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Remembering Sushant Singh Rajput a year after we lost him.
A Continuing Goodbye
Sushant Singh Rajput – A Home Visit, After he’s gone
We lost the brilliant young actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June – the shock of his sudden suicide knocked fans out and the grief has been palpable. Was the cause of his death the callousness and indifference of Bollywood which thrives on fame, the right family connections, the ‘cool’ factor? Sometimes Bollywood can be like a clique of the privileged kids in high school, shutting out those that don’t belong.
Or was the cause mental illness – something which nobody talks about in many societies, especially in India? It is a big burden to bear alone with no help in a world of gliterati and few real friendships. You feel sad to think of the utter hopelessness that took him to such a drastic place of no return. This is an issue that Bollywood needs to address so such tragedies don’t get repeated with other aspiring actors – but it is something we all need to think about, especially in this time of stress and built up pressures.
A Home Tour with Sushant Singh Rajput – Where the Heart Is
For movie buffs, it’s been hard to get Sushant Singh Rajput out of our collective heads. I’ve taken to Youtube to catch bits of his life and try to piece together the reasons for that abandonment of life and living. It’s hard to think of a person in that state of mind, alone in the pandemic.
In trying to make sense of his life and death, I came across this video which made me feel more cheerful about him – and his life. It is a chance to see his happy times, to see what he loved most in life. You see glimpses of his inner life in the huge collection of books he loved, old paintings, his guitar, his devoted dog. The love of his life was an enormous telescope and his aspiration for other worlds. Surely he had times of great joy in his life.
In this video, Sushant Singh Rajput relates how he hunted for and selected his house while he was shooting for a film in Budapest. He tells you how much he loves his house, his yellow desk, his books, his old paintings and his telescope which he calls his time machine.
He proudly displays his photos from NASA as he smiles, “I always wanted to be an astronaut – And then I talked myself into becoming a pilot.Then I said okay, engineer. And then I was confused, so I thought let’s be an actor – and be everything!”
The rooms are eclectic in his home and very individualistic, showing his many interests. As he says in this home tour, “I used a lot of jugad in making this home – jor tor ke – my career was also made that way so I can really relate to that!”
Sushant Singh Rajput
Goodbye, Sushant Singh Rajput
Finally, a statement from hie grieving family: “The world’s Sushant Singh Rajput was simply Gulshan to us. He was free-spirited, talkative and incredibly bright. He was curious about just everything. He dreamed without restraints, and chased those dreams with the heart of a lion. He smiled generously. He was the pride and inspiration of the family. His telescope was his most prized possession, through which he fondly gazed at the stars.”
“We can’t bring ourselves to accept that we wouldn’t get to hear his easy laughs anymore. That we wouldn’t see his sparkling eyes again. That we wouldn’t hear his endless rants about science again. His loss has created a permanent, glaring void in the family that will never be filled.”
Acording to Hindustan Times, the family has said that the actor “truly loved and cherished every single one of his fans” and hence it will set up a foundation in his name. His childhood home in Rajiv Nagar, Patna will be turned into a memorial which will have his personal memorabilia and belongings including thousands of his books, his telescope, flight-simulator for his fans and admirers.
The family intends to maintain his lnstagram, Twitter and Facebook page as legacy accounts to keep his memories alive. An email ID – ssrliveson@gmail.com has also been shared for any enquiries regarding the foundation.
For those longing for closure, this does bring some relief.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s final film ‘Dil Bechara’ – a preview
There is also the news that his final film ‘Dil Bechara’ will be released on Disney +Hotstar on July 24. With an aim to honour the legacy of the actor, the streaming platform is making the movie available to even non-subscribers. It marks the lead debut of Sanjana Sanghi and has Saif Ali Khan in a cameo role. ‘Dil Bechara’ is a Hindi adaptation of Jon Green’s novel ‘The Fault in our Stars’ and is directed by Mukesh Chabra with music by AR Rahman.
While fans would have definitely preferred to see this final film on the big screen, we are still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and have to be grateful for small blessings. A new film starring Sushant Singh Rajput is a joy in these troubled times.
*Please share your thoughts on Sushant, mental illness, suicide, nepotism and Bollywood. How does one make it all better?
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