Drug bust: Tollywood wants KCR to go slow

Industry says will take action against guilty

The Telugu film industry seems to be rattled by the ongoing investigation into the drugs scandal in the city in which some Tollywood personalities are allegedly involved, and has asked the Chief Minister to intervene.

In a letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao they have requested him to ensure that the investigation of film personalities “is handled in a smooth way”. The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, Movie Artists Association, Telugu Film Producers’ Federation and Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce jointly said in the letter sent on Wednesday that it was an eclipse to the industry while it was celebrating happy moments after reaching `2,000 crore of mark.

The letter reminded the Chief Minister that “during disasters, the industry carried the bowl and collected money for the benefit of victims. We are seeking sympathy from media and we appreciate the government for bringing the drug racket to light.”

It went on to say that “The industry has thousands of employees and workers, and impacts crores of people. We request you to handle the matter in cases of film personalities in a smooth way.” The industry requires its people to be physically fit and disciplined and the industry will itself take action again anyone found to be taking drugs, the letter said.

“There is no proof available that persons without discipline and drug addicts have grown in the industry. If we find such persons, we shall take disciplinary action against them, apart from supporting the police and agencies in investigation,” the letter said