Sushant Singh Rajput was last seen in Netflix film Drive. (Photo: PR Handout)
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away on June 14. His sudden demise left his fans and colleagues in shock, and many continue to express their feelings over his demise on social media. Rajput, 34, died by suicide, Mumbai police confirmed. The actor’s father K K Singh on Tuesday told police that his son would often feel “low”, but was unaware why he was depressed.
Sushant Singh Rajput was known for his excellent performances in films like Sonchiriya, Chhichhore, MS Dhoni The Untold Story, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy among more. The actor was last seen in Netflix film Drive. His film Dil Bechara, helmed by good friend and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, is yet to be released. The movie also stars debutant Sanjana Sanghi and Saif Ali Khan.
Besides Dil Bechara, filmmaker Rumy Jafry was also supposed to work with Sushant Singh Rajput in a romantic comedy film, co-starring Rhea Chakravorty. Jafry told indianexpress.com, “We were supposed to start shooting for our unnamed romantic comedy in May, but because of the lockdown, we had to keep the movie on hold. We were sure to get working as soon as the industry would start operating normally again. For the film, Sushant and I met very often in the last one year. He would come home and spend time with my family. I would visit him too. My kids were so shocked with the news and after seeing his pictures that were circulated on social media, they couldn’t even sleep. It was very disturbing. He had become like family to me.”
Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra leaving the office of ACP, Bandra, on Wednesday evening after recording his statement into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. (Express photo)
Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti on Wednesday penned a moving tribute to her late brother. Shweta shared on Facebook, "Mera baby, mera Babu mera Bachcha is not physically present with us anymore and it is ok… I know u were in a lot of pain and I know u were a fighter and u were bravely fighting it. Sorry mera Sona… sorry for all the pain u had to go through…if I could I would hav taken all ur pain and given all my happiness to u." Read more here
Actor Mrunal Thakur tweeted, "Thank you universe for giving us the time and opportunity to know Sushant, even if it was short, it was inspiring and beautiful. Let’s remember him everyday and keep him alive through all the good work he’s done. Can we just sit down for two minutes and pray for Sushant? Please"
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur remembered Sushant Singh Rajput during an Instagram live session. He said, "Sushant used to worship the set. I don’t know why people are talking about his arrogance. I never met somebody so humble. His smile had humility. His eyes had a childish gaze. He was ready to leave his real side for his character. The worst thing that happened was I couldn’t make that film, work with Sushant or else he would’ve made it something else." Read more here
Calling Sushant, Israel's "true friend", deputy director general Gilad Cohen tweeted, "Sending my deepest condolences on the passing of Sushant Singh Rajput, a true friend of Israel. You will be missed!' He also shared the link of the song "Makhna" from the actor’s last film Drive which was shot in Israel. Read more here
Tumbbad creative director Anand Gandhi wrote an eulogy remembering Sushant Singh Rajput in his Instagram stories. Here are the screenshots.
