$8,037,758
Sushant Singh Rajput
Net Worth
Born in (City)
Patna
Born in (Country)
India
Date of Birth
21st December, 1986
Date of Death
14th December, 2020
Mother
Usha Singh
Father
Mr K.K Singh
About
Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor who is best known for his work in Hindi cinema. He starred in a number of commercially successful Bollywood films such as M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Kedarnath (2018) and Chhichhore (2019). Due to his contribution to the film industry, he received a Screen Award and was nominated for the Filmfare Awards on three occasions. Rajput started his career after dropping out of his engineering course at the Delhi College of Engineering and entering the theatre industry in Mumbai. He moved on to feature in Hindi television serials, his debut show was the romantic drama Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil (2008), followed by the lead role in the soap opera Pavitra Rishta (2009–2011). He made his Bollywood debut in the film adaptation Kai Po Che! (2013) which became a commercial and critical success. Followed by his starring role in the romantic comedy Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and the role of the titular detective in the action thriller Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015). Rajput died by suicide at his home in Bandra, Mumbai in June 2020, aged 34. His last film, Dil Bechara (2020), was released posthumously on the streaming platform Hotstar.
Early Life
During his course at the Delhi College of Engineering, Rajput enrolled himself in Shiamak Davar's dance classes. Soon afterwards, he also began attending acting classes under the theatre director Barry John. Rajput later stated that he found the experience to be liberating and wanted to continue doing it forever. He featured as a background dancer in the Dhoom Again song of Dhoom 2 and in Ashwariya Rai's performance at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In 2006, he dropped out of his engineering course during his fourth year to begin a career in arts and performance. He moved to Mumbai, took up odd jobs and small roles while working in the theatre industry. In Mumbai, Rajput joined Nadira Babbar's theatre group called the Ekjute in which he remained for two and a half years.
Rajput was spotted by a casting team of Balaji Telefilms while he was working at the Prithvi Theatre. He was subsequently called for an audition and cast as a second lead in the television series Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil in 2008. He had secured the role of Preet Singh Juneja, the step brother of the lead named Harshad Chopda and entered the show in its seventh episode.The character was killed early in the show, but due to popularity among viewers was brought back in the series finale as a spirit looking on as his family celebrated coming out of difficult times. The performance had made an impression on the producer Ekta Kapoor who vouched for him to be cast as the lead in another series Pavitra Rishta,[23] reportedly against the wishes of the hosting channel, Zee TV.
Road to Success
In 2011, Rajput was spotted by Mukesh Chhabra, the casting director of Kai Po Che!, who invited him for an audition. He was in the process of enrolling for a course in filmmaking at Stanford University but decided to accept the offer. He was subsequently cast in the role of Ishaan Bhatt, a district level cricketer who was a victim of politics in the selection fraternity and one of the three leads, along with Rajkummar Rao and Amit Sadh. The film was directed by Abhishek Kapoor and based on the Chetan Bhagat novel called The 3 Mistakes of My Life, which dealt with the life of three friends affected by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2002 Gujarat riots was released in 2013 and became a commercial and critical success. Rajput received a nomination for the Filmfare Awards in the category of best debut actor for his performance in the film.
Before the release of his debut film Kai Po Che!, Rajput was signed in by Raj Kumar Hirani for a role in the Aamir Khan starring satirical drama called PK. In the film, he was cast as the boyfriend to Anushka Sharma's character of a journalist.[46] He also entered into a deal with Yash Raj Films beginning with the starring role in the film Shuddh Desi Romance. The film was a romantic comedy, where Rajput played the character of Raghu Ram Sitaram, a tour guide who fell in love with a woman on the way to his own marriage, it featured Parineeti Chopra and Vaani Kapoor. Shuddh Desi Romance was released in 2013 and became a sleeper hit. Following the release of his first two films, Rajput was described by the veteran director Shekhar Kapur as "one of the most inspiring young actors to emerge out of India" and was occasionally referred to as the "next SRK". The film PK was later released in 2014 and became the highest grossing Indian film.
