Actor Sushant Singh Rajput's close friend Rohini Iyer, an influential Bollywood publicist, has shared an immensely long, detailed and honest - almost aggressively so - note about Mr Rajput. Ms Iyer writes that she was prompted to share her thoughts on Mr Rajput by the "fiction" she reads online instead of news. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at home in Mumbai on Sunday and police say it was suicide - since then social media has discussed little else, from why he died to why some celebs shared tributes to him to why others didn't. In her now-viral post, shared by many including by some celebrities, Rohini Iyer attempts to set the record straight about the man she called her best friend.
Some of the social media chatter about Sushant Singh Rajput has focused itself on public outpourings of grief from celebrities, one of whom - filmmaker Karan Johar, who produced Sushant Singh Rajput's last film Drive - wrote that he blamed himself for not having been in touch with the actor for a year. Rohini Iyer names no names but writes, "Firstly, he didn't give a f**k about fame or your opinions. He didn't care about these people who are busy posting about not being in touch with him. For the record, he didn't care about being in touch. He hated fake friends, phone calls and small talk."
There has also been speculation about a supposed boycott Sushant Singh Rajput allegedly faced from powerful production houses and that he felt shut out and isolated by the camps that Bollywood is notoriously run by. "He rejected your parties, you didn't shun him. He rejected your lobbies . He didn't need camps, he had his own kingdom. He was a fighter . He made his own place in the sun. He was an outsider and he never cared about being an insider," Rohini Iyer writes, explaining that Mr Rajput had a life beyond films. He didn't care about delivering 100 crore films or awards; in fact, Mr Rajput left an award show even before the one he was receiving was handed out because he was bored, Ms Iyer reveals.
Sushant Singh Rajput, an engineering student before he became an actor, was passionate about astrophysics and science. "He was a crazy genius. He read Sartre and Nietzsche , he studied astronomy and stoicism , he wrote poetry, played the guitar, wrote with his left and right hand. He cared about saving the planet, the world, about going to Mars, he invested in charities, in science projects and innovations that were beyond your comprehension. So please don't try to make sense of him or reduce his talent to serve your mere agenda," Rohini Iyer writes.
Sushant Singh Rajput was no ordinary star. "He rejected anything conventional as easily as he rejected godfathers and big ticket films that he didn't believe in. He didn't take calls of the high and mighty if he didn't want to. He didn't care about money. I've seen him return pay checks worth crores. If he wanted to switch his phone off and go farming or fishing, he would. He broke every rule and burnt bridges, just to light his way because frankly, my dear, he didn't give a d**n," Rohini Iyer writes.
She should know, Rohini Iyer explains, because the Kai Po Che! actor "barely had three friends that he really cared about. I was one of them and for that I will always be thankful."
Read Rohini Iyer's posts here:
Rohini Iyer was not at Sushant Singh Rajput's funeral, despite describing herself as one of the friends he cared about. In a previous post, she explained why:
After starring as the lead on the show Pavitra Rishta, Sushant Singh Rajput made his film debut in 2013's Kai Po Che!. His featured in films like Kedarnath, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Raabta and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! Mr Rajput was last seen in 2019's Chhichhore and Drive and had a film called Dil Bechara ready for release before the coronavirus lockdown hit.
(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.) Helplines: AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours) Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours) Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours) iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm) Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm - 8 pm)
