BOMBAY TIMES (September 3, 2020)

In the months since the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, several titles have been registered for films based on his life. Now, while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Sushant’s family’s lawyer Vikas Singh threatened legal action against those who make any piece of work based on the late actor without the family’s okay. “Through this press conference I’d like to inform everyone that (Sushant’s) father and sisters have taken a decision that no film, serial or book should be written about SSR without the express consent of Sushant’s father, without the script being shown to the father, and the family consenting to the script or the book or the serial or the film. In spite of this, if anyone goes ahead with such a project, appropriate action will be taken to ensure that such an action be properly and legally thwarted,” Singh said.

A couple of weeks ago, a source from a producers’ association told us, “We’ve received applications for three film titles related to Sushant Singh Rajput. The requests that we have received are for Sushant Singh Rajput – Biography, Sushant, and The Unsolved Murder Mystery – Rajput.”

Apart from these, an upcoming film, titled Shashank, allegedly based on Sushant’s life, has run into trouble after Sushant’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti called for a boycott of the film. While Sushant’s lookalike, Sachin Tiwari, was initially roped in to play the male lead, he has now been replaced by Aarya Babbar. In a recent chat, Aarya told us, “Shashank is about the soul of every small-town girl and boy, who wants to make it big in the industry, but is sadly pushed around. People are assuming that the film is about one person.” 

Under fire for his upcoming film, which is allegedly based on Sushant Singh Rajput’s life, the actor defends his project
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; September 1, 2020)

It’s been over two months since Sushant Singh Rajput’s shocking demise, and there are several controversies and conspiracy theories doing the rounds about what transpired on June 14, when the actor was found dead at his Bandra apartment. Now, an upcoming film, allegedly based on his life, has run into trouble after its posters were released recently. Titled Shashank, the movie is helmed by filmmakers Sanoj Mishra and Marut Singh, and is said to revolve around the mysterious death of a young star and the nepotism in Bollywood. While Sushant’s lookalike, Sachin Tiwari, was initially roped in to play the male lead, he has now been replaced by Aarya Babbar.

Talking to BT about the project, Aarya said, “After sitting at home all through the lockdown, I feel blessed to get an offer. Also, I found the script interesting and intriguing. I can’t divulge much, but the story is about a small-town guy who comes to Bollywood, breaks through it and becomes a big star. Later, he is boycotted, which pushes him into depression. Shashank is about the soul of every small-town girl and boy, who wants to make it big in the industry, but is sadly pushed around. As someone associated with theatre, I have seen small-town people coming to the city wanting to make it big. People are assuming that the film is about just one person.”

Soon after its poster was released, the film was slammed by many, including Sushant’s sister Shweta Singh Kirti, who took to social media asking for its boycott. Talking about it, Aarya said, “The title of the film is Shashank and not Sushant. Initiate legal action if you have an issue with this film, but you can’t run a social media trial.”

Interestingly, Aarya and Sushant had worked together in theatre. Remembering his association with the late actor, he said, “I knew him before he entered television, when he did theatre with my mother (Nadira Babbar). Even after he became a sought-after actor, whenever my mother’s theatre group held any function or festivals, he was always there, supporting the group and standing by her side like a son.”

Given the fact that Sushant’s death has once again triggered the insider-outsider theory in Bollywood, we asked Aarya, (son of actor Raj Babbar), about his views on nepotism. He shared, “Even if nepotism exists in the industry, if a star kid doesn’t have talent, they won’t survive beyond Friday. Apart from my first film, I have got work only on the basis of auditions. Though I have done well in the Punjabi film industry, I didn’t do much in Hindi cinema. It is and will always be talent-based. The biggest stars in Hindi cinema aren’t star kids, they are self-made. Now, if they want to help their children, who might want to become actors, is that wrong? Are we going to boycott all those who started at some point just because their families were in the same profession?”

He added, “We need to understand that it’s a business, not some sort of social service. If a maker feels that a star kid can pull off a character, he will cast him or her. Also, we cater to the audience’s liking. Today, Taimur Ali Khan is the biggest celebrity in India, because people like to watch him. Kal kisi Sharmaji ke bete ki film aur Shah Rukh Khan ke bete ki films release hoti hai, hum sabko pata hai kisko badi opening milegi. That’s the reality.”