Vidya Balan says ‘let Sushant Singh Rajput really rest in peace, no one can be blamed if someone decides to take their life’

Actor Vidya Balan, who will soon be seen in the upcoming film Shakuntala Devi, has said that speculating about why actor Sushant Singh Rajput took his life is unfair to him and his loved ones. Sushant died by suicide on June 14, at the age of 34. A debate around the treatment of outsiders in the film industry has been ignited in the aftermath of his demise.

“With Sushant Singh Rajput passing away, people who felt wronged, ignored, there was a sense of identification with him,” Vidya told CinemaExpress in an interview, attributing the outrage, in part, to the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. “Now the point is rightly or wrongly we do not know, because we do not know why he took the step he did. To show respect is to keep quiet. To speculate is... people can come up with all sorts of theories and that’s unfair to him more than anyone else, and his loved ones, who’re probably grieving.”

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She continued, “I’ve been through ups and downs and I’ve had all sorts of experiences in the industry. I am not saying nepotism does not exist, but I didn’t let that stand in my way. That said, everyone is different. It’s a tumultuous time and it really helps to talk to someone.”

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She said that the world is going through a tumultuous time and that perhaps now is the time that a ‘power structure’ is facing a reckoning. “But no one can be blamed if someone decides to take their own life,” she said. “Let him really rest in peace.”

On Tuesday, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had a heated Twitter exchange with actor Ranvir Shorey about the ‘insider-outsider’ debate, shortly after Kashyap reacted to actor Kangana Ranaut’s controversial interview, in which she blamed several people for driving Sushant to suicide.

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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