Manoj Bajpayee Supports Public Anger over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death: It becomes very Important for us to Answer those questions!

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has shocked the entire film industry and his fans as well. He reportedly passed away due to suicide after hanging himself to death in his room at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai. The 34-year-old actor was first seen in Kai Po Che, and he went on to make a mark for himself in the industry. He not only became one of the most talented actors in the industry, but he was also loved by millions for the kind of person he was.

Sushant had received blessings and praise from several Bollywood’s greatest actors and one of them was Sonchiriya co-star Manoj Bajpayee. He acknowledged SSR for breaking away from conventions.

As the untimely death has left the entire nation numbed, netizens were taken aback by the release of his upcoming film’s trailer - Dil Bechara. Meanwhile, fans were left in tears to watch their favourite actor on-screen. 

After working with Sushant, Manoj talked to ZoomTV about the questions of partiality being raised against Bollywood. He highlighted that when celebrities consider the people’s praises of them valid, their criticisms should also be heard.

“If the anger is directed towards you, I have to ask the question, right?! When I say that people are right when they are making my film a hit, when the same people are asking me questions, it becomes very important for us to answer those questions. This is (something) what the government also does,” he said.

Sushant’s death has spared a debate on Bollywood’s unfair treatment of outsiders and partiality towards star kids and insiders. While some believe it was ‘Lack of Work’ which drove Sushant to adopt such a radical step; fans and netizens have raised their voices against injustice, nepotism and bullying in the industry. Several fans have even demanded to boycott star kids’ and their supporters’ films.

In a previous interview with Pinkvilla, Manoj had talked about Sushant, and mentioned that the late actor had achieved more than he ever could at 34.

He said, “All of us have our highs and lows and emotions. Sushant was no different. I don’t think I am as talented as that. I don’t think I am as intelligent and as bright as he used to be. I don’t think I had achieved anything till the age of 34, what he achieved, as compared to his achievements. I feel that my achievements are very very small. That is how I remember him. I don’t remember him not only as a good human being.”

Manoj Bajpayee also talked about nepotism in his interview with WION and said, “Let me start with this, the world is not fair. I have been saying this since 20 years that as an industry we celebrate mediocrity. Forget about industry, as a nation we celebrate mediocrity. Something is lacking somewhere -- in our thought process, our value system. When we see talent, we immediately want to ignore or push it away. This is the value system of ours which is so deplorable.”

For the uninitiated, Actor Sushant Singh Rajput started off his career with television and made a name for himself through romantic drama Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil (2008), followed by a starring role in Zee TV's popular soap opera Pavitra Rishta (2009–11).

In a career span of 12 years, Sushant made his Bollywood debut in 2013 without any filmy name or any support. He went on to create a niche for himself with Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che! (2013). Later he went on to star in some of the best films including, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015), Sonchiriya (2019), Chhichhore (2019) and many more.