Loss of a Diamond in a Coal Mine: Sushant Singh Rajput

 Sushant Singh Rajput

“I’m a trained engineer, so I’m conditioned to come up with a right answer to a difficult question, but when it comes to art, there is no definite answer because it’s so subjective.”

Talented young actor Sushant Singh Rajput is now no more with us. The boy from Patna who left a career in Engineering to pursue acting, will be around no more to give his fans glimpses of his mind, his art and his passions. No more to delight us with his wonderful films, the kind not seen in Bollywood frequently.

Like a diamond in a coal mine, he shone brighter than his contemporaries in his choice of films – marvellous performances, often intellectual, often diverse and different from each other.

As a star, he was different too. Unlike many others, he was down to earth, always communicating and motivating his fans through his tweets and posts. An avid reader and lover of literature, he was a unique celebrity who preferred to talk about topics like the Universe, environment, science, technology, philosophy and education rather than just promoting his films and brands. His acting skills and his fame spoke for themselves.

He was a dreamer. He himself had some dreams of his own – to fly a plane, to teach children dance, and to learn Polynesian Astronomy i.e. Astronomy through which you can cross the whole Pacific Ocean only by gazing at the stars. He always believed in learning new things in life, no matter how old you are.

Age. People say that for loving someone, age doesn’t matter. Likewise, I think for educating yourself, for learning new things in life, for exploring the world, age doesn’t matter. Technology has gone so far that you, sitting at one corner of the world can know anything about the other corner of the world. It’s like you just have to keep moving, even if you walk slowly it doesn’t matter. What matters is that atleast you are walking instead of standing.

The person who taught us all this, always seemed jolly in his interviews, but who could have known how much pain he was hiding behind that smile? Because reality is never what it seems to be. It is very hard to believe that he has left us. From the small screen to the big screen or say from an outsider (not a star kid) to the big screen is a struggle which we might not be able to understand. The struggle of an outsider to become a star and the public’s favourite is huge. Though, he never believed in this ideology of big and small screen. He always said, “For an actor the character and the acting is important not the screen.”

His effortless acting started from a small TV show “Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil” (2008), a romantic drama in which he got a side role. He came into the limelight through the drama “Pavitra Rishta”  (2009). He made his Bollywood debut in “Kai Po Che” (2013) and won the hearts of the public. He truly became a star with the film “MS Dhoni : The Untold Story” (2016). Everyone started talking about his brilliant acting in this film and how it moved everyone’s heart. I still remember watching it with my mother, who at the end of the movie said, “Ye ladka bahut aage jayega” (This boy will go very far).

But, unfortunately who would have known that his journey was not to be as long as we were thinking it would be? In his film “Chhichhore” (2019), a film about life struggles, he himself told everyone through his character that suicide is not an option for your problems. Sad that his life could not have a fairer ending.

Death has always been shocking to us. Be it natural or unnatural because we do not believe that our loved ones can leave us in any way. We always think that they will be with us forever. But, the reality is that there is no forever, atleast not in this world. We fight with our loved ones in our minds and hearts in the hope that they will always come back to us. But death is something else – if once a person is gone, he or she is gone, forever. Here the surety of not coming back is true. The person has left us, forever. But he still lives in the legacy he leaves us with, his thoughts, dreams, philosophies and his art will always stay with us to remember him. He inspired me and showed me that it is possible to be a reader and enjoy art and literature even if you are a student of science.

Sushant Singh Rajput was one in a million. A person who cannot simply be described with words. Inspite of being a star, he had utter humility. A person like him, more precious than a pearl, will always remain in our hearts.

You are irreplaceable. May you rest in peace, Sir.

“I like to fly, and my dreams like to fly.”  – Sushant Singh Rajput, (1986-2020)

Ramsha Sartaj is a student of Class 12 at the Aligarh Muslim University. An aspiring writer, her interests include socio-political issues, art, literature and film, and sports.


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