Challenges
The untimely demise of the young and very talented Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput on Sunday shocked the film industry. The Kedarnath actor reportedly committed suicide at his Bandra residence in Mumbai. As per sources, the actor’s sister told police that he was battling depression. The 34-year-old was found hanging from the ceiling in his home.
Depression, also known as clinical depression, is often a silent killer, yet, many people who suffer from mental health disorder never seek help during their entire lives. Depression is a mood disorder and more than just a bout of the blues. It causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. A lot of people conceal their depression like pros - as they mask their symptoms and put on a ‘happy face’ for others. Research suggests that stereotypes about mental illness often stop people from speaking out or seeking treatment. In recent years, many stars, including Deepika Padukone and Sophie Turner, have opened up about their battles with mental illness. Depression and suicide rates are rising among young people, and celebs are no exception. We can’t identify the life of a famous person, but we can visualise the fact that they’re under more pressure than ordinary people, which can put them at higher risk of a range of mental disorders. And after seeing mental illness wreaking havoc in and even claiming the lives of our favourite stars, there arises the question - are celebrities more susceptible to mental disorders? Times Now Digital talked to Dr Prakriti Poddar, an expert in mental health, MD, Poddar Foundation and Director, Poddar Wellness Ltd, on why suicides and mental illness are becoming common among celebs today while taking the unfortunate example of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Failures
Within two years of his entry in Bollywood, Sushant Singh Rajput knew that the rampant nepotism was judging his failures and successes too .“We are just saying that outsiders find it hard to break into the industry and insiders get it easy, that’s the first thing. No one talks about how your successes and your failures are perceived,” he had said in an interview back in 2015. He went on to add that when a star kid lands a flop, they still get a chance to prove their mettle, but with outsiders like him their failures aren’t “easily forgotten” and their successes have to be punctuated a “hundreds of times and you justify it”. Of the many setbacks Sushant Singh Rajput faced as an outsider, the most unfortunate was the ambitious Shekhar Kapur drama Paani, that never took off .For Sushant Singh Rajput Shekhar Kapur’s Paani was the dream project he always wanted to bring to life on the silver screen. But after investing more than a year on it, during which he reportedly lost out on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani and more than 12 film offers, Paani was shut down after Yash Raj Films backed out as producers after months of prep.
“Yes. It was very unfortunate because I remember saying no to many films I really wanted to do at that point of time, just because I trusted somebody who was telling me, ‘No matter what, the film will be made.’ I can also understand that I am a newcomer and a filmmaker is putting in so much money, so he will have doubts, but it doesn’t take away the fact that if you decide not to do that film, you cannot not give me another film just because you know I have said no to so many films. That didn’t happen,” he had shared.
“I waited for another month, so I would get another film but it didn’t happen. I said, ‘Fine! Let’s find out for myself'”.
Shekhar Kapur was devasted when Paani, his magnum opus, was shelved, even after it was earlier announced at the Cannes Film Festival, but what saddened him more was not being able to complete the project with Sushant as he had “never met an actor that worked so hard in preparing for a part” as the Raabta actor did.
In an interview with Huffington Post last year, Sushant Singh Rajput had shared that while Paani not happening was upsetting, he always remembered the experience of working with Kapur. He narrated how he and Kapur spent 6-7 hours talking to a cobbler opposite Juhu’s Iskcon temple- something that “enriched” him and opened him up his perspective.
And even after 10 years in the film industry, he remained an outsider, till his last breath on 14th June 2020 when he committed suicide.
Achievements
In 2010, BIG Star Most Entertaining Television Actor - Male|In 2013, Screen Award for Best Male Debut|In 2010, ITA Award for Desh Ka Sitara - Best Actor - Popular|In 2014, Guild Award for Best Male Debut|In 2016, Screen Award for Best Actor (Critics)
Quotes
- The only strong opinion that I have about myself is that I don’t have any opinions.
- The more I learn about things, I realize how wrong I was before.
- If you are seeing something for the first time, one of your first reactions should be fascination.