Stating that Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by suicide on Sunday, was boycotted and maligned, National Award-winning filmmaker Apurva Asrani took to Facebook to post a long and emotional post highlighting a nexus between the 'powerful and the press'.
"Many have woken up to feel bad for Sushant Singh Rajput after he took his life, but very few spoke for him during his struggle. And the more successful he got, the more he was boycotted, maligned," begins Apurva while thanking actor Manoj Bajpayee for taking a stand for Sushant. "Thankgod for gracious men like Manoj Bajpayee who spoke for him when it mattered. This is the same Manoj Bajpayee who stood by me in 2017 when I was discredited from my work, slandered in the press and suffered a complete breakdown. I have no ill will today, but I must point out that I suffered at the hands of 'outsiders', not nepotism. This system is messed up."
Stressing on the fact that the system outcasts anyone who dares to be outspoken, the writer of films like Aligarh and Simran adds, "There are many talented filmmakers and actors who are not getting their due because a nexus between the powerful and the press exists. If you are someone who dares to be outspoken, if you don't suck up, then your achievements will be ignored; in film reviews and at award ceremonies. Many talented people give up the struggle, which is why mediocrity prevails. The ones that feel too much, and this should be an asset in the arts, either become sick or take their own lives. Others, like me, move away. Some continue to do selective work, others start farms/hotels." The filmmaker recently moved to Goa.
"This is a system that becomes vindictive if you call a spade a spade. If you didn't like one of their films, they won't work with you again. If you reject a script written by a film critic, they can go from loving your work to hating it overnight. I once rejected the romantic overtures of a journalist and he has pulled all stops to bring me down since. The environment is toxic. The powerful feed on the passionate, the mediocre destroy the brilliant. By calling this nepotism, you are ignoring the elephant in the room," concludes Apurva.
On Sunday, the 34-year-old actor was found hanging in his Bandra residence on Sunday morning and as per the reports, he battling depression over the past few months.
After starting his career with television, where he gave an award-winning performance in soap opera Pavitra Rishta, Sushant made his Bollywood debut with Kai Po Che! (2013). The actor was last seen in Chhichhore (2019) but the one performance with which he touched millions of hearts was when he played the titular role in biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). His latest film, Dil Bechara, Hindi adaptation of John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars, was slated for May 8, 2020 release and according to reports, there were talks that the movie would release online.
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