Sushant Singh Rajput was keen to get back to work after lockdown: A look at his unfinished projects

The late actor also left a few projects unfinished. He was to star in Rumy Jafry’s yet to be titled romantic comedy along with rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. Talking about it, Rumy told Mumbai Mirror, “He didn’t have too many friends in the industry but was very passionate about his work. He kept reading my script even during the lockdown and was keen on a joint narration. He was looking forward to starting work on the film soon and every time the lockdown was extended, he would get upset because he wanted to get back to work and rehearse.”

In 2019, Sushant Singh Rajput announced Rifleman based on the life of Maha Vir Chakra awardee Jaswant Singh Rawat. He had written on Twitter, “An advancing enemy. A border to protect. One Braveheart.#RIFLEMAN. On the occasion of Army Day, excited to announce my next film.” Abundantia Entertainment and Pooja Entertainment were supposed to bankroll the project.

But the film soon ran into legal trouble after the makers of 72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died claimed they had the original rights to make a film on Jaswant Singh’s life.

Filmmaker Anand Gandhi, who has bankrolled movies like Ship of Theseus and Tumbbad, was also keen on casting Sushant Singh Rajput in his next film, Emergence. The film follows the story of four scientists, as they race against a deadly pandemic to save the world from devastation.

Gandhi told indianexpress.com, “Sushant is a dear friend, and I always work on the assumption that he will be part of what I create.”

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Also, Sushant Singh Rajput had planned to essay 12 real-life characters, including political strategist Chanakya, poet Rabindranath Tagore and former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam, in a biopic series. The project was backed by the actor and his business partner Varun Mathur. The yet-to-be-titled project promised to celebrate the Indian geniuses spanning 2,000 years – from 540 BC to 2015 AD. Though the series was announced in 2018, nothing more was heard about it.