June 14 will always be remembered as one of the saddest days in the history of Indian cinema. Precisely a year ago the world was already reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic. In these tough times, we were hit with another dreadful news regarding the death of one of the most promising and rising stars of Bollywood. The accomplished actor Sushant Singh Rajput may be no more with us but his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema and his charming and child-like aura will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
Sushant Singh Rajput was blessed with a beautiful mind and a golden heart. He achieved the feat of cracking the Indian National Physics Olympiad before securing admission at the highly reputed Delhi College of Engineering. He reportedly secured 7th rank in its entrance exam. Although he was ostensibly interested in becoming an astronaut or an air pilot, besides also harboring Bollywood ambitions.
To fulfill his acting ambitions, he eventually dropped out of the engineering course and instead joined the dance classes and acting classes conducted by Shiamak Davar and Barry John, respectively.
During his stint with Shashi Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatre, he was noticed by the Czarina of Television Ekta Kapoor’s company. Soon after, he became a household name when Ekta Kapoor cast him in the superhit television show ‘Pavitra Rishta’ that aired on Zee TV.
While Ekta Kapoor gave the talented actor his small-screen break, it was the well-known casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who offered him a lead role in Abhishek Kapoor’s on-screen adaption of Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’. His earnest performance was unanimously admired in the film. However, he lost the Best Male Debut Filmfare Award to Dhanush (for ‘Raanjhanaa’).
His next big Bollywood project was Dibakar Banerjee’s period mystery thriller ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’. Despite the film’s somewhat insipid box-office response, Sushant Singh Rajput’s performance, and the film’s quality, both were given a big thumbs-up by the audience.
The following year, he starred in another acclaimed filmmaker Neeraj Pandey’s film based on the world-cup-winning Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This was the second time the actor had essayed the role of a cricketer. The film went on to achieve immense critical and commercial success and Sushant Singh Rajput’s portrayal of Dhoni’s body language and get-up was commendable.
For his next film ‘Kedarnath’, the actor reunited with Abhishek Kapoor for the inter-religion love story set against the backdrop of the devastating Uttarakhand floods. His subsequent project was ‘Sonchiriya’ revolved around a gang of dacoits in the Chambal valley and co-starred Manoj Bajpayee, Ranvir Shorey, and Bhumi Pednekar. Unsurprisingly, his performance was again applauded in both these films.
His last theatrical release ‘Chhichhore’ helmed by ‘Dangal’ director Nitesh Tiwari was a box-office blockbuster and won a National Award. Ironically, Sushant Singh Rajput’s character in the film tries to instill hope in his son, who has barely survived a suicide attempt, by recounting his own story as a loser in a series of flashbacks.
Around the same time, Sushant Singh Rajput had revealed on his social media platform his list of 50 dreams ranging from flying a plane to sending kids to ISRO/NASA to visiting Disneyland & Antarctica to making a documentary on Swami Vivekanand, etc.
My 50 DREAMS & counting…! 😉
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1. Learn how to Fly a Plane ✈️ 2. Train for IronMan triathlon 🏃🏻♂️
3. Play a Cricket Match left-handed 🏏
4. Learn Morse Code _.. 5. Help kids learn about Space. 🌌
6. Play tennis with a Champion 🎾
7. Do a Four Clap 👏 Push-Up ! (1/6) … pic.twitter.com/8HDqlTNmb6— Sushant Singh Rajput (@itsSSR) September 14, 2019
While his last film ‘Dil Bechara’ was helmed by the man who apparently gave the actor his Bollywood break – Mukesh Chhabra. Who knew that the Bollywood journey was coming a full circle for the fantastic actor? An adaptation of the novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, the film was about two terminally ill patients. It was released on the Disney+ Hotstar streaming platform in July 2020, following his untimely demise.
He was also supposed to star in Shekhar Kapur’s dystopian drama ‘Paani’ set in the year 2040. The ambitious film was set to revolve around the earth’s water supply running out. Sushant Singh Rajput had reportedly attended workshops with the director. The actor was once described by the ‘Bandit Queen’ director Shekhar Kapur as “one of the most inspiring young actors to emerge out of India”.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s last Instagram post was dedicated to his mother. The post was marked with the beautiful words “Blurred past evaporating from teardrops. Unending dreams carving an arc of smile. And a fleeting life, negotiating between the two…#माँ ❤️”
We would like to conclude the article by quoting the actor’s own words: “I might not be over-enthusiastic about socializing and making friends, but I am not a loner. I love hanging out with my friends, and I do it often when I am not working. Maybe, since I am not often invited to the ‘happening’ parties of our industry, where the media is around, I have earned the reputation of being a loner.”
We are aware that you owned a high-end telescope owing to your keen interest in astrophysics and stargazing adventures. Now that you have become the bright one, you will always be remembered for the flawless actor and the gem of a person you were. The world was a better place with you in it. You will always be missed, Sushant Singh Rajput Sir.
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