The shocking death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has left the entire industry shaken. The 34-year-old MS Dhoni star was reportedly found hanging inside his Bandra home on Sunday. Soon after the news became public, tributes started pouring in from co-stars and fans alike. Some of the prominent stars who posted about the actor’s demise included Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Akshay Kumar.
Also Read: Shocked & Speechless: Bollywood & Sports Fraternity Mourn Sushant Singh Rajput’s Death
However, some insiders from the industry are calling out the hypocrisy of Bollywood’s elite, accusing them of alienating him and later posting ‘heartfelt tributes’ following his suicide. Thappad director Anubhav Sinha took to Twitter to say that ‘The Bollywood Privilege Club must sit down and think hard tonight’, hinting that nepotism and alienation from industry members might have caused Sushant’s distress.
The Bollywood Privilege Club must sit down and think hard tonight.
PS- Now don't ask me to elaborate any further.
— Anubhav Sinha (@anubhavsinha) June 14, 2020
Actor and producer Nikhil Dwivedi didn’t mince his words and straight out called out the industry for not keeping in touch with Sushant because ‘his career dipped’, calling them ‘high and mighty’ and ‘hypocrites’. Several of his followers seemed to agree to his views, including screenwriter Mushtaq Shiekh who said, “Totally agree with you Nikhil. The hypocrisy stinks..”
At times our movie industry's hypocrisy gets to me. High &mighty announcing they shud ve kept in touch wth Sushant..
Cmon u didn't! &thts coz his career dipped. So STFU! R u in touch with Imran Khan, Abhay Deol &others? No!
But u were, whn they were doing well#SushantSinghRajput— Nikhil Dwivedi (@Nikhil_Dwivedi) June 14, 2020
Celebrity hairstylist also took to social media to share her views on the sad state of affairs in the industry. She shared a picture of herself with Sushant, cricketer MS Dhoni, and said, “It’s no secret Sushant was going through very tough times for the last few years. No one in the industry stood up for him nor did they lend a helping hand. To post about him today is the biggest display of how shallow the industry really is. No one here is your friend. RIP”
Another actor, Gulshan Devaiah, decided to give the industry a reality check by saying that Bollywood ‘is not a family’. “If one thinks it’s a family .. there is the problem. Bollywood is an imaginary name for a place of work that’s it,” he added. The actor was reacting to fellow actor Meera Chopra’s post, in which she apologised to Sushant Singh Rajput on behalf of the industry. Meera, who is Priyanka Chopra’s cousin, also questioned why nobody from the industry helped him.
Really sorry to be doing this but Bollywood is not a family , it never was and never will be . If one thinks it’s a family .. there is the problem. Bollywood is an imaginary name for a place of work that’s it . I am really not trying to put anybody down here & sorry if it seems https://t.co/hoz30WiEOJ
— Gulshan Devaiah (@gulshandevaiah) June 15, 2020
It appears that the death of Sushant has made several actors and other Bollywood professionals raise hard questions about nepotism and the struggles of being an outsider in the industry. However, it is also important to note that Sushant lost his life to depression, a very serious mental illness, and it would be unfair and disrespectful to speculate what happened.
Also Read: Silence Is Not Always Golden: How You Can Support Someone With A Mental Illness
Featured Image: Instagram
