Arjun Bijlani, a friend and former neighbour of Sushant Singh Rajput, says that he is baffled by the multiple theories floating about the actor’s death
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 30, 2020)

It’s been over two months since Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence, but his friend and former neighbour, TV actor Arjun Bijlani, is yet to come to terms with the fact. Arjun and Sushant were neighbours till about five years ago, when the latter moved out of the apartment, which he shared with his then girlfriend Ankita Lokhande. Shaken by Sushant’s sudden demise, Arjun had tweeted a few days ago, “Can’t stop thinking what happened to Sushant. God pl punish the real culprits (sic).”

‘SUSHANT AND I USED TO DISCUSS FILMS AND HE WOULD NEVER GET BOGGED DOWN BY ANYTHING’
While there are various theories doing the rounds about the actor’s death, initially, it was alleged that nepotism in Bollywood had driven him to take the extreme step. However, Arjun doesn’t think so. “Sushant was a happy-go-lucky guy, and we used to regularly discuss work. In fact, we have had many discussions on competition, various film projects and how we, as outsiders, can also make it in films. He would always say that it never bothered him that he was not from a filmi family. He used to tell me that these things are trivial and he would fight against all odds to achieve his dreams. So, I really don’t feel that he would (allegedly) commit suicide because of such reasons,” he says.

‘DURING OUR FRIENDSHIP, I NEVER FOUND HIM GRAPPLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES’
There are also speculations that Sushant was grappling with depression. Ask Arjun about it and he replies, “Sushant was not someone who would get depressed over things. Also, during our friendship, I never found him grappling with mental health issues.”

Arjun adds, “He was also not someone who would be bogged down by financial concerns. So, I am baffled by the multiple theories that are floating about Sushant’s death. I sincerely want the real reason behind his death to come out. A happy, promising and talented guy like Sushant just disappeared from our lives! We all need to know what happened. I am happy that the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) is investigating this and we all hope to get closure soon.”

‘SUSHANT AND I LOST TOUCH IN THE LAST ONE YEAR’
Arjun regrets the fact that over the years, Sushant and he lost touch. He recalls how he never got any response to his last message to Sushant. “I don’t remember exactly when I met him last. Maybe at some party with a bunch of friends, at least a year ago. But I do remember thinking of him on May 29 and texting him, because I wanted to know how he was doing. However, I never received any reply. The next news I heard about him was on June 14, that he had died by suicide. Later, I came to know that in the last year, he had changed his number several times and therefore, my message never reached him,” he shares.

So, how did they lose touch? “Well, he moved to Bandra and got busy with films. We never really lost touch. We used to bump into each other at parties. But, we both got busy with work. Even Mahesh Shetty, who was his best friend, wasn’t really in touch with him,” Arjun replies.