Rajkummar Rao remembers 'dearest' Sushant Singh Rajput on Kai Po Che anniversary

The cast and crew of the acclaimed drama Kai Po Che! celebrated the eighth anniversary of the film and remembered actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who made his Bollywood debut with the movie.

Directed by Abhishek Kapoor, the film released on February 22, 2013 and was based on author Chetan Bhagat's 2008 novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life.

Set in Gujarat, Kai Po Che! chronicles the story of three friends -- played by Rajput, Rajkummar Rao and Amit Sadh -- as they navigate their way through the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, the Godhra train burning in 2002 and the subsequent riots.

Kapoor said he is touched by the love the film continues to receive but is pained by the absence of Rajput, who was found dead in his Bandra apartment in June last year. The director called Rajput a "crown jewel", whose loss was unquantifiable.

Rajput made his foray into movies with Kai Po Che! after a successful career on TV with the hit show Pavitra Rishta.

The film propelled Rajput to stardom, as he went on to feature in Yash Raj Films' Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and Rajkumar Hirani's PK in 2014.

Later, he headlined blockbusters like the 2016 biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Nitesh Tiwari's Chhichhore and reunited with Kapoor for romantic-drama Kedarnath in 2018.

On his Instagram Story, Rao shared the poster of the film and said Kai Po Che! allowed the actor in him to grow and be "more empathetic".

Also read: Kai Po Che! turns 8: Abhishek Kapoor says this Sushant Singh Rajput scene assured him that they would 'fly together'

"As if it was yesterday when Sushant, Amit and I were shooting for the film. You are being missed my dearest @sushantsinghrajput," he wrote in the caption. Rao, too, had a career turnaround with Kai Po Che! and from there on he went on to feature in films like 2014's hit Queen and 2015 drama Aligarh.

Sadh re-shared Rao's Story on Instagram and wrote how celebrating the film's eighth anniversary was a bittersweet feeling. "Something we cherish for life... and some void..." he said.