Sushant Singh Rajput’s Death Changed Bollywood Irreversibly, Subhash K Jha Lists Those Radical Changes

1.     Blind Articles Banned:  The  unsavoury practice  of  writing unsubstantiated slanderous  stories on stars  and escaping  legal repercussions by  not naming (and yet shaming)  the vilified star , stopped with Sushant’s death after  his frenzied  inconsolable  fans dug out a series  of  defamatory  “blind” items on  the star. They blamed those  blind   stories for  Sushant’s death. All portals have  stopped  the  ugly  practice  of  blind items.

2.     Bollywood Under Scrutiny: Never before had  the  Indian entertainment  industry been so  unsparingly  under  the miscroscope . The once-sacred sacrosanct  equation between  stars and fans changed overnight.  Stars were  no  longer hero-worshipped, as after  Sushant’s sordid  end there began a  rigorous scrutiny  of  the  ills that plague the  film  industry, from  astronomical star fees  to allegations  of  stars being in touch with drug dealers,  somehow  the  Indian entertainment  lost its sheen after Sushant as  the dark underbelly  of  the entertainment business was revealed.

3.     End  Of  Filmy Camps: Whether it was Karan  Johar  or Mahesh Bhatt, the prolonged era of Raj Durbar(so named because it started with  Raj Kapoor’s  famous  camp  summits) came to an inglorious end. If you  drop in at  Karan’s  office you will no longer see young  directors and actors bustling around. The place  wears  a lugubrious  look , as if someone died.Someone did, actually.

4.     Star Prices  Deescalate:  100 crores, 120 crores, 160 crores….no, these are not boxoffice figures. These are  prices actually paid to individual  stars. With Sushant’s death  audiences  rejected the  draconian star system. They (rightly) questioned why  a handful of stars are  paid  a massive  fortune  when they  cannot even ensure  an impressive  opening. Why should Post-Sushant, all the monetary braggadocio came to an  end.

5.     Rave parties a thing of the past:  Actors  sozzled  to their gills, glazed eyes and  parched lips ..you won’t see any of that any more. The Narcotics Control Bureau made  sure  that stars stayed away from all things high-high.I remember the ultimate  screen  diva at a private  party attended  mainly by  members of  her illustrious  in-law’s clan,coming down the stairs so drunk  she  tripped and fell down the  stairs.Yes, the  film industry is cleaner, thanks   to  Sushant.

6.     Bollywood More Welcoming  To  Outsiders :  Was  Sushant a   victim  of  nepotism? While  the  jury is still out on that one,  it is true  that after  his death the  industry has become kinder  to  newcomers, actors who  are unconnected  to the  film industry are  more welcome.Karan  Johar is all  set to launch Lakshya  ,the first outsider  since Siddharth Malhotra to be launched by Johar’s Dharma Productions. Kartik Aarya is  the  first  superstars from outside the  industry since  Sushant.

7.     Sushant Is A Metaphor:  “Don’t  do  a Sushant on him”….  Or  “It feels  like a  Sushant moment”  …every time  a non-industry actor is treated badly  Sushant’s name is  used as a warning. The name Sushant Singh Rajput has become  a cautionary metaphor for any producers  who dares  to plot  a  newcomer’s downfall.Recently when  Kartik Aaryan was bullied  by  the  movie mafia , a protective  chorus  invoking  Sushant’s name rent  the air. Long live Sushant.