"I never thought I'll ever be writing all this for you brother," wrote actor Mahesh Shetty, Sushant Singh Rajput's friend of 13 years. "They met as brothers", he said. Mr Shetty, who co-starred with Sushant in Balaiji TV show Pavitra Rishta, shared a heart-wrenching note, a part of which is his way of reliving the most cherished memories with his "brother" Sushant, and the other half is his moving tribute to Sushant's legacy as an actor. Mahesh Shetty also shared a long list of complaints that he has against Sushant for leaving so suddenly. After Sushant Singh Rajput's death on Sunday, his friend Mahesh Shetty had asked for privacy on social media to mourn Sushant in peace.
Describing the bond he shared with the late actor, Mahesh Shetty wrote: "It's a strange feeling. I have so much to say yet I'm speechless. Sometimes in life, you meet someone and feel an instant connection as if you've known him all your life and you realise that you don't have to be born from the same womb to be brothers. This is how we met... We met as brothers."
Mahesh Shetty added that his friendship with Sushant never felt the need for "public validation" and did not thrive on "public display of affection": "We shared a unique bond and I was always glad that our relationship never needed any public display of affection or a public validation. It was sacred for both of us. How I wish I had captured it all in a lot more pictures so at least I have had something to look back at now. But still, I'm thankful, at least I have the last 13 years' journey filled with memories to cherish and hold on to for the rest of my life."
Mahesh Shetty gave us insights into Sushant Singh Rajput's life as a fellow introvert, who "could talk about anything under the sun with equal conviction" and "was always a perfectionist". "He made me feel loved," wrote Mahesh.
Mahesh Shetty's final few words for Sushant are emotional: "Here we were planning on our retirement farming dreams and now this. I somehow always knew that you were the blessed one. But never expected that he'd take you away so soon. I'll always behold your legacy to heart and wouldn't want it to go waste. I wish the world celebrates your life as much as your work. Feel as if there is a sudden void which will never be filled again. For every important event of our lives, we were always there for each other. How do you even explain if you suddenly lose a piece of your heart? How do you convince yourself to live with all the whys, all the other hundreds of questions and what-ifs?"
"I'm sorry but I'll always hold so many grudges now. How I wish you would have opened up your heart completely. You knew that Shetty hai aur tere saath humesha rahega. Then why? Baat to kar leta yaar! How I really wish that call would have come through... Life can never be the same! I know how much you loved the stars... Dharti Maa Ki Kasam, I'll be looking out for you every night brother," he wrote.
Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide, say the police, who are carrying out an investigation. He was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14.
Mahesh Shetty, who shared a black and white memory as the cover for his pages long send-off note to Sushant, captioned it in these words: "So much has been left unanswered and there's so much more left to talk. I'll tell you all about it, when I see you again" - the last bit of his caption is lyrics of the song See You Again, released as a tribute to Hollywood star Paul Walker, who died in a car accident.
On the day of Sushant's death, Mahesh Shetty's team released this statement: "As we are all deeply pained and shocked to hear about Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely demise, so is Mahesh Shetty. He has lost a brother, a very dear friend and is still coming to terms with the shock and reality and is completely heartbroken. We, his team, request the media and all of you, on his behalf, to please give him some privacy and let him grieve for his loss."
Sushant Singh Rajput became a star after featuring in the popular TV soap Pavitra Rishta. His impressive filmography included hits as well critically acclaimed films like MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kedarnath, Chhichhore and Sonchiriya among others. Sushant's last project was the 2019 Netflix film Drive.
