in a state to talk to anyone. I know there were rumors that I was in rehab (for drug overdose), but I was in my Noida house throughout. The truth is I was suffering from bipolar disorder. It went on for 18 months, during which I changed four doctors, the medication wasn’t working on me and crazy things were happening,’ he said, pausing, but determined to reveal more. ‘I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic, which aggravated the condition.”

For More Entertainment Update, Stay tuned to Madam 360.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Privacy Policy