Sushant

It’s been more than a month and half, since that unsettling Sunday afternoon.

The news of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was beyond comprehension. Why would such a promising actor take his own life? His death rattled the consciousness of an average Indian movie goer. Most knew him as a promising and terrific actor. But in death, the whole world woke up to the fact that, that Sunday afternoon, a dreamer of impeccable talent in multiple fields, from cinema to physics, whose bucket list included visit to places like CERN, just left the world, rather coldly.

His death opened, Pandora’s box and from it flew, evils, existence of which, we the audience, tucked in our web of neutrality always choose to ignore. Being neutral always helps the predator, never the prey – why did we forget that?

Sushant’s death was re-confirmed to the masses within minutes, with pictures of his dead body circulating in social media, an inhumane and insensitive act, whoever started it. Even before the body went cold, his death was attributed to suicide due to depression. The following days saw a spike in articles on depression; the sheer number of such articles gave steady competition to Corona related articles. Timelines were flooded with offers on being a call away in case people wanted to “talk”. The fact that most people, discussed a topic like depression with such a sketchy and shallow understanding, is a matter to be dealt independently.

Then came the subject of nepotism. It gave a constructive platform to many who were victimized. The narrative progressed with stories of back stabbing, social isolation, paid adulation and award scripting. When more and more people started talking out, it became clear; how much of almost everything is fixed in this world. No wonder, we have been fed with absolute non-sense in the name of commercial Hindi cinema!

But then, the quality of commercial Hindi cinema has always been questionable. Once in an interview, Satyajit Ray, called the larger Indian audience as backward (intellectually), unsophisticated and exposed to commercial Hindi cinema. Commercial Hindi cinema is notorious for dishing out half-baked characters and stories; relying heavily on ornate presentation rather than layering or depth in content. This formula, however, gives high return on investment and has unfortunately, been emulated in regional cinema as well, collectively creating bouquet of sub-standard Cinema. To survive in such an industry, what one requires is commercial ruthlessness, which may or may not have anything to do with talent, creativity, ethics or morality. Sushant was part of this world. Yet actors like him are seen as a beacon of hope for change, someone capable of giving this field, quality future.  

The outrage over Sushant’s death, is because we, the audience, are ashamed. We are ashamed that our neutrality has been equated to being moronic. We are ashamed that, while he was alive, we didn’t question the unfairness of his world. We didn’t question the array of sub-standard movies meted out to us in the name of entertainment. We are ashamed that we lapped up bullying of talents in chat shows, eloquently served in sophisticated English, as humour. We are ashamed of listening to remixed and re-remixed howling that is called “songs” and yet never gather the courage, to report it inappropriate and demand for proper songs. We are ashamed of having ignored talents, beyond famous surnames and progeny. Seeking justice and answers in Sushant’s death is our way of seeking redemption to the mess we helped create.

Cinema is an engaging and powerful art form. It is designed to make an audience sit through a narrative of 90-180 minutes, at a stretch. During this period, we, surrender our senses and thoughts to the evolution of characters and depictions in the frame. The psychological impact, certain depictions have on our minds, especially the young ones, are far reaching. If the genre we encourage, is the one propagating vile objectification and illogical narration, supported by too many ornaments (like catchy songs, over the top action sequence, actors looking more like Victoria Secret Models or high end fashion), our sense of appreciation for this art form will take a drastic deterioration in the long run. It isn’t too late to step back and shun crass content.

The narrative on Sushant's death has changed to that of toxic relationship and deception. In a world that thrives on stories, it is hard to say, whether this is a story, to protect a few.  

Who killed Sushant? The correct answer, does have the potential to clean commercial Hindi cinema.