Tarun Raj Arora on drug use in modelling industry: In our time, it was quite nice and clean, then it started changing

Actor Tarun Raj Arora recalls how there wasn’t any drug culture in the modelling industry when he began his journey.

Tarun Raj Arora was a model before ventured into acting and Jab We Met (2007) became his calling card. He joined the industry soon after college, until films happened for him.

Today, when the drug culture accusations have rocked showbiz including the television and film world, we ask Arora whether the fashion world, too, has been plagued by it at some point. He says at least he didn’t see much of it when he had started off.

“At that time, it was quite clean and nice. It’s after, I think, when we got into acting, that we started seeing these things around us. Since we weren’t inclined towards it, we didn’t become a part of it. I’ve seen friends, their lives have been totally ruined by that. There are a lot of stories, to each his own,” he says.

 

The 41-year-old, who was seen in the direct-to-OTT film Laxmii recently, disputes the claims that 90 percent of showbiz is into drugs, and calls it an “exaggeration”.

The actor argues, “How can people expect those people to take drugs, and then perform and say dialogues? I totally have to rule out that. They might be taking it occasionally, like a drink or a drag, that doesn’t make them addicts. The ones who are stars and performing, if they’re on drugs, they won’t be able to bring that talent out.”

One also hears that models take drugs to maintain or lose weight and Arora doesn’t deny that some people do take short-cuts. “I’ve heard people say that, some also eat and puke. It’s hard. There are wannabe models, and then there are those who know and naturally want to have a disciplined life. Anyone who will take short-cut will have that effect. The ones taking short-cuts have to do this,” he concludes.