“Photon in a double-slit” – read Sushant Singh Rajput’s bio on Instagram and Twitter. Despite having millions of fans, there was another side of Sushant, which was hardly seen. Sushant was an actor par excellence who loved to read and who’s fascination with outer space led him on a journey to find a meaning in this universe. Tragically, his journey has been cut short as, after months of waging a lone battle against depression, Sushant gave up and succumbed to his inner demons. Sushant’s death signifies how Bollywood is a punishing industry and impossible to survive if you don’t have a famous surname or a godfather backing you. Sushant was way too talented, way too intelligent, way too good for Bollywood. Quite simply, he was out of place in Bollywood which cares more about the surnames and the glamour rather than sheer talent.
Unlike Bollywood’s nepotism products, Sushant came from humble beginnings and was born in Patna and landed up in Mumbai to pursue his dreams. He was a rank holder in AIEEE and pursued engineering in Delhi Technological University. During his final year, Sushant quit engineering to pursue his one true love – acting.
His talent was first identified by Balaji who subsequently gave him a break in the TV soap “Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil” and Sushant made full use of his break and never looked back. He later went on to play the lead in “Pavitra Rishta” and endeared himself in the hearts of millions as the serial went on to become a rousing hit. He also was a contestant in the dance reality show, “Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa”.
Sushant then debuted in “Kai Po Che” which won him several awards and then went on to do films like “Shuddh Desi Romance”, “Detective Byomkesh Bakshi”, “PK” and “Raabta”. He captured the imagination of the entire country in “ MS Dhoni: The Untold Story” and such was his sheer brilliance that not once in the movie did one feel that someone is portraying their beloved MSD on the big screen. He quite literally turned into a cricketer and did justice to the legacy of MS Dhoni as he became his mirror image.
Sushant was recently riding high on the success of “Kedarnath” and the critically acclaimed “Sonchiriya” but unfortunately never got the deserved recognition. Sushant made everyone cry and laugh at the same time in the heartwarming film “Chhichhore” which dealt with the issue of suicide.
Sushant was “one of us” and perhaps that’s why his loss feels like a personal loss. He was just a boy next door who made it big but still remained humble. In retrospect, the “outsider” tag ended up hurting Sushant. He was all set to feature in Shekhar Kapur’s fantasy film, “Paani” and hence, passed on plum projects like “Ram Leela”. However, the film “Paani” ended up being shelved due to financial reasons which saw Sushant lose out on plum projects in his prime years. He later left Yash Raj Films after according to reports, after being promised “Befikre” was ignored for Ranveer Singh.
His entire career is a story about how an outsider is battling against the nepotism driven industry. Karan Johar’s “Drive” in which Sushant played a starring role, was rightfully panned by audiences and critics alike owing to its weak script and pathetic production. The movie was released on Netflix after Karan Johar didn’t deem the film good enough to have a theatrical release. Now, for a bonafide A-lister this was a huge step. There’s a reason why you won’t see someone like Ranveer Singh or Ranbir Kapoor foray into OTT anytime soon because it’s perceived as a “step-down”. When Sushant signed the film, there were no indications that it would end up releasing only on Netflix. His career was dealt a blow because of this decision.
Karan Johar who has ensured that the Bollywood industry is flooded with nepotism, didn’t release “Kalank” – an equally pathetic, if not more directly on an OTT platform. Despite the fact that Kalank, due to the hype would have easily recovered its costs and made a decent profit had it taken the OTT route. But that would have meant products of nepotism, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha to be labelled as an “OTT actor” which perhaps Karan couldn’t afford and hence was willing to incur huge losses on the movie. But who cares about Sushant, right?
Such is power of the show “Koffee with Karan”, that if you don’t appear on the show, you aren’t an A-lister. Sushant was one of the rare breeds who broke this myth and rode on his sheer talent who perhaps wasn’t invited or didn’t have time for such a show which is all about gossip, glamour and looking down on others.
His last film, “Dil Bechaara” after facing numerous setbacks over 2 years, was slated to release on May 8, but has been deferred due to the lockdown. Sushant never forgot his roots and quite literally started from the bottom as he was a background dancer (4th line) in various award shows. His humility is on display in his Instagram account which is starkly different from the account of his peers. There’s no trace of any expensive photoshoots , his Instagram account is all about science and his love of space, filled with deep thoughts and of course, his undying love for his mother whom he lost at an early age. He made it a point to reply to his fans, heck even follow them and always help them out. Posts on his comments are filled with people seeking help for donations, and he tried his best to help everyone who sought his help.
At a time when during the lockdown, Bollywood celebrities are enjoying in their lavish houses, doing paid Instagram lives, sharing videos of their cooking, Sushant was learning coding. Perhaps, this is what set him apart. He was way too intelligent for Bollywood.
His reply to a fan’s comment tells us a lot about Bollywood and the pressure on Sushant to continuously deliver hits or risk being thrown out.
— Tajinder Bagga (Modi Ka Parivar) (@TajinderBagga) June 14, 2020
https://twitter.com/Eurus_jr/status/1272288947486388224?s=20
https://twitter.com/Eurus_jr/status/1272288947486388224?s=20
Sushant – seeker, actor pic.twitter.com/Ro1SqIQjKd
— Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) June 14, 2020
Such was Sushant’s love for space that he carried an advanced telescope in Chambal while shooting for “Sonchiriya” so that he can observe the space in between the shots.
RIP Bollywood pic.twitter.com/mTDghDFYeY
— IAS Smoking Skills (@Smokingskills07) June 15, 2020
Sushant’s pain is clearly visible here as he describes how nepotism is everywhere.
It was perhaps his humility and sheer talent which rubbed the nepotism driven Bollywood the wrong way. Another display of his humility is clearly seen in the video where he was the only one who agreed to click pics with poor people who were selling balloons while arriving for a party while the rest of the celebrities simply ignored and walked away.
https://twitter.com/iKryptonian_/status/1272222750573117442?s=20
As the news of Sushant’s death trickled in, Bollywood made a beeline to write moving obituaries for their “friend”. The same Bollywood was absent when Sushant was suffering from depression for the past six months. Certainly, no one is buying their crocodile tears.
https://twitter.com/imShaliniTiwari/status/1272425883412738048?s=20
Of course, there is more than it meets the eye and it is likely that the PR managers will spin his suicide over “financial reasons” to protect the Bollywood cartels. Shekhar Kapur and a couple of others have already hinted that Sushant was perhaps driven to suicide.
I knew the pain you were going through. I knew the story of the people that let you down so bad that you would weep on my shoulder. I wish Iwas around the last 6 months. I wish you had reached out to me. What happened to you was their Karma. Not yours. #SushantSinghRajput
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) June 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/ravipatel1108/status/1272375610824777728?s=20
The nation has not only lost an actor par excellence but a thorough gentleman who was fascinated to find his motive in the Universe. Sushant, wherever you are, hope you are at peace and happy with your Mother. Hope the heavens can appreciate your talent and celebrate you.
