190411 Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut Image Credit: IANS

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on June 19 posted another provocative video in Hindi claiming that Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was caused by a ‘systematic dismantling of a fragile mind’ by bigwigs of the Hindi entertainment industry.

Without taking names, she believed that those dark forces had a big role to play in his suicide.

Rajput’s death at his home in Mumbai on June 14 has unleashed a storm in Bollywood, with several stars calling out nepotism and how clans in the industry snub outsiders.

Ranaut claimed there was a smear campaign against the self-made actor, who has starred in hits including ‘Chhichhore’ in 2019. In the video, she said that Rajput’s father and his close friend Ankita Lokhande spoke about how he was systematically put down and his confidence eroded by certain power players.

This is Ranaut’s second video in the last few weeks batting valiantly for Rajput. She believes he was mistreated by powerful producers, directors and actors. He was robbed off his projects and that ‘emotional and psychological and mental lynching’ led to him taking extreme steps in his life.

She blasted certain sections of the media for consistently writing negative articles about Rajput, who has no industry connections. A series of nasty articles about him breaking a bottle on a director’s head at a party or his looks being described in disparaging words also did the rounds. He was labelled as a narcissistic person who listens to his own songs alone.

Such systematic erosion will break any outsider, feels Ranaut. The actress says such disparaging reportage doesn’t happen to a privileged ‘nepo kid’ or star kid.

The actress has been the most vocal supporters of Rajput after his death and is keen to push the theory that hostile, powerful producers, directors and actors of Bollywood were instrumental in Rajput going through a low phase in his life.