Sushant Singh Rajput posthumously honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award; ‘Kai Po Che’ completes 8 years

Sushant Singh Rajput was posthumously honoured with Critic's Best Actor award in one of India’s most prestigious award ceremonies, the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021.

The award was conferred in an acknowledgment of Sushant’s ‘outstanding contribution to Hindi cinema.’

The Dadasaheb Phalke Awards wrote in an Instagram post, “Celebrating the dedication you’ve shown on the way to this achievement. Congratulations to Late @sushantsinghrajput for winning the ‘Critic's Best Actor’ award at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021. We miss you!”

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Sushant, who kicked off his career with Ekta Kapoor’s TV serial Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and made a name for himself on the small screen, especially with Pavitra Rishta, received his breakthrough role in Abhishek Kapoor's feature film Kai Po Che, based on Chetan Bhagat's bestselling book ‘The Three Mistakes of My Life.’

Eight years ago, on February 22, Kai Po Che was released, solidifying Sushant’s film career. Director Abhishek Kapoor fondly remembered working with Sushant on the film’s anniversary in an interview with Times of India.

“I’d never seen any of Sushant’s previous works before casting him. Back then, the industry wasn’t very accepting of television actors. But post Rock On!!, people had faith in me and I just went for it. As for the efforts, there wasn’t any out-of-the-ordinary effort involved when it came to moulding Sushant. He was just fabulous right from the start and from the first day itself I knew we’re going to fly together. It was a scene where he teaches the students about knocking the bat and I could gauge from his body language that he had just sunk his teeth into this character.”

“He was an intense actor and used to research his roles well enough to know the characters like the back of his hand. I really miss him and every time I realize I can’t reach him anymore, it leaves me disturbed,” Kapoor added.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging at his Bandra home last year, on June 14. The postmortem report confirmed that he had committed suicide.

Sushant was suffering from depression for the last six months prior to his death and also undergoing treatment at the Hinduja Hospital.

His suicide sparked debates about nepotism and the closed culture in Bollywood. Many suspect that Sushant was ostracized by the industry which led to his untimely death.