Jaya Bachchan slams those defaming Bollywood

Veteran actor and Rajya Sabha M P Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday hit back at actor-politician Ravi Kishan, who said in parliament that drug addiction is in the film industry too, saying that the industry is being “flogged by social media and the government’s non-support”.

It was for this remark Jaya Bachchan charged that the film industry was being defamed and slammed those from the entertainment industry indulging in it, saying they are biting the hands that feed them.

She also said that she completely disagrees with those who called the entertainment industry a “gutter”.

Through a Zero Hour mention in Rajya Sabha, Bachchan said the entertainment industry was being flogged by social media and asked the government to protect and support it.

Jaya Bachchan said the entertainment industry in the country provides direct employment to 5 lakh people daily and indirect employment to 5 million people.

Ravi Kishan, a popular actor of Bhojpuri and Hindi films, and a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, raised in parliament the drugs-related allegations that have emerged against the film industry in the Sushant Singh Rajput investigations. He alleged a “conspiracy” by Pakistan and China to destroy the country’s younger citizens.

Responding to Ms. Bachchan’s remark, Ravi Kishan said that he expected her support. He said that he didn’t mean to say the whole industry is marred with drugs but those who do are trying to destroy the world’s largest film industry.

The Narcotics Control Bureau is investigating charges of drug-dealing and use based on chats found on the phone of Rhea Chakraborty, a 28-year-old actor being investigated over the death of her boyfriend, popular star Sushant Singh Rajput, on June 14.