From Sanjay Dutt to Ranbir Kapoor, Bollywood celebrities who went public with addiction struggle

Celebrity can be a tough act to follow and even the most famous of the lot have often found themselves battling drugs and addiction. Now even Kangana Ranaut has spoken to the media, making explosive revelations about drug abuse in Bollywood. We look at several personalities who have actually battled addiction and have transformed themselves in their journey to becoming superstars.

Sanjay Dutt Dutt’s gone through some major ups and downs, most recently being diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. He was also in prison for a long time. One other adversary apart of ill health that he’d had to contend with in life is addiction. In an event, Dutt once said there are no drugs in the world that he hasn’t done yet and that it had taken life-altering experiences for him to get out that haze. A glimpse of his addiction was also portrayed in his biopic, Sanju.

Son of late actress Smita Patil and Raj Babbar, Prateik Babbar made a promising debut back in 2008 in the movie ‘Dhobi Ghaat’. Then he fell victim to substance abuse. He blames this horrid habit on the lackluster career path he took. He opened up about drug addiction in an interview, saying his guilt was too much to bear in 2018. Babbar also went through rehab in Mumbai followed by extensive counselling, said talking about it “lifted a huge burden off my chest”.

Another star child, son of the late Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor has dabbled in drugs, he admitted in an interview. But, he added, after college he decided to go clean.

Pooja Bhatt is a big proponent of fighting the lure of drugs and alcohol. She opened up about her alcohol addiction from the age of 16. She often takes to social media to share positive posts. She said her father, Mahesh Bhatt, kept talking to her about it, which made her rethink her lifestyle, after which she finally put her foot down and quit to “reclaim the sharper, brighter me which had got watered down”.

Nepal-born Manisha Koirala also spoke about how alcohol and toxic relationships caused her life to spiral out of control, until cancer changed everything. In her new book 'Healed', she speaks about the bad choices she made in life including becoming addicted to alcohol.

Comedian Kapil Sharma’s addiction took a huge toll on his personal and professional life. Under the influence of alcohol Kapil reportedly misbehaved with his co-actor Sunil Grover. Their fallout was one of the most talked about subject on the Internet at the time. Recalling this, Kapil revealed in an interview how he was consumed by the bottle. He recalled seeing his mother break down. That's when he decided to kick out the habit. Kapil now is often seen leading alcohol and drug-free campaigns.

Punjabi singer Yo Yo Honey Singh is known for graphic lyrics and rockstar lifestyle. He is also known for his addiction to alcohol. He did get help however and is on surer footing these days. According to media reports when he opened up about his condition, he was quoted as saying: “I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic.”

Fardeen Khan was riding high on success in Bollywood when his drug addiction took over him. There was a big controversy surrounding him in the year 2001 when he was arrested by the Mumbai police for drug possession after which he underwent a detoxification course. The actor was later on granted bail with immunity.