I had a 4-month long vacation. I would’ve done so much but there are very few days/experiences that I can immaculately recall. One such experience was on 14th June, 2020, probably the murkiest day of that summer for me. I was watching a video about Robin Williams (The irony of it all) when my sister came in and said, “Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide”. I was riveted to that chair for a good 5 minutes, unable to fathom what the hell just happened. “Why him? Why him” was the question resonating in my head. Writing this article truly made me emotional, but I have done what I can to present the legacy that this man left behind in ephemeral. For the record, I am not going to give impetus to any conspiracy theory that revolves around him as I want to dedicate this article solely to the achievements and the impeccable intellect of this man. 

Sushant Singh Rajput was like many, a small-town boy but unlike many, he truly made it big! It was all thanks to the sheer grit and talent that he possessed. In engineering entrance exams, that are performed by hundreds of thousands of students across India, one would celebrate if they secure an All India Rank of 1000. I mean, isn’t it a big achievement that out of 100,000 students, you make it to the top 1% Well, what if I told you that Sushant Singh Rajput secured an All India Rank of, brace yourselves, 7. Yes, a rank of 7. Unbelievable, isn’t it? He was a science enthusiast. His body language, his analogies revolved so much around science and psychology. For instance, in an interview with Devansh Patel, he compared the brilliance of renowned Indian Filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj etc. to a car. He said that when little parts are looked upon, you want to improve those and then all your bigger intrinsic parts like the engine, doors etc. get better. What he tried to articulate was that these big directors have their proclivity towards nuances that may go unnoticed. I was awestruck by the symbolism he used to percolate his point for the audiences watching. I realised that this man is much much more than just his craft. 

He boasts a wide gamut of experiences. He was part of a zealous Hritik Roshan performance as a background dancer, became a household name as ‘Manav’ on TV, left us bawling with a 20-minute role in the movie PK, hit the winning shot, both literally and metaphorically, as Former Indian Cricket Captain MS Dhoni (a performance lauded by Amitabh Bachchan) and his parallel of a free-spirited college student and a vulnerable father in Chhichhore. It’s phenomenal that he was able to deliver a reservoir of distinct emotions when he said in an interview that he was unable to speak confidently until he was 18 and that he was often seen as a “boring” talker.

A distinct quality of his craft, according to one of his contemporaries, was that he would go “Daniel Day-Lewis” for a role. He was known for the amount of work that he put into his craft. From practising cricket for more than 150 days to portray MS Dhoni to learning sword fighting for the film Raabta, to taking a 7-month workshop for a film Paani (that never reached completion) et cetera. Also, who can forget his dance routine in his final film “Dil Bechara”, taken in a single shot. The best part though was that he loved his craft so much that he remained humble and perceived the hard work as mere exercises to integrate himself into the character completely. In an interview with renowned film analyst Anupama Chopra, he said,”If I like the script, I don’t mind even playing the 3rd lead if it’s offered”. He didn’t care about fame or success, rather he focused on what he can learn and what he can give. Well, he certainly gave a lot, as an actor, humanitarian and philosopher. He’s left a void that can never be filled, but he’s also left us an era that will be cherished by millions of his fans, for eternity.