Director Dibakar Banerjee who worked with Sushant Singh Rajput in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy remembered the actor. He said, "As an actor, he would tense himself up for the scene and then completely plunge in take after take. He would put a lot of value on preparation. He would be up the previous night of the shoot, reading the scene and making notes and land up on the sets all raring to go. He would be on, ready and give his hundred per cent throughout the shoot of Byomkesh – no matter how hard or long the day. The unit did not really have to worry about him, considering he was the star. That’s what I remember – a total pro, enthused, sincere and totally focused. As a person, he seemed to me a happy dance-loving chhokra from an engineering college who had made it in showbiz and now was serious about acting. He was deeply nostalgic about his carefree student days in Delhi. We used to laugh a lot – I remember that quite clearly." Read more here
After a case was filed against Ekta Kapoor, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Salman Khan and others on Wednesday in connection with the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Ekta took to Instagram and said she is beyond upset at how convoluted theories can be. In an Instagram post, the TV and film producer shared a report about a case that has been registered against eight people from the film industry, including her, and wrote, “Thanku for the case for not casting sushi….when Actually I LAUNCHED HIM. I’m beyond upset at how convoluted theories can b! Pls@let family n frns mourn in peace! Truth shall@prevail. CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!!!!!” Read more here
A screengrab of Sooraj Pancholi's note on Sushant Singh Rajput. (Photo: Sooraj Pancholi/Instagram)
Manoj Bajpayee, during an Instagram live, spoke on the first time he met Sushant Singh Rajput. He shared, "I cannot forget the image of him coming to me on the first day and suddenly touching my feet. To me, his one gesture questioned all the perceptions that people were floating around him. It said so much about his background. From there, our journey of knowing each other started. He said ‘sir, I’m also from Bihar’. I observed his craft and the way he worked towards getting that perfect shot. Whenever I gave him any suggestion, he was so grateful." Read more here
Sushant Singh Rajput’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti revealed in a Facebook post, how her 5-year-old son reacted when she told him his uncle was no more. Shweta wrote, "When I told Nirvanh the news that Mamu is no more, he said “But he is alive in your heart” 3 times. When a 5 yr old can say something like that... think how strong we should all be.... Stay Strong everyone.... especially the fans of Sushant... please understand he lives in our hearts and he will always keep doing so....Please don’t do anything that can hurt his soul....Stay Strong! #LongliveSushant #Keeppraying"
Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted, "Sajid Nadiadwala wrote a letter to the home minister to take action regarding the circulation of late Sushant Singh Rajput’s photos after his demise."
Actor Harshvardhan Rane wrote a long Instagram post that read, 'Have been processing it and am still shaken because i thought of him as a ‘Man with a plan’, i thought he will solve how to crack life exactly how he used to crack mathematics and coding equations on his social media. I used to be amazed at his clarity that he showed in how to live a life scientifically and productively. I am also from the same acting school (Barry John) and even i did a TV Show(2007), though i am not as educated as him but i love science too. I could relate to his passion and overcoming his small town introvert nature. But i cannot relate to this step that he took, am just left puzzled. As he was a success story to every actor who came to mumbai, they must have derived strength from him as he became a leading actor in films from television. Every big director and producer gave him work and supported him just like they supported Shah Rukh sir, how else would you justify 10-12 films in 7 years? From his Social media posts he did come across as someone who has an aptitude off a NASA scientist, i still cannot understand what was the real reason that made him do this. Am unable to agree with the popular belief, stories on news channels and articles.
If Nepotism does not allow outsiders to grow then how do you explain...
1. Akshay Kumar
2. John Abraham
3. Shah Rukh Khan
4. Ayushman Khurana
5. Shushant Singh
6. Karthik Aryan
I cannot understand, so am going to stop trying now. And what we should start is a healthy management of expectations from life"
Actor Rohit Roy reposted Rohini Iyer's heartfelt posts on Sushant Singh Rajput's demise and wrote, "These are the only posts you need to read to know the reality behind the fiction."
"Social media is the fakest, most toxic place, and if you have not posted RIP or said something publically, you are considered not to be grieving, when in reality, those are the people grieving for real," Kriti Sanon wrote in a long Instagram post.
"I have filed a case against eight people including Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Salman Khan and Ekta Kapoor under Sections 306, 109, 504 & 506 of IPC in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case in a court in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. In the complaint, I have alleged that Sushant Singh Rajput was removed from around seven films and some of his films were not released. Such a situation was created which forced him to take the extreme step," Advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha told ANI.
"Naming few people has no value. They themselves are products and victims of a ‘system’ everyone is protesting against. If you really care, if you’re really angry, then bring down the system. Not the individual. That’s guerilla warfare. Not a spurt of anger," tweeted Shekhar Kapur.
