Actor Sushant Singh Rajput found dead

Mumbai: In a shocking development, Kai Po Che actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday. He was 34. Mumbai Police Spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranay Ashok confirmed it was a case of suicide and said the police has begun an investigation.

No note was found from the spot, sources from the Bandra Police said.

Police sources also said they did not find any foul play in their initial investigation. A medical report about the cause of death is awaited, the police said. Born in Patna in 1986, Rajput made the storybook transition from Patna boy to television and then the starry lights of the Hindi film industry. He was the youngest of five siblings and is survived by his father and four sisters.

Rajput's last screen appearance was Nitesh Tiwari's 2019 film Chhichhore, where he played the role of a father who conveys a message of hope and affirmation to his son who has attempted to kill himself.

And his last social media post, dedicated to his late mother who died in 2002 when he was a young teen, was on June 3, a foretelling perhaps on what to come.

"Blurred past evaporating from teardrops. Unending dreams carving an arc of smile.

"And a fleeting life, negotiating between the two," he wrote on Instagram post with a black and white photograph of his mother.

Rajput's sudden death comes days after his former manager, 28-year-old Disha Salian, ended her life by jumping from a high rise building on June 9. The last rites of the actor likely to be held in Mumbai on Monday. According to media reports, his father will reach Mumbai from Patna on Monday.

An engineering student, Rajput left his course at the Delhi Technological University in the early 2000s to enroll in choreographer Shiamak Davar's dance classes and later joined acting guru Barry John's classes. He also performed as a background dancer in the song "Dhoom again" with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the 2006 film Dhoom 2.

But it was the small screen that gave the "outsider" his breakout role as the mild-mannered Manav in the Ekta Kapoor-produced soap opera Pavitra Rishta in 2009. He left the show in 2011 and two years later made his film debut with Kai Po Che!.

He also starred in films such as Shuddh Desi Romance, Raabta, Kedarnath and Sonchiriya. But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni's in the 2007 biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.

Bollywood and social media reacted with shock and disbelief on hearing the news of the death of Rajput, who was also noted for his philanthropic services. As news of the tragic death spread and condolences poured in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as a bright young actor gone too soon. He excelled on TV and in films. His rise in the world of entertainment inspired many and he leaves behind several memorable performances. Shocked by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and fans. Om Shanti," the prime minister said on Twitter.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Home Minister Amit Shah and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar were among those who expressed their shock and condolences to his family.

Delhi Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health (011-40769002) is committed to the cause of mental health in the Capital.with agency inputs