Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s Sonchiriya co-star Ranvir Shorey has slammed nepotism culture in Bollywood by sharing a story from an awards show. Sushant died by suicide on Sunday, at the age of 34. Much has been said about how unfairly he was treated by the film industry, as an outsider.
“This actually unfolded on a popular Bollywood awards show,” Ranvir wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “A star kid is co-hosting the show. They announce the next category - Best Actor. The nominees are played out, and the star kid is one of the nominees. Surprise-surprise! To present the award, the hosts invite two esteemed film personalities, who happen to be the star kid’s parents. What a sweet coincidence! The presenters open the envelope and announce the winner to be - drumroll please! - the star kid, of course! What a Kodak family moment! The star kid walks from the host’s dias to accept the award and makes a short thank you speech and heads back to hosting the rest of the show like business as usual. This is how mainstream Bollywood is a family. - The End -”
On June 15, Ranvir had tweeted, “It wouldn’t be fair to blame someone for a step that he took himself. He was playing a high stakes game, where it’s win or lose it all. But something has to be said about the self appointed ‘gatekeepers of Bollywood’. Something has to be said about the games they play, and their two facedness. Something has to be said about the power they wield with zero accountability. The power they derive from having inherited privilege in the business and the mainstream media sitting in their lap. The power to decide who will be a ‘star’ and who will be left out in the cold. But of course, the coterie that owns the only high stakes table in the casino will never be questioned, because everyone is too busy enjoying the game. Even if they know it’s fixed.”
{{/usCountry}}On June 15, Ranvir had tweeted, “It wouldn’t be fair to blame someone for a step that he took himself. He was playing a high stakes game, where it’s win or lose it all. But something has to be said about the self appointed ‘gatekeepers of Bollywood’. Something has to be said about the games they play, and their two facedness. Something has to be said about the power they wield with zero accountability. The power they derive from having inherited privilege in the business and the mainstream media sitting in their lap. The power to decide who will be a ‘star’ and who will be left out in the cold. But of course, the coterie that owns the only high stakes table in the casino will never be questioned, because everyone is too busy enjoying the game. Even if they know it’s fixed.”
{{/usCountry}}Ranvir was present at Sushant’s funeral on Monday, which was attended by the likes of Shraddha Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Kapoor and others. Bollywood personalities such as Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt have been criticised on social media for condoling his death, after allegedly having mocked Sushant in the past.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur had tweeted after his demise: “I knew the pain you were going through. I knew the story of the people that let you down so bad that you would weep on my shoulder…” Kangana Ranaut shared an angry video, in which she said that the late actor was not given his due as he was an outsider, and was constantly told that he was ‘worthless’.
Meanwhile, actor Saif Ali Khan said that the film industry is famously competitive and the pretence of caring for Sushant was an ‘insult’ to him. “I mean, we don’t care about anybody. You know, it’s a very cutthroat line of work. But to pretend that you do care is like the ultimate hypocrisy and I think that’s an insult to the dead, you know, it’s an insult to the soul that’s gone,” he said in an interview to The Times of India.
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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