On Sushant Singh Rajput’s birth anniversary yesterday, members from film and television industry remembered him fondly. Veteran actress Usha Nadkarni, who is also known as Manav’s aai from the show Pavitra Rishta, spoke to us about the good times they shared on the set of the TV show. Pavitra Rishta was the show that catapulted Sushant to fame and made him a household name.

Nadkarni remembered how during the initial days Sushant had once celebrated his birthday with the cast of the show. She shared, “He had organised a birthday party at Madh Island and invited all of us. It was a lot of fun. I was there for a short while because I needed to get back, but I remember enjoying the party with everyone.” On his birth anniversary, she remembered the little chats that they would have on the sets and how he was a free spirit, who was always smiling.

Talking about Sushant, she said that he had once pointed to a house and expressed the desire to reach a point in life where he could purchase it. She recounted, “Once we were in BKC and he showed me a highrise building and said, ‘I want to buy a house here.’ He also said he wanted to buy a luxurious car. I asked him, ‘Wouldn’t that require a lot of money?’ And he smiled saying, ‘Yes.’ He was a good soul.”

At an event held last year, Usha paid an emotional tribute to the actor. She was heard saying, “On screen mera Manav shaant aur sushil tha, off screen badmash aur nathkhat… Aaj bhi mere dil mein mera Manav basta hai.”