New Delhi: Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who is currently gearing up for the release of his film ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’, spoke about Sushant Singh Rajput and nepotism in a recent interview. He said that Sushant was not able to ‘handle the politics of becoming a star.’
In an interview with Aaj Tak, the actor spoke about nepotism and how he was never affected by it as star kids would not do the kind of films he does. “Nawaz karega, Irrfan hota toh woh karta ya Kaykay Menon karega. These are not commercial films so nobody focuses on them or even puts their money on them. I must thus add that you cannot make this an excuse all the time. Don’t waste your energy. Do theatre, if you are a good actor, you can even earn money by performing on the street,” he said in Hindi.
When asked about the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, he said, “We really became close and he had so much love for me. I would often cook mutton on set and he would always come by to eat. We never knew he would take such a drastic step but he had opened up about his challenges to me. Industry mein politics humesha hota hai but it gets dirtier as you climb the ladder of success. I never had an issue as I was stubborn and thick-skinned. He wasn’t and thus could not manage the pressure. He had spoken to me about being worried about these things as it affected him.”
He also said that the career trajectory Sushant chose for himself was full of politics and competition. “If you want to be a Manoj Bajpayee, there is no politics. But he wanted to be a star and there’s too much competition there. Anyone who enters the field to be a star would try their best to clinch that position. However, he couldn’t bear the same. I have realised that he was a pure soul and andar se baccha tha (was a kid at heart). He could not understand the manipulation that was needed, he told Aaj Tak.
Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his house in June 2020.