"I always thought he was one of those guys who would not take things seriously. I know there are things being said, but I don’t buy it entirely that the industry treated him badly and he felt bad about it. Sushant was beyond all that. I felt he was comfortable in his own skin. He didn’t care what you thought about him. Nepotism in this industry affects actors much more than directors. He felt that. But it is one thing to say that it exists but how much does it affect you personally?" wrote Sonchiriya director Abhishek Chaubey in his heartfelt tribute to the late actor. Read more here.
"Many have woken up to feel bad for #SushantSingh after he took his life, but very few spoke for him during his struggle. And the more successful he got, the more he was boycotted, maligned. Thank god for gracious men like @BajpayeeManoj who spoke for him when it mattered," wrote screenwriter Apurva Asrani as he shared an old video of Manoj Bajpayee where the actor could be seen lauding Sushant Singh Rajput's success and talent.
'Cruelty is not part of Bollywood. A small gang of rascals have been trying to cartelise and control the business. They want to launch stars, control careers, manipulate awards. Everyone outside their gang face constant humiliation. That is what killed Sushant Singh Rajput,' tweeted filmmaker, producer and writer Pritish Nandy.
Musing about his profession, actor Gulshan Devaiah tweeted, "Acting is easy, being an actor is bloody hard."
Actor Aarti Chabria shared a social media post which read, "It is impossible to run away from what is inside us. Work on yourself and make yourself so strong, mentally, emotionally, physically that no lost opportunity, groupism, no heartbreak, no loss can be so bad that you want to give up on your very own gift of life. There's always a tomorow! There's always another way out."
A few years ago, Sushant was asked about nepotism in Bollywood at an awards show, and he said, “Nepotism is there, it’s everywhere, not just in Bollywood. You can’t do anything about it. Nepotism can co-exist and nothing would happen but at the same time, if you deliberately don’t allow the right talent to come up, then there is a problem. Then the whole structure of the industry would collapse one day. But till then, it’s fine.” Read more here.
"This has to be said. My best friend is no more, I still have a bloody hard time accepting that and whenever I check social media to check up on news on him, I read fiction and instead of finding people online, i see peddlers. Peddlers pushing their agendas to promote themselves and their causes. Every single person who wants their two bit fame has an opinion on his life. Firstly, he didn’t give a fuck about fame or your opinions. He didn’t care about these people who are busy posting about not being in touch with him. For the record, he didn’t care about being in touch. He hated fake friends, phone calls and small talk. He rejected your parties, you didn’t shun him. He rejected your lobbies. He didnt need camps, he had his own kingdom. He was a fighter. He made his own place in the sun. He was an outsider and he never cared about being an insider. That’s because he had a life beyond films. The industry was a small part of his life, he had many worlds beyond that. He didn’t give a shit about success. He never failed. He has given more super hits than any of his other contemporaries. He just didn’t care about the 100 crore club. He didn’t want to belong to any club or be part of the rat race. He didn’t care about awards. He walked out of an award function just cos he got bored. This was even before they announced his best actor award. You had to be a lot more interesting than a bloody trophy to hold his attention. He was a force of nature. His accomplishments are multifold. He was as simple as quantum physics. He was a crazy genius. He read Sartre and Nietzsche, he studied astronomy and stoicism, he wrote poetry, played the guitar, wrote with his left and right hand. He cared about saving the planet, the world, about going to Mars, he invested in charities, in science projects and innovations that were beyond your comprehension. So please don’t try to make sense of him or reduce his talent to serve your mere agenda," Rohini Iyer wrote in a lengthy post.
"We are deeply saddened by the dramatic news on the death of well-known Indian actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Mr Singh Rajput was a believer and strong supporter of STEM education and was following ISU on social media. He had even accepted an invitation to visit ISU’s Central Campus in the summer of 2019 but other agenda priorities prevented him from traveling to Strasbourg.
Our thoughts are with Sushant Singh Rajput, his family and his friends. His memory will remain among his thousands of followers across India and all over the world," read the note.