SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT:
IN OUR MOVIE INDUSTRY, SUCCESS IS REALLY OVERRATED
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput says he has “no point to prove”; adds that his niece thought he was lying about his shoot with supermodel Kendall Jenner.
He speaks his mind fearlessly, isn’t looking to fit into the archetypal mould of a Bollywood hero, and is treading his own path.
Still, Sushant Singh Rajput, who started his Bollywood career just four years ago, has created a niche for himself.
“Success is very subjective,” says the actor, as he talks about life, career, his new film Raabta, and his journey so far. You completed four years in the industry this February.
Has the journey been eventful or more of a learning experience?
Experience is all that I work for. I crave for new experiences that are not diluted by any worries for the future. So, my four years of working in the industry have largely made me two things — one, totally fearless about the consequences [of a film], and second, genuinely excited about my work.
Do you ever feel you ought to deliver hits at the box office to be called a successful and good actor?
I know that I am a good actor. So the idea is not to prove anything, but just to reinvent and improve myself, and have fun in the process. As far as being successful is concerned, that’s very subjective. I was successful the day I started working.
Recent stories about your run-in with a scribe and then an alleged squabble with fans led to reports describing your behaviour as ‘highhanded’ Does it upset you?
Honestly, it does affect me. To admit to not having an opinion due to lack of information is an honest and a graceful thing to say, and it should be acknowledged that way. But these days, all they [media] want are talking points.
After the big success of the MS Dhoni biopic, are you feeling any pressure vis-à-vis Raabta’s box office performance?
Everyone wants their films to do well, so, I also want that. But there is no point to prove, goals to reach, or reputation to hold on to. In our industry, success is really overrated, as there are only a handful of films every year that we can be genuinely proud of.
But [box office] failures are under-appreciated even when they help us decipher what we did wrong, and help us try to make better films [in the future]. Nepotism has been a hot topic of late.
Since you are also an outsider to the industry, do you see it happening around you?
Nepotism is just not about outsiders finding it hard to score films and insiders getting projects easily. It is also about how your successes and failures are perceived and magnified. In that way, it exists and anyone saying that it doesn’t has to be blind or really powerful. But I have no complaints, and I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.