As the whole nation remains embroiled in the controversy surrounding the depiction of the prevalent drug crisis of Punjab in Abhishek Chaubey’s upcoming movie ‘Udta Punjab’, it’s Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh who has lent his voice on the issue from a deeply personal angle.
The star athlete has openly admitted that if he hadn’t played hockey, he could easily have been one among the hordes of drug addicts flocking the northwestern part of the country over the past several years. Being a sporting icon whom the country looks up to, Sardar acknowledged the gravity of the problem at hand and expressed his concern over the worrying prospects looming large over the section of today’s youth who are drawn into the addictive substances.
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Speaking at a press conference, the Indian skipper mentioned the role of active sports in curbing the influence of such malpractices. If the youngsters focus solely on the training and gameplay at the academies, they won’t be left with the excess spare time to indulge in such distractions and a lot of adverse consequences can be prevented.
On being asked on the nationwide roaring argument over the portrayal of present-day Punjab in ‘Udta Punjab’, the Haryana Police DSP commented that there is nothing wrong in showing reality in a film, especially if it can spread awareness across an impressionable section of the youth who could otherwise, easily be led into participating in the widespread drug practice that the authoritative bodies have struggled so hard to control.
The hockey star who will lead the Indian team at the Rio Olympics 2016 is currently spending some time off while India chase the FIH Champions Trophy 2016 at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
