SHEKHAR SUMAN: WHAT HAPPENS IN BOLLYWOOD ISN’T NEPOTISM, IT’S GANGISM

Actor Shekhar Suman has demanded a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

During a press conference in Patna, Mr Suman reiterated all the theories floating around Sushant’s demise, bringing to fore angles of abetment to suicide, professional rivalry and mental depression.

He began by sharing how he related to Sushant’s father’s pain.

He said, “I too lost my son at the age of 11. Hence, I immediately felt his pain. Sushant had made a successful transition from TV to films. There was Shah Rukh Khan 30 years back, now it was a boy from Bihar who managed that. His very first film did 100-crore business, but he never got any acknowledgement or award. I’ve been told that this eventually took a toll on him.”

ACTOR ALLEGES MURDER

Mr Suman hinted that it might be a case of murder because someone as intelligent as Sushant Singh Rajput will never take such a step without leaving a suicide note.

He also said that with whatever information is available on the public domain, the suicide seems staged, and hence called for a CBI inquiry.

The actor remarked the kind of anger one can see on social media isn’t translating elsewhere, further questioning whether someone is controlling the coverage. Mr Suman also shared his two cents on the ongoing debate around nepotism in Bollywood. However, he had a different take.

The actor called it “gangism” and said, “Nepotism happens in government jobs where people help their family members supersede others. In Bollywood, there’s free entrepreneurship. Whoever brings money has all the rights to make films with their family, friends or anyone. What happens in Bollywood isn’t nepotism, it’s gangism. There’s a cartel, a syndicate, mafia… They control the industry and decide the fate of new talent. It’s a gang of vested interests so that their production houses grow.” Mr Suman concluded by saying that a cartel controls careers in Bollywood. “They oppress talent, bind them in contracts. Outsiders aren’t given any value in the first place. And when these outsiders become successful, the gang feels scared about its position. So the career of that talent is finished, or he/she is asked to become a part of their gang.

“If the talent agrees to become your yes-man, you’ll have to follow instructions. But if you rebel or refuse, you’ll have the same fate what happened with Sushant,” the actor said.

Sushant Singh Rajput died of suicide on June 14. Indian Express