Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau sends notice to makers of 'Ganja Shankar' film over title

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB) has issued a notice to the makers of the Telugu movie Ganja Shankar directing them to change the title of the film and said it would create negative impact on the viewers especially students and youth.

In a post on X on Saturday, the TSNAB said, 'Director @TS_NAB Issued Notice to #GANJASHANKAR film Crew raising objection over title & content depicting character as Ganja business, its glorification. Request film fraternity sensitize the concerned to refrain from glorifying sale, consume etc, of NDPS Substance. @TelanganaDGP."

"In your movie, depicting the protagonist as engaging in ganja business and glorifying his acts and the title 'Ganja Shankar' will create negative impact on the viewers especially students and youth," TSNAB Director Sandeep Shandilya said.

"We expect you to refrain from depicting any scenes in your ('Ganja Shankar') movie where consumption, sale, peddling and supply of narcotic ganja is glorified and shown as heroic act and you desist from having such scenes in your movie and to abstain propagating such acts which have deleterious effects on the young generation," he added.

The movie makers were also asked to change the title Ganja Shankar by deleting the word 'ganja'. Legal action will be initiated under provisions of NDPS Act 1985 if any such objectionable scenes in connection with ganja/narcotics and Psychotropic Substance, the TSNAB warned.

Ganja Shankar movie is directed by Sampath Nandi with Sai Dharam Tej as actor.