Pooja Bhatt on Asif Basra’s death by suicide: ‘The ones that smile the most often feel the most, pain included’

Pooja Bhatt and Divya Dutta spoke on actor Asif Basra’s death by suicide, saying that we as a society need to address mental health issues.

Actor Asif Basra’s death has left his colleagues in the film in shock. The actor died by suicide in Dharamshala on Thursday. “The ones that smile the most often feel the most.. pain included. Shine on wherever you are Asif Basra.. and illuminate our path through these trying times and beyond #AsifBasra,” wrote Pooja Bhatt.

Asif Basra died by suicide on Thursday.

Actor Divya Dutta, who worked with Asif Basra in Hostages, said, “We, as a society, should contemplate how somebody who looks so happy and content with life, could be going through a lot deep inside. It’s scary and we need to address it. Nobody could figure there was something bothering him, everyone would look at him and say, hey, he is so sorted. God bless his soul.”

Hostages director Sachin Mamta Krishn also remembered how the actor changed the vibe as he walked on the sets. “He was that one person we all would find the most affable on set. He was so jovial that whenever he’d walk on to a set, the whole vibe would change. He brought in so much goodness. It’s tragic,” Krishn told PTI.

Filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra, who directed Basra in 2018 film Hichki, said the actor had told him that Dharamshala was his go-to place for peace. “I’m baffled. He was not an anti-life person. He was full of energy and life. Dharamshala was his go to place, he would love to go there and chill and be himself. He had said he would go there every year as he found peace there. He was a very intelligent, positive and happy person. He was content with work,” Malhotra said.

Filmmaker Feroz Abbas Khan, who worked with Basra in a play Mahatma vs Gandhi, said he is stunned by Basra’s sudden demise. “I have known him at early stage of his career, he worked with me on my play Mahatma vs Gandhi. I met him at Prithvi Theatre couple of months ago. He seemed the least likely to do something like this, (but) we don’t know the darkness in the heart,” Khan told PTI. According to Khan, Basra is survived by his parents and sister, who live in suburban Mumbai.

In a statement to ANI, SSP Kangra Vimukt Ranjan confirmed, “Film actor Asif Basra was found hanging in a private complex in Dharamshala. Forensic team is at the spot and police is investigating the matter.”