Bollywood celebrities. The most important stars of the world’s biggest film industry are in favor of the legalization of cannabis in India
Bollywood celebrities. In the film “Gully Boy” by Zoya Akhtar, you can see in several scenes that Murad, the protagonist, does not drink, but he does get happy with “other things”.
Right at the beginning of the film, Murad’s friend gives him a small disc that is clearly hashish, but he refers to it as chocolate. And then, in different scenes, you see him doing and sharing a joint with friends, with a girl he just met, or smoking a quick one before going to work.
In each of these scenes, the focus is not on his habit of smoking hashish, but on the general and wider narrative of the film. The joint that is passed is considered as one more aspect of daily life in the world in which the film is developed, with no other intention than to give it the daily life that it has in India.
In our article “Cannabis in India” we already described the particular legal status of cannabis in India. In our article we explained that although cannabis is officially illegal, the social reality and the religious nature of the cannabis plant in Hinduism make it a great permissiveness in this regard. And there are many citizens of the Indian subcontinent who consume cannabis in one or another format. And, of course, it is an essential part of any religious ceremony.
However, “officially” cannabis is illegal. Fortunately, as happens in the United States with Hollywood, where many actors and actresses have demonstrated in favor of the legalization of marijuana, in India the stars of the cinema of Bombay (Bollywood) have also expressed in favor of officially normalizing a substance that is part of their millenary culture.
We all know that in today’s world, celebrities have an enormous capacity to influence the most important social changes. Their fans listen with great attention to their messages on social networks.
Some celebrities have the courage to speak openly about the legalization of marijuana and defend their right to choose what they consume in a free way. However, when we think of celebrities who have openly demonstrated in favor of the legalization of marijuana, almost everyone comes to mind figures such as Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogan or Willie Nelson. That is, celebrities from the western world.
But it is true that it is easier to talk openly about the legalization of cannabis in a country like the United States than in a country like India. When it comes to Bollywood celebrities, there are fewer celebrities who dare to speak publicly on the subject. But those few have a great power of convocation. We cannot forget that of every five people who inhabit the earth planet, one is from India.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important Bollywood celebrities who have publicly stated they are in favor of the “official” legalization of marijuana.
Uday Chopra, one of the most admired actors in the film industry in India recently published on social media “I think India should legalize cannabis. First of all, because it is part of our culture. Secondly, because marijuana, once it is legal and pays its taxes, could become an important source of income. In addition, prisons would have fewer inmates. And most importantly: cannabis have great medicinal properties.
The truth is that Uday Chopra is the actor that most openly manifests in favor of the legalization of cannabis in Bollywood. It must be understood that respect for human rights is different in India than in Western democracies. Therefore, pronouncing publicly in relation to legalization is something that scares many celebrities.
For example, Sanjay Dutt, one of the most sought-after actors in Bollywood, has a notorious history with grass. It is known that he smokes marijuana, in private and in the public too. Although he does not say much about it, he is known to be in favor of legalization.
Ranbir Kapoor, the actor who played the drug fan in the movie “Rockstar”, has been smoking marijuana for many years and it is not a secret in India.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is known as the actor who can finish a chillum at once, as seen in the movie Gangs of Wasseypur. It is openly in favor of the legalization of cannabis. He recently admitted that he smoked frequently in an interview when asked about his energy. He replied that he smoked every 2 hours and that he loves doing it. Everyone who knows him knows that he uses marijuana of good quality every day. There are many videos that confirm it.
Although consuming marijuana is still a taboo subject in the Bollywood industry, there are many celebrities who smoke and are open about it. Comedians such as Biswa Kalyan Rath, Rohan Joshi, Tanmay Bhatt or Kenny Sabastian recognize that they smoke cannabis. Marijuana is a recurring theme in much of the Bollywood celebrity videos on the internet. And that on the internet there is no censorship of content that exists in India.
Not only actors and actresses declare themselves open to legalization. There are also important musicians like Honey Singh, the rapper singer, who is also a well-known leader in the Bollywood industry, with his songs like “Weed pilade” and the mention of cannabis in several of his songs.
Anil Kapoor is a great smoker of hashish. And of course he always has the best “charas” to smoke when he attends to shoot a movie.
But without a doubt, the greatest activist in favor of the legalization of cannabis in the industry is Baba Ramdevs Patanjali. This important guru whose face is known to all who watch Bollywood films created the Ayurvedic medicine company called Patanjali. The philosophy of his company is summarized in the words he spoke in an interview: “Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes and must be legalized. In Ayurvedic medicine, since ancient times, different parts of cannabis have been used for medicinal purposes. We should reflect on the benefits and positive uses of the cannabis plant. “
In any case, with the help of Bollywood or without its help, cannabis in India has been used for thousands of years and no legislation will end its use.
