Disgusting that Sushant’s death is being used for ulterior motives: Swara Bhasker

Actor Swara Bhasker talks about how “we must give Sushant dignity in his death and celebrate his life.” She adds that we should have difficult conversations but in a civilised manner.

While after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, the discussions about nepotism and insiders-outsiders in Bollywood have sparked an outrage, a video, where actor Swara Bhasker is seen asking filmmaker Karan Johar about nepotism has gone viral. “We should have difficult conversations but there is a civilised way to do it. Right now, things are being said, and people are being blamed but Karan being vilified is unnecessary. I don’t think Karan, Alia (Bhatt), Sonam (Kapoor) had anything to do with what happened with Sushant’s career. It’s not a fair accusation,” says the Veere Di Wedding (2018) actor, adding, “In the video, one can see that Karan is accepting that he might have chosen people who were right in front of him and things should change. I would like to give him credit for engaging with the issue. But the way things have happened was quite sad. It’s disgusting that Sushant’s death is being used for ulterior motives by some people. We must give Sushant dignity in his death and celebrate his life. He was a tremendous artiste.”

Swara is thrilled that her recent web show, Rasbhari, has got a positive response, (Photo: Instagram/reallyswara)

While she has made her mark in films with films like Nil Batte Sannata (2016), Anaarkali of Aarah (2017), Veere Di Wedding (2018) among others, Bhasker has also been vocal about a number of political issues. Ask her if her political ideologies and stand affects her career and vice-versa. She says, “If you are a woman, and a woman in a public sphere, you will be trolled for some or the other reason. I can’t control what is offered to me. Of course, in every actor’s career, there are movies that didn’t turn out or perform as expected. I might not have got my due in the industry but I am grateful that people respect my voice and that I have an identity and credibility as a person. After ten years in the industry, I could have done more work, yet I feel proud of my body of work.”

Bhasker is thrilled that her recent web show, Rasbhari, has got a positive response, “along with some trolling too”. She says, “Most people get that the show is not about sex but looking at a deeper issue, which is adolescent sexuality in a repressed society, and of the fear that our society has of female sexuality. That’s why it tries to vilify that. All the risque roles that I have done - be it Anaarkali of Aarah (2017), Veere Di Wedding (2018)- we have discussed a larger picture. It shows the reality of society. Like in Rasbhari, my character, Shanoo, a teacher is teaching the adolescent student that women are humans first. In the first few episodes, the boys look at her as a sexual object but once he gets to know her, he sees her a person, and doesn’t objectify her. She teaches him about respect, honesty and consent.”