Kriti Sanon remembered Sushant Singh Rajput in a moving post on Instagram. (Photo: Kriti Sanon/Instagram)
Tributes continue to pour in for late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Rajput died by suicide on Sunday, the Mumbai Police confirmed. He was only 34. The case is currently being investigated by police who stated that the actor suffered from depression and had sought counselling. He, however, was not taking any medication.
On Monday, Sushant’s family members were flown into Mumbai for his funeral. It took place at Vile Parle crematorium. Apart from his family and close friends, celebrities like Rhea Chakraborty, Kriti Sanon, Shraddha Kapoor, Mukesh Chhabra, Ekta Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Dinesh Vijan, Krystle D’Souza, Nupur Sanon, Varun Sharma, Abhishek Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Ranvir Shorey among others marked their attendance.
Sushant Singh Rajput was one of the few stars who had successfully transitioned from television to movies. He apparently looked up to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who also famously started his showbiz journey from TV. After hearing the news of his death, Shah Rukh took to Twitter to pay his last respects to the MS Dhoni actor. Sharing a photo of himself and Sushant, SRK tweeted, “He loved me so much…I will miss him so much. His energy, enthusiasm and his full happy smile. May Allah bless his soul and my condolences to his near and dear ones. This is extremely sad….and so shocking!!”
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. 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.
"I will always think of Sushant as my friend, although I knew him all of three years out of which one-and-a-half years, we worked very closely. But I will consider him my friend and an extremely sweet man. A gentle soul and a geek. That’s how I will remember him, a boy-geek. You don’t meet geeks in these parts. You don’t find them in Bandra, Versova. You find them in IIT Kharagpur. He was one of those," the filmmaker told indianexpress.com. Click here to read more.
Filmmaker Rumy Jafry on Tuesday revealed late actor Sushant Singh Rajput was set to begin shooting for a romantic comedy, also starring rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.
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.” Read more here.
"'Iss shehar mein sab fraud hai', Manto ne kaha tha. Some people are talking about how they want to be there for people. In reality they won't take your calls, won't respond to your text and ignore you at parties when you are down and roam around you like vultures when you are successful. @navjotgulati said it without mincing words. In my experience success is purely a subjective matter and if anyone tells me otherwise I’d tell them to stfu. Being an outsider surviving in this city with your dignity intact and on your own terms is success. And if you’ve done that you’re bloody successful my friend.
I was 20, year 2011 I started my film career being launched by one of the biggest production houses. Yes I’m grateful for that. And I went through the same dejection within days post my 1st film released and it went on, it breaks you from within. All the superficial love and promises goes out of the window. Truth is, it’s all DANDHA, BUSINESS. Wish i could go back to my younger self, hug him and tell him that don’t be so hard on yourself kid, you’re enough, you’ve come so far all by yourself and you’ll survive this with dignity. And don’t stop working on yourself to become a better human and a better craftsman. And i did. I believe there’s been my guardian angels who’ve looked after me when i was down and out or may be it was my own will, determination and few kind beings. Every time i was drowning and about to get completely lost an opportunity presented itself, however big or small and pulled me out of it. I’m saying it because it matters and to be honest I don’t give a rats ass because I’ve survived and THRIVED all these years without anyone backing me through my journey. To the younger lot I’d say manage your expectations from yourself and from people around. Give yourself time. Be kind to yourself and to others. You’re enough. You’ve come a long way. And stay away from toxic people, habits and naysayers. Hang in there. Don’t expect much from the INDUSTRY keep doing your bit and right things will come along. Family and few good friends, hold on to them.To those who believe they are sitting on that high castle, you’re not Gods. BE KIND, BE KIND, BE KIND," the actor shared on his social media.
"Pyaare Sushant, naa film dekhi na kabhi mila tum se ....par tere achaanak chale jaane se bada sadma laga !!! This beautiful beloved show business is very cruel. I can imagine your unbearable pain . I share the pain of your loving family and friends," tweeted Dharmendra.
"A part of my heart has gone with you and a part will always keep you alive," wrote Kriti Sanon on Instagram as she remembered Sushant Singh Rajput.
The actor, who was rumoured to be dating the 34-year-old, shared adorable photos from their time together.
Vikas Gupta shared a video of himself with Sushant Singh Rajput, giving a throwback to their moments together. He mentioned, "Mental illness is real." He thanked Sushant for taking care of his brother like his own.
"Thank you for taking care of my brother like your own. You kept him with you as your family for so long that i lost count of months - (No rent was ever shared or any expenses- he was the older brother) You taught him , loved him & trained him even better than I did. Gratitude for whatever it’s worth now. I am sorry I couldn’t help cause I needed it myself. RIP," the post read.
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, remembering Sushant Singh Rajput on Monday, spoke about how his work has etched a place in everyone's heart.
"God Bless your soul Sushant. Honestly lost for words since yesterday. Your Good deeds in silence have ensured that you will be remembered forever. You are a blessed soul. At a young age you made a mark in an industry that millions only dream of. It is not easy to have achieved what you did. But YOU DID. Such a great talent. My condolences with your family , loved ones and all those fans who loved you and will remember you for all eternity. You not only immortalised yourself with great performances but etched a place in everyone’s heart with your sensitivity," he wrote on Instagram.
Television actor Sara Khan shared a note on Instagram that read, "And another one bites the dust. Another one is laid to rest. After fighting a long, hard battle in the industry. He came from a small town, with dreams to make it big. He did make it big. But I guess destiny had different plans for him."
She continued, "A moment of silence for all the incredibly talented actors who succumbed to depression by believeing that they were not good enough."
After Sushant Singh Rajput’s cremation on Monday, his Pavitra Rishta co-star and ex-girlfriend Ankita Lokhande visited the actor’s house to meet his family.
Tahir Raj Bhasin said that he will "remember" Sushant Singh Rajput "as the boy who dared to dream." In an Instagram post, he wrote, "Your passionately curious intellect , deep fascination for astronomy and what lies beyond lead to the most awesome on set conversations. You could go from quantum physics to picking up dance choreography in seconds and that is what made you unique . Your journey was inspiring and your insights and advice always generous. The world lost a gem much too soon. Saddened that today you lost what must have been an extremely difficult mental health battle. I hope that in the defeaning silence of your demise society wakes up to the need to more urgently and openly address mental health."
Actor Prakash Raj shared an old video of Sushant Singh Rajput where he can be heard addressing nepotism in Bollywood. He tweeted, "I have lived through this. I have survived. My wounds are deeper than my flesh. But this child Sushant Singh Rajput couldn't. Will we learn. Will we really stand up and not let such dreams die?"
When Twitter user, @DeepakThakur_10, asked Vidyut Jammwal why he did not tweet anything about Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor replied, "Silence speaks volumes if you stop & listen. Absent tears/ inability to write heartfelt eulogies and remembrances could also be a way of expressing grief. Neither the departed soul nor the family is reading the Tweets, so who to write for? We all grieve and mourn- I do it quietly."
"The pain is deep. I'm shocked and speechless. It's difficult to even write a tribute," actor Pankaj Tripathi tweeted.
Reacting on the social media rage against a few members of the film fraternity after Sushant Singh Rajput's death, Shekhar Kapur tweeted, "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."