Films inspired by Sushant Singh Rajput tragedy receive backlash

How soon is too soon to make a film on a grave tragedy?

The sad demise of Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14 has not only started a conversation about mental health in Bollywood but also kicked up many controversies, with many attributing it to the hard time that outsiders have in the close-knit film industry.
Now, just within a month of his death, two films inspired by the late actor have already been announced, one of them starring TikTok star Sachin Tiwari, who had become a rage on social media for his uncanny resemblance to Rajput. This, again, has ignited the question of whether Bollywood really wants to celebrate his life or just milk an opportunity.

Film-maker Hansal Mehta, who has directed real-life inspired films such as Shahid (2013), Aligarh (2015) and Omerta (2018), says that ultimately, everything depends on the intent behind the film. “When you make a film on a true story, it’s always about the intention of the film-maker. If the intent is to let the world know of the actual story, then it’s a different thing. But if it’s to simply capitalise on something that’s topical, I think that’s not ethical,” Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.

However, film-maker Anant Mahadevan feels that timing here is totally off and that people only want to cash in on Rajput’s tragedy. “Film-makers have a habit of exploiting current topics and real-life situations. We saw how so many films were announced after the 26/11 attacks! A certain film-maker even visited the location just a few days after the tragedy struck. That’s not what honest cinema is all about.”

Referring to the films on Rajput in particular, Mahadevan questioned their resolution. “The matter is not resolved yet and there is a lot of public sentiment involved. How are they going to take it forward? Whatever they do will not be a truthful account because the investigation is still going on,” he explained.

Calling it “not a legit move,” director Anurag Basu added that a film inspired by Rajput’s life is way too suggestive. “Since his death, everybody has been gossiping. So, this is an extension of that. That’s what has been happening… log consume kar rahe hain. We can’t say what the film is about as nobody knows Sushant’s story other than his parents and near ones,” he opined.

In such a situation, family consent is paramount. Otherwise, it could be illegal, shared film-maker Ram Kamal Mukherjee. “As far as the sensitivity of the subject is concerned, by speculating on whether Sushant was killed or committed suicide… basically you’re harping on sensationalism and simply trying to attract eyeballs. Lot of people tried to do that after the deaths of Sridevi and Divya Bharti too,” he said.

Director Vivek Agnihotri refused to even dignify the project with a response and guaranteed that “this film will never even be made. It looks shady.” On the other hand, Vijay Shekhar Gupta, the producer of Suicide or Murder: A Star Was Lost, disagreed.
“If I wanted to cash in on a popular subject for fame, I’d have made a film on Shaheen Bagh or the Anti-CAA protests. This is a comment on the film industry and how it treats outsiders and drives them to suicide. First, we saw Jiah Khan and now, Sushant. I want to show the world the dark side of the Hindi film industry and how it functions,” he stated.

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