Sushant Singh Rajput’s journey from being a guy with stars in his eyes to becoming one of the biggest names on television and from there to take a big leap at the movies and have a successful run at the box-office was commendable. The actor however took a drastic step and claimed his life.
The actor was always a treat to interview and his insights on movies and the process of filmmaking was inspirational. We met the actor on several occasions and he always treated us with his great smile and infectious energy. Little did we know that the smile had a lot of pain and sorrow hidden.
At one such meeting of Filmfare with the actor, post the success of MS Dhoni in 2016, Sushant Singh Rajput got talking to us about his dreams and aspirations to turn a producer. He wanted to back and support unique concepts and scripts which are finding it difficult to get financial support. In one such meeting of ours with the actor in 2016 he spoke about his new plan. He said, “After a point what happens is the kind of money you need until and unless you are thinking you are getting psychological security but you are not getting actually. After a point when you can do everything every day that you want to do money loses its relevance in your head. You don’t know what to do with it. So my idea is if money is flowing from irrelevance to relevance is always a very good idea.” He further added that coming from a middle-class background money issue was quite a common issue in his house, “When I was growing up when I had a big family and I wanted to go somewhere to study in some university and I could not go because we didn’t have that much money. I was like I cannot do something right now that I really want to do because of something that I cannot possibly earn at this point of time. This is not a fair world. So money is very important for people who don’t have it. But once you have it there is a threshold after that it… then it becomes relevant only when it flows from I don’t need it, you need it and I will see whether I want to back your film or not. It should resonate.”
Speaking further about his new plan to turn a producer, Sushant had a spark in his eyes to explain his new venture and why he wanted to take this step. “I will see that, I will give you money to make that film, also probably have a kind of setup that can probably make some money if it doesn’t, I don’t give a fuck. Ten years back if I needed money, if I could myself money ten years back I would be like wow because in ten years I will get this kind of money but that was very important at that point of time, you need to realize that. So I’m just screening out probably the best film I can find and those people don’t have money to make it. It has nothing to do with oh I want to be the torchbearer and good films should be made. Make shitty films I don’t care a fuck, I swear. It has nothing to do with that. I enjoy reading scripts. So I’m getting excited reading the scripts and then I’m like ok, I don’t need this, you can take it, make your film and probably I will have a set up in which we secure money or make profit. Then I will watch those films. That is excitement for me. I’m just a conversion machine from money to excitement.”
The actor loved acting and the entire process of movie making. While making it big in the show business, getting his name known and loved by so many, there are some dreams of the actor that are left unfulfilled. He wanted to encourage young talent and unique content. However he left us too soon, leaving his dreams behind and a void that will never be filled.