Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who shot to fame with Kai Po Che!, died by suicide in his home in Bandra, Mumbai, on the morning of June 14. His sudden demise has left the Indian film industry shaken and has paved the way for calling out prevailing nepotism in the industry, and sparked discussions about the importance of mental health.
On Saturday, the family of the late actor put out a statement talking about how Sushant, or ‘Gulshan’ as they called him, was the pride of their family. They spoke about his zealous nature, hunger for knowledge, and his telescope, the most prized possession of his. They also added that they could not accept his demise and that the void created could never be filled.
“We can’t bring ourselves to accept that we wouldn’t get to hear his 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,” read the letter.
Source: Silverscreen Media Library
sushant-singh-rajput-1The Chhichhore star has been the point of discussion on social media for the past few weeks owing to the nature of his death, his on-screen personality and career, and the speculation that Bollywood reportedly refused to help him despite knowing of his long battle with depression. In the letter, the family thanked fans for the love and said that Sushant had cherished each one of them.
The letter also said that the family is planning to set up a foundation to support young talent in cinema, sports, and science. It added that the family will turn Sushant’s house into a memorial with all of his possessions and maintain his social media as legacy accounts. “To honour his memory and legacy, the family has decided to set up Sushant Singh Rajput Foundation (SSRF) to support young talents in areas close to his heart — cinema, science, and sports,” said the statement.
It added, “His childhood home in Rajiv Nagar, Patna will be turned into a memorial. We will put his personal memorabilia and belongings there, that include thousands of books, his telescope, flight-simulator, etc, for his fans and admirers. From now on we intend to maintain his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page as legacy accounts to keep his memories alive.”
A moving statement from #SushantSinghRajput‘s family on the late actor’s legacy.#SushantSinghRajputFoundation pic.twitter.com/YrtEfwOQhb
— Silverscreen.in (@silverscreenin) June 27, 2020
Fans trended the hashtag ‘#SushantInOurHeartsForever’, while also demanding clarity on his death.
About 23 people including Mahesh Shetty, Mukesh Chabbra, and Rhea Chakraborty have been probed by the Mumbai police and a case has been filed by advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha against eight people including Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Salman Khan, and Ekta Kapoor under Sections 306, 109, 504 and 506 of IPC in a court in Muzaffarpur.
On Thursday morning, the Mumbai police confirmed that the cause of death has been identified as ‘asphyxia due to hanging’ after looking into the complete postmortem report.
Their “GoodBye” note suggest that they might be under pressure of something or somebody
Or not in a position to address anything🙏
But deeper investigation is needed#SushantInOurHeartsForever #SushantSinghRajputFoundation— Trishna Sharma (@Trishna82233652) June 27, 2020
Some goodbye are hard to digest..😭
This is amazingg thought by family to create Sushant Singh Rajput foundation 🙏 Though he is alive in our hearts n thoughts.. ♥️
we just want justice for him🙏#JusticeForSushantSinghRajput #SushantSinghRajputFoundation pic.twitter.com/ppwJW8oQXR— DIVYA🎭 (@_Simply_divya) June 27, 2020
On Thursday, Fox Star Studios announced that his upcoming and final film Dil Bechara will hit an OTT platform, directly, on July 24. The film will stream on Disney+ Hotstar VIP on July 24 for both subscribers and non-subscribers in memory of the late actor. Helmed by renowned casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Dil Bechara is the official remake of Hollywood romantic drama The Fault In Our Stars.
the movie will be available to all subscribers and non-subscribers.@sanjanasanghi96 @MukeshChhabraCC @arrahman @swastika24 @Sahilwalavaid #SaswataChatterjee #ShashankKhaitan @sonymusicindia @disneyplushsvip #SuprotimSengupta #AmitabhBhattacharya #SaifAliKhan pic.twitter.com/IVmRjj6TCJ
— Fox Star Hindi (@foxstarhindi) June 25, 2020
Read: Sushant Singh Rajput Obit: A Bollywood Star, ‘A Photon In A Double-Slit’
Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput: An Elegy For An Artist Lost
If you (or anyone you know) need assistance overcoming suicidal thoughts, here are a few helpline numbers.
Tamil Nadu:
State health department suicide helpline number: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre: 044-24640050
Andhra Pradesh:
Life Suicide Prevention Helpline: 78930-78930
Roshni Helplines: 9166202000/ 9127848584
Karnataka:
Sahai: 24-hour helpline numbers: 080- 65000111, 080-65000222
Kerala:
Maithri helpline: 0484-2540530
Chaithram helpline: 0484-2361161
Recommended
Telangana:
Telangana government suicide prevention toll-free no: 104
Roshni: 040-66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 – 27504682
Mumbai:
Hitguj helpline: 022-24131212
Aasra: +91 9820466726/022-27546669
Delhi:
Sumaitri: 011-23389090
Snehi: 011-65978181
Goa:
Cooj Mental Health Foundation: 0832- 2252525/+91 98225 62522
Jamshedpur:
Jeevan Suicide Prevention Helpline: 065-76453841/065-76555555
Hyderabad:
One Life: +91 7893078930
Makro Foundation – Suicide Prevention Helpdesk: 040-46004600
Kolkata:
Lifeline Foundation: 033-24637401/033-24637432