‘Substance’ in cinema

Indian cinema has come a long way. No more does the industry shy away from hard hitting topics like drug and substance abuse. A few years ago, films like Fashion, Shaitan and Dum Maro Dum were seen as bold films because they exhibited drug abuse in a realistic manner. But recently, the industry has taken a step further to display not only addiction, but also the effects of substance abuse with the release of Udta Punjab.

And with Rajini starrer – Kabali, more awareness has been brought to drug trafficking. While the audience seems accepting of films dealing with more serious issues like substance and drug abuse, and trafficking, the Censor Board differs in opinion. Delving deeper into the issue, film makers and directors seem to be starting a trend that explores ideas below the surface level and show the adverse affects of addiction to these substances. “The reach of films is very large, no matter which language. We, as Indians are taught to shy away from such matters, and not acknowledge things that are seen as ‘bad’ in our society so cases like substance addiction go un-noticed. But with these films portraying it in such a hard-hitting way, issues like this can’t be ignored anymore. Though films, people seem to be opening up more and coming out with their addictions, which is a great start,” says Saraswati Nilani, a psychologist from the city.

Film maker Indrajit Lankesh credits the audience while weighing in on the issue. “With films, the message goes a long way and stays with the audience much after the film has ended. There are a number of badly made documentaries that are against things like smoking, which the audience doesn’t watch or gives a blind eye to. But film makers today are responsible and know how to make films that have an impact o the audience. Along with them, audiences too are becoming more responsible and don’t need to be told what to watch. It’s just that the Censor Board is a little old school and needs to be revamped,” he says.