A STAR SNUFFED OUT

What caused an intelligent young actor to take his life? The industry—and his fans—try to make sense of Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic and untimely demise

- SUHANI SINGH

Photon in a double-slit. Read what you will into the social media bio of Sushant Singh Rajput, but it does indicate that the young actor was a thinking man.

His death by suicide at the age of 34 on June 14 has left the entertainment industry shaken, triggering introspection and heated debate on the endless opportunities for the privileged and the many obstacles for the outsider. “The Bollywood Privilege Club must sit down and think hard tonight,” wrote filmmaker Anubhav Sinha on Twitter. In a video rant, actress Kangana Ranaut, apart from the big stakeholders, also blamed the media for maligning his image with malicious gossip. “His mistake was that he believed when they said he was worthless,” she said. For those who had worked with him, such as actor Manoj Bajpayee, the loss left them “feeling a little apprehensive about each other... how they are doing”, the actor said in a TV interview. For others, the tragedy was a stark reminder of the dark realities behind the spotlight and their own fragility. “...This is to everyone that goes through this kind of pain or loneliness,” wrote actor Sikander Kher, son of Anupam Kher, on Twitter.

Rajput’s passing resonated with many actors who, like him, have come to Bollywood, in pursuit of their dreams. “From Bandra to Andheri, Goregaon, Malad to Mira Road and beyond, thousands of young actors like me are sitting alone in their rooms right now wondering what all this means, trying to make sense of this strange mess of feelings and thoughts,” wrote actor Amol Parashar, best known for the web series, Tripling.