The Producers Guild Of India on 4th September issued an open letter to condemn the accusations being hurled at the Hindi film industry in recent times that it is full of drug addicts. In the letter, which, incidentally, is unsigned, the producers’ body has decried the bad press which Bollywood has been getting.
The letter addresses the “relentless attacks on the reputation of the Indian film industry across all media”. It says that the tragic death of a promising young actor has been used by some “as a tool to defame and slander the film industry and its members”. The Guild has said that a concerted effort has been made to single out the film industry as one that specifically inhibits and prohibits new talent from the outside from thriving. The letter further cautions all aspirants wanting to enter the film industry “to not be misled by the clickbait journalism currently being peddled to advance the sensationalised narrative that the film industry is a terrible place to aspire to work in”. The letter ends by reminding the media to look into the mirror and stop fanning the flames, adding that there are some things more important than advertising revenues and ratings — things like common human decency.
Shockingly, there is no mention of the actress who, soon after the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, started the narrative that the film industry is full of drug addicts, murderers, manipulators and thugs.