Sushant Singh’s Dying Declarations On Screen Proved Prophetic, Says Director Mukesh Chhabra

“When  I  cast Sushant  as a dying hero in  Dil  Bechara, I  had  no idea what  cruel irony destiny had in store,”  says  casting director turned  director Mukesh Chhabra, who watched  Sushant’s posthumous  film  on Friday evening with his parents,  along with the  rest  of  the world.

“My father and mother cried  during the  film. As for me, I was sobbing throughout.  I still can’t believe  Sushant  is  not with me to share this important  moment in my life.”

Sushant couldn’t  see the complete  film.

“But he  did  see  the the film during dubbing. After that  the lockdown happened. We  were waiting for the  situation to normalize. But God had other plans,” sighs Mukesh.

He  says he wanted to bring in  Sushant’s  real personality  into his character. “He had a lot  of  charm .He was highly influenced  by  Shah Rukh Khan. I have brought  in this element by  making him do the iconic Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge train  sequence , also Shah Rukh’s  signature  posture with his hands stretched  out in  Paris…I wanted  to capture Sushant’s  zest for  life , learning and travelling.”

 Sushant’s dying sequences are  unbearably  poignant. “When I  was directing the  film those scenes had a  different relevance. Now when I look back on the sequences  where his character Manny  is  preparing  to die,asking his  best friend  if he will miss  him,I feel it’s eerie.We  never  thought we  were  doing  a  film that  would prove so painfully prophetic.”

The ominous fact that Sushant has  died in  most of his films has not escaped  Mukesh. “I should know,I was  the casting director in  some of those  films. I  don’t what  it was about Sushant and death. But they went  hand-in-hand till his last film.”

   Mukesh says  Sushant’s  fans have  gone berserk with their emotional outpourings. “ I’m  overwhelmed  by the  response to the  film. I have been reading all the messages that poured in since  the  premiere on Friday evening. I went to sleep at  6 am  on  Saturday morning.I hope Sushant  is watching  the  love that’s pouring in.”