I can’t sell my points of view based on someone’s demise: Swastika
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has stirred up a number of conversations surrounding nepotism and favouritism in the film industry. Actor Swastika Mukherjee is hopeful that things will change now, but she feels that some people are going overboard and have forgotten about Rajput’s
Love, competition, arguments and friends forever — the relationship between brothers and sisters are about all this and much more. From childhood fights to being each other’s best friend, it’s wonderful to grow up with siblings. Actors Mrunal Thakur, Radhika Madan and Mouni Roy agree, as they talk about their bond with their brothers, this Raksha Bandhan, and explain why this festival is important for them. A common sentiment they share is — there is no one like a brother!
As a kid, it was all about the gifts and money I got from my brother,
Arjun Madan. But when he went to
Toronto, Canada, for further studies, I realised the meaning of Raksha Bandhan. I always looked up to him and he always supported me in my career decisions. Each year, I choose the best rakhi and send it to him with gifts and sweets. Our ritual is to eat the first bite of food together on this day and we wait till the other person wakes up. This year, we will celebrate virtually and will tease each other on video call. I miss him a lot. grieving family.
“Right now, the situation is such that one runs the risk of being misinterpreted. But I’m still trying to understand, where are these paranormal conversations, assumptions and presumptions coming from?” she says.
Insisting that nepotism exists in every industry, Mukherjee, 39, asks, “Why does the hammer always fall on the entertainment industry? Why
Imay miss out on Diwali or
Dussehra, but never on Raksha Bandhan. I ensure I am with my brother on this day. I am very close to my sister, Lochan, my brother, Mandar, and two cousins — Dhaval and Yadnesh. We make a close knit team of five and at times, I feel like I am their mother. Though I am 12 years older to Mandar, he is my confidante. He calms me down when I am stressed and is more practical than me. He is my therapist as I can talk to him about anything. Not just brothers, but I also tie rakhis to my sister and my aunt. This year, we will celebrate togetherness and the fact that we are all safe at
home. is our profession looked at from a different perspective, especially female actors. Questions are being raised about our character and how we lead our lives.”
While celebrities are often expected to have an opinion on everything being debated upon, Mukherjee believes that right now, everyone wants to share their views but it’s to settle their personal score. “I don’t like agendadriven conversations. Why do I want to sell my points of view based on somebody’s demise?” asks the actor, adding that much like others, she also thought the news of Rajput’s death was fake.
She sounds disturbed as she shares, “After I got the news, I switched off my phone. It was difficult. I lost my father (actor Santu Mukherjee) in March and then Sushant. I was confused about what’s hurting me more. Memories of shooting Dil Bechara with Sushant and my father being excited about the film came rushing back. And now, both of them aren’t here when the film has actually released.”
Raksha Bandhan and the Bengali festival of Bhai Phota have always been special to me. Growing up, we celebrated Bhai Phota more often. My brother, Mukhar Roy, and I, are not in the same city every year, but I make sure he gets a rakhi and gifts from me, as he is younger to me. I am in London, UK, and I have sent a rakhi to him. As we lost our dad quite early in life, he looks up to me as his guardian, and I have fit into that role and that of his sister. We have a fun relationship and are each other’s go-to person. I also have a rakhi brother in Mumbai and I celebrate every rakhi
with him.
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s therapist, Susan Moffat Walker, broke her silence on the actor’s condition and in a statement to Mojo Story , she said, “Sushant was suffering from bipolar disorder and had bouts of depression and hypomania. Rhea was his strongest support…” Reacting to Walker’s statement, while
Rajput’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti tweeted, “It is outright illegal”, her husband Vishal Kirti, too, wrote a long blog post. “...Mental health information is protected by the law of the land. Disclosing this information is not only unethical but also illegal...” He questioned Walker’s diagnosis of Rajput’s condition and the part of her statement where she says that his treatment was sought by Rhea Chakraborty (girlfriend) and not Rajput himself.
HTC