Sushant Singh Rajput’s family releases statement, to set up foundation to support young talent

Singh Rajput’s family has issued a statement saying that it has decided to set up the Sushant Singh Rajput Foundation (SSRF) to honour his legacy and support young talents in areas close to his heart — cinema, science and sports.

The statement begins with, “Good bye Sushant!” It further read, “The world’s Sushant Singh Rajput was simply Gulshan to us. He was free-spirited, talkative and incredibly bright. He was curious about just everything. He dreamed without restraints, and chased those dreams with the heart of a lion. He smiled generously. He was the pride and inspiration of the family. His telescope was his most prized possession, through which he fondly gazed at the stars.”

“We can’t bring ourselves to accept that we wouldn’t get to hear his easy laughs anymore. That we wouldn’t see his sparkling eyes again. That we wouldn’t hear his endless rants about science again. His loss has created a permanent, glaring void in the family that will never be filled,” the family added.

The family has said that the actor “truly loved and cherished every single one of his fans” and hence it will set up a foundation in his name. His childhood home in Rajiv Nagar, Patna will be turned into a memorial which will have his personal memorabilia and belongings including thousands of his books, his telescope, flight-simulator etc, for his fans and admirers.

“From now on, we intend to maintain his lnstagram, Twitter and Facebook page as legacy accounts to keep his memories alive,” the family said. An email ID - ssrliveson@gmail.com has also been shared for any enquiries regarding the foundation.

Sushant died on June 14 by suicide at his Bandra home. His last movie Dil Bechara is getting a release on Disney+ Hotstar on July 24. With an aim to honour the legacy of the actor, the streaming platform is making the movie available to even non-subscribers. Billed as a soulful love story, Dil Bechara marks the directorial debut of casting director and Rajput’s industry friend Mukesh Chhabra. It is the official remake of 2014 Hollywood romantic drama The Fault in Our Stars, which was based on John Green’s popular novel of the same name. Dil Bechara will see Rajput in a leading role alongside debutante Sanjana Sanghi, and Saif Ali Khan in a cameo.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918

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