Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar regrets not speaking to Sushant Singh Rajput when he last met the late actor in 2016.
Sushant passed away on June 14 after committing suicide at his Bandra house in Mumbai. The news of the Patna-born actor’s sudden demise had sent shockwaves across the country with his fans and followers expressing their grief. Several members from the film and cricket fraternity also took to various social media platforms to mourn the demise of the ever-smiling actor.
Sushant had won millions of hearts with his flawless portrayal of MS Dhoni in the former Indian captain’s biopic ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’. Recalling the time when he bumped into the late actor, Akhtar said that he should have talked to Sushant in his own way and helped him realise the broad spectrum in life.
“I met him in Mumbai when I was about to leave India in 2016. To be honest, he did not look very confident to me. He went past me with his head down. A friend told me that he is doing MS Dhoni’s film,” said Akhtar in a YouTube video.
“I thought I will have to watch his acting now, He has come from a humble background, and he is making a good film. The film did turn out to be successful, but I regret not stopping him there and having a word with him about life. I could have shared experiences of my life with him; maybe I could have talked to him like the way I do, which could have given him a broad spectrum in life. But I regret not talking to him,” he added.
Shoaib also gave an example of his career when he had to make a name for himself while there was competition from stalwarts like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
“When I came into the side there was Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis who were like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh only… So I had to really put in the hard yards to make a name for myself,” Akhtar added.
The former Pakistan pacer, who picked up 444 international wickets in his career, further said suicide is never the answer to any problem and rued the sad truth that Sushant didn’t have people to talk.
“Ending your life should never be an option. Setbacks are an asset in life, but when you know you have problems, you should discuss it. Deepika Padukone reached out after her break up that she was suffering from anxiety and needed help. I think Sushant also needed help,” said Akhtar.
