Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput, who recently appeared in the Netflix film Drive, has died age 34.
He was found dead in his home in Mumbai on Sunday, with his family confirming the death via a statement.
“It pains us to share that Sushant Singh Rajput is no longer with us,” his family said.
“We request his fans to keep him in their thoughts and celebrate his life and his work like they have done so far. We request the media to help us maintain privacy at this moment of grief.”
Mumbai police report that his death was a suicide, according to the New York Times, and an investigation is now underway.
Rajput was a Bollywood star who was best known for playing Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, which was one of the biggest Bollywood films of 2016.
His death prompted an outpouring of grief from Bollywood stars.
I just saw and loved his performances in Chichore and Kai Po Che. This is heartbreaking. A self-made successful star at his peak. God give strength to the devastated family and friends and everyone else he knew and worked with.
RIP! #SushantSinghRajput
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) June 14, 2020
U will be missed … #RIPSushant
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) June 14, 2020
Rajput’s film will be Dil Bechara, a remake of The Fault in Our Stars, based on the novel by John Green. His co-star Sanjana Sanghi released a tearful video, saying she kept hoping she was reading “some sort of horrible joke”.
“I’m not equipped to process any of this. I don’t think I ever will be. I’m definitely not equipped to articulate my feelings, this is me failing, but trying. After 2 years of seemingly all the possible difficulties one single film can face, with all sorts of crap constantly being written, and being relentlessly pursued,” Sanghi said.
“We were supposed to FINALLY see our film – my first film, and what you told me you believed was your best film yet, together.”
The film had a delayed release, first due to post-production delays after director Mukesh Chhabra was suspended after alleged accusations of sexual harassment, from which he was cleared. It was rescheduled to May 2020, but delayed again due to the coronavirus. It’s now expected to skip a cinematic release and appear online.
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