It has been almost two weeks since a father lost his bright, beaming boy. A son who seemed to have everything going for him. A Bollywood 'star' who gazed at moons and the wonders of the sky. An actor who celebrated life and its victories, and a young man who probably gave hope and dreams to a million but fell short of seeing his own.
It must have taken his shattered father a serious shake-up to the core in amassing all that courage and strength for the public eye. However, amid all the chaos, charade and circus; there is no place for his bottled up emotions, indescribable pain and a thousand unanswered questions.
It has been almost two weeks, but we haven't given a father who has lost his young son, the chance to grieve in silence. Where is the proverbial "rest-in-peace"? Where is the silence?
The media
In their bid to report Sushant Singh Rajput's death by 'suicide', the media didn't leave a stone unturned in making a complete mockery out of it, almost turning it into a sensation. Nylon ropes, needles, medicines, bedsheet, repulsive tickers, inconsiderate headlines, real death pictures, corpse picture, blind items, character assassination, conspiracy theories, conjectures – wouldn't be wrong to say that there was almost a sense of exuberance in the way his death was reported. For many, reporting his death became a game of who grabs the top spot, a game of views. A game, that was not only heartless but also predatory.
The crème-de-la-crème
As soon as the news broke out; there was a sinister, insensitive contest to offer condolences within the industry. And the only thing majority of them lacked was some genuine empathy and a real sense of loss. Their bid to win the race of paying the last respect was coated more with the garb of 'self-importance' and 'two-minutes of fame' than of sensitivity. The more they projected Sushant as an object of pity, someone who was at the mercy of the high-and-mighty, someone who needed help; the more hollow and fake their words appeared. And soon, horrifically, it wasn't just about Sushant. It turned into a war between those with and without any godfathers, a blame game that's utterly deplorable, and a noise that needs to be shut.
'Woke' social media and overnight fans
Even before anything about Sushant's mental well-being could be established, the 'woke' social media, influencers and his overnight fans were ready to come to a conclusion. Everyone seemed to know what pushed the actor to the edge. "My doors are open", "Available to listen", "Let's talk over coffee" were some of the gimmicks many resorted to. Few even went to the extent of publishing mock videos of how it was not a suicide but a murder. The same people who were happy calling him 'underrated' and 'not star material', the same people who never went to watch his films; were now lifting the vigilante baton. The same people who would probably watch re-runs of these so-called exploitive chat shows even in the future, are now running petitions and calling for a boycott of such shows. And yet, they are the same people who would make Sushant's death more about themselves – ceasing to give his family any peace or respite.
The big question here is at what point do you draw the line? When does it start getting inconsiderate? When do you take accountability? Where do you pull the plug? When do you give the family what they truly deserve – some silence?
