Producer Sandra Thomas alleges rampant drug use on Malayalam film sets, says special budgets are set aside

Malayalam film producer and actor Sandra Thomas has made shocking claims in a recent interview, where she says there is rampant drug use in the industry. She also said rooms and budgets are allocated for this on film sets. Sandra Thomas had raised similar concerns in 2023.

These allegations come just weeks after actor Shine Tom Chacko was arrested for drug use on sets after a complaint was filed against him by co-star Vincy Aloshious for misbehaving on the sets of their upcoming film Soothravakyam.

Budgets and rooms allegedly allocated

Speaking to On Manorama, Sandra Thomas said the use of drugs has become so common that “Everyone was aware of what was happening on sets. But no one took corrective steps, as they needed these people for future projects. Now, a special budget is being allocated exclusively for this. Even separate rooms are allotted for this purpose. However, the associations say the entire industry cannot be blamed just because of one or two people.”

She continued to say that most producers do not file complaints due to fears that their projects might get stalled. “Producers are unwilling to raise a complaint because of the fear that it will stall their projects. If someone is caught on the set, the shooting gets stalled. It also ruins the goodwill of the actor.”

Calls out industry silence

She also called producer Listin Stephan, who recently implied that the actions of a few individuals cannot tarnish the entire industry. “Aren’t people like Listin aware of this problem? Don’t they know that drugs are lavishly available and are being used on sets? They have refused to take a step against it. It has now reached the stage where both men and women and everyone, irrespective of their status, use it.”

Sandra Thomas also urged the need for women to be included in the Internal Film Committee (ICC) to ensure that in the future film sets are safe and more accountable.