(copying this from my FB post)
There's a lot of depressing commentary on the Internet about why SSR did what he did, whether it was influenced by nepotism, etc. I don't want to go into that. I thought of writing a slightly more positive post analysing his contribution to the industry and the legacy he has left behind for aspiring actors.
It should be kept in mind that Sushant's achievements were not just about him being an outsider. It's also that it's harder for male outsiders to break into the industry than women. This is not to say that Bollywood is by any means a woman friendly industry. Actresses have their own share of casting couch problems. But I've noticed that as a general trend models and beauty pageant winners have a greater chance of being noticed than male aspirants.
It can be argued that this is not necessarily true and that the industry has also given chances to Irfan, Nawazuddin, Rajkummar, etc. However it should be kept in mind that these people usually do avant garde work (indie films, art cinema) and hence are not seen as 'threatening' by industry insiders. Even when they are given commercial roles, it's usually as part of an ensemble cast or as the supporting hero/villain. Up until recently, the only 'outsiders' dominating the commercial solo hero space off the top of my head were Akshay and SRK. It's only recently that you've had Sushant, Sid M, Ayushmann, Karthik coming in.
Perhaps this is also why the PR and gossip about them is deliberately hyped up and problematized as compared to similar egregious behaviour by industry insiders. We see Sushant, Kartik and the like as being downmarket, troublemakers, over the top, playboys and if they make friends with insiders they are suck ups, but we never subject film industry kids to the same scrutiny (male kids especially, though we do mock Ananya and Alia for their tone deaf comments).
It should also be kept in mind that it's hard for TV actors to transition to Bollywood. Apart from nepotism issues, not everyone has the required screen presence. Just being good-looking is not enough, feature films require a different level of charisma (though it can be argued that with OTT this need not matter anymore). Sushant was one of the few who were able to break this barrier and a set a precedent for the entry of other TV personalities into Bollywood.
The intention of this post is not to glorify/sanitize him or take away from the tragedy of what has happened. But we should remember that he should not be reduced to being simply another Bollywood tragedy. He's also left behind a stunning legacy for other actors who are trying to find their place in the industry.
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