Kushal Tandon on Sushant Singh Rajput’s death: ‘I want to tell people that there’s nothing more than your life’

A homebody, actor Kushal Tandon says the lockdown has not been as tough on him as many. The actor, who coincidentally did a film titled Unlock, holds forth on his work, the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the entertainment industry.Excerpts:

What’s the concept behind your Zee 5 film Unlock?

The film revolves around the dark web and talks about an app which fulfils three wishes of a person but also makes the user pay a heavy price in return.

You had been against TikTok and had often slammed the app on social media. It has now been banned.

The guy who made TikTok said it’s for people who are doing nothing. I didn’t know India had so many people like that. I know there are a lot of things which cannot be banned, like Chinese cellphones, but you can cut the use of what is not necessary. The least we could do was not using TikTok and giving revenue to China.

You must be aware of the insider-outsider debate in the industry. Have you ever felt it was tough for you as an outsider in the TV industry?

I won Mr India in 2005 and then I was modelling for 3-4 years. I went to New York for an acting course and when I came back, I got my first show Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai and since then, things just happened. I did reality shows like Bigg Boss, Nach Baliye, Fear Factor and everything else is in front of you. I haven’t faced an issue for being an outsider.

I am doing Bebaakee right now for Ekta Kapoor and got the film Unlock as well. I don’t do too much work and am comfortable in my space. I try to take less but nice work.

How did the lockdown treat you?

Lockdown didn’t affect me because I am not the kind of guy who goes out much. Besides shooting or some work, I just stay at home. I don’t party. For me nothing was different other than that I couldn’t go out at all and meet my people. As soon as the flights started, I flew to my hometown Lucknow to be with my family.

Also read: Rhea Chakraborty replies to troll who gave her death, rape threats after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death: ‘Enough is enough’

You lost your close friend Kushal Punjabi to suicide and the country is still grieving over the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. How have you been dealing with the loss?

I am just getting out of Sushant’s news. It’s very sad and disheartening, there is a void in your gut. I don’t know what was going in his mind, may he rest in peace. You just don’t know what’s going on in a person’s mind. I want to tell people that there’s nothing more than your life. You free yourself from pain but you are giving pain to people who are left behind.

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