On the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, here are some films and web series that have tried to raise awareness about the ill-effects of drugs

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Lately, most of the visual content is being scripted around drug abuse. Or, there is often a subplot involving characters, who are either addicted or introduced to narcotics. Since June 26 is observed as International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking each year, we highlight some web series and films that have tried to bust the ‘cool’ quotient associated with drugs.

Murky world

The latest season of Imtiaz Ali’s She gave a peek into drug mafia and how trafficking functions. Ozark (2017-2022) is another such series, which has been renewed thrice. Its fourth and last season came out in two parts, much like every successful Netflix series, including Money Heist and Stranger Things. Other well-made web series on the drug underworld, namely Narcos (2015-2018) and Breaking Bad (2008-2013), remain the audiences’ favourite till date.

The success of American series Narcos, which was a dramatic representation of the life of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, invited a spin-off titled Narcos: Mexico (2018-2021). If Narcos got a series spin-off, then Breaking Bad got a film sequel or an epilogue to the series titled El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Then there were other notorious drug mafia names, El Chapo and James St. Patrick, which got their own series such as El Chapo (2017-2018) and Power (2014-2020). Three seasons of El Chapo were released back-to-back and followed his journey from a low-level member of the Guadalajara Cartel, his rise to power as head of the Sinaloa Cartel and later his downfall.

Fictional, but true

Like She, Queen of the South (2016-2021) also has a strong female character as the lead, only here she is the most powerful drug trafficker in Southern Spain. With five seasons and 62 episodes, it is a fictional story based on Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte novel, La Reina del Sur (2002), but became a global hit after it was streamed on Netflix. It was also adapted into a Spanish telenovela, La Reina del Sur, but wasn’t renewed after the third season.

Indian series Sacred Games had a drug angle with the mention of Gochi in the second season, and so did crime thriller Mirzapur. Does it ring a bell? Remember Lala who dealt with opium!

Web series Bombay Begums landed in controversy for showcasing school-going children taking drugs at a party. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) addressed the concern and wanted to ban the series. However, many netizens remarked how is was the true representation of the society we live in. Even director Alankrita Shrivastava responded that she did not make films for a job, but for a purpose.

Another fictional drama, High (2020), although underrated, revolves around the idea of finding a ‘pill’ solution for de-addiction and rehabilitation of a drug addict. From a drug trafficker in Fukrey to a cop in web series Candy, who is trying to bust theracket of a hallucinogen called candy, life has come a full circle for Richa Chadha as an actor. And this crime-thriller, Candy, awaits a second season after a good response to the first, which was released in 2021.

Big canvas

The sad reality of drug abuse in Punjab was revealed in Bollywood film Udta Punjab (2016) and now Pollywood too is following suit.

With two recently releasedPunjabi films, Dakuaan Da Munda 2 (biopic of a drug-addict- turned-teacher, Manga Singh Antal) and Posti providing different approaches to curb the narcotics problem, the seeds of change have been sown. With films like Fashion (2008), Dum Maaro Dum (2011), Sanju (2018), Kaalakaandi (2018), and Malang (2020), it feels like Bollywood has highlighted the issue many times.

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