SSR dies: Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt slammed for 'double standards'
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide has once again triggered the same-old nepotism debate in the film fraternity. Two prominent members of the showbiz, producer/filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Alia Bhatt are being particularly slammed for posting emotional tributes for Rajput. After Alia and Karan mourned his demise, netizens reminded the duo that they didn't treat him well. Here's more on what went down.
'I blame myself for not being in touch with you'
In a lengthy note on Instagram, Karan said he blamed himself for not being in touch with Rajput during the past year. "I have felt at times like you may have needed people to share your life with...but somehow I never followed up on that feeling... will never make that mistake again," he penned, adding "will miss your infectious smile and your bear hug."
Here is Karan's post
I'm in a state of shock, Alia tweeted
Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt tweeted, "I am in a deep state of shock. No matter how much I think about it, I don't have the words. I am totally devastated." "You've left us too soon. You will be missed by each and every one of us. My deepest condolences to Sushant's family, loved ones, and his fans," she added.
Here is Alia's tweet
Earlier, Karan and Alia mocked Rajput on 'KWK'
Twitter users soon pointed out the double standards of these celebrities, as they shared old videos of Karan and Alia from the former's chat show Koffee With Karan, where the two spoke dismissively about Rajput. In the video, Karan can be seen asking Alia to rate three male actors, viz. Rajput, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan, to which Alia replies, "Sushant Singh Rajput, who?"
Nepotism rocks: Upset fans berated the duo
Angry fans pointed out the irony of posting emotional tributes after having earlier mocked the late actor. Further, many said that producers like Karan Johar have always supported star kids and nepotism, and have never stood up for outsiders like Rajput. They also asked that if fellow celebrities were aware of Rajput's suffering, why none of them came forward to help him.
Meanwhile, many hailed Kangana for criticizing nepotism
Meanwhile, Twitter users hailed actor Kangana Ranaut, who has been openly critical of nepotism throughout her career. She even called Karan the "flagbearer of nepotism" on his own chat show. The actor has also criticized star kids like Alia on several occasions.
'No one in the industry stood up for Rajput'
Meanwhile, hair stylist Sapna Bhavnani revealed that Sushant was "going through very tough times for the last few years." She tweeted, "No one in the industry stood up for him nor did they lend a helping hand. To tweet today is the biggest display of how shallow the industry really is. No one here is your friend. RIP."
I knew the pain you were going through: Shekhar Kapur
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur tweeted, "I knew the pain you were going through. I knew the story of the people that let you down so bad that you would weep on my shoulder." "I wish I was around the last 6 months. I wish you had reached out to me. What happened to you was their Karma. Not yours," he added.
Rajput died by suicide on Sunday morning
Rajput was found dead at his apartment in Bandra yesterday morning. However, no suicide note was recovered by the police. The actor had been suffering from depression for the past few months. A police investigation is underway. "It pains us to share that Sushant Singh Rajput is no longer with us. We request his fans to keep him in their thoughts," his team said.
A look at Rajput's short yet eventful career
Rajput shot to fame with popular television serial Pavitra Rishta. He made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che!. He went on to star in movies like Rajkumar Hirani's PK, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, and Sonchiriya. Chhichhore remained his last theatrical release. His upcoming film, Dil Bechara, was due to release this year.
