Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise has left many in shock and grief. The Patna-born actor, who was known for his extraordinary talent, had catapulted into fame when he portrayed the role of former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has been deeply affected by the tragic news, reveals the director of the film, Neeraj Pandey. “Apart from calling Mahi bhai, I have also called two of his best friends Mihir Diwakar and Arun Pandey. They all seemed very upset with such a piece of terrible news. Mahi bhai was in a shock to hear the news and got shattered,” Neeraj said while speaking to xtratime.in.
During the shooting of the film, Dhoni had spent much time with Sushant, preparing him for the role.
Neeraj also said that MSD was quite engaged in choosing the right actor to play him on the silver screen. He also revealed that the Ranchi-born cricketer was bowled away by Sushant’s performance. “He (Sushant) put in a lot of hard work to depict the character to perfection. We are grateful to Kiran More sir as he worked with Sushant, grooming him for almost nine months. Even Mahi Bhai was spellbound to see Sushant’s dedication for his biopic,” the director added.
Earlier, in an interview with ABP Ananda, Arun Pandey – a close friend and business manager of Dhoni – had revealed that Mahi was ‘very morose’ after hearing the news. “We can’t even believe what has happened. I am not in a position to express my grief. Mahi is also very morose. Such a tragic incident. Sushant was only 34, and a prosperous career was waiting for him, I have no doubt about that. There are ups and downs in everyone’s life,” Arun had said.
Sushant passed away on June 14, 2020, at his Bandra residence in Mumbai.
