Fans of Sushant Singh Rajput, who believe that Bollywood superstar Salman Khan sabotaged the late actor's career by playing favourites, are calling for a boycott of the veteran star and his films.
The hashtags #BoycottKhans and #BoycottSalman have been gaining momentum today with seeds of discontent sown since Rajput’s death on June 14.
Fans believe that Salman sidelined Rajput consistently as there was a fallout between the 'Kedarnath' star and the veteran actor’s discovery Sooraj Pancholi at a party and that led to some bad blood between them.
A case has also been filed in Bihar against the actor and a few others for hatching a conspiracy and abetting the suicide of Rajput. The actor has been receiving backlash ever since Rajput’s death.
Salman Khan, one of the most bankable actors in Bollywood, has a history of being accused of meddling with careers of those who fall out of favour with him. Fondly called ‘bhai’ meaning brother, many insiders believe that he can be a giant bully if you rub him the wrong way.
Actors Vivek Oberoi and singer Arijit Singh have spoken about Khan’s petty behaviour towards them in the past and how their troubled bond cost them projects. The two have repeatedly tried to mend their relationships with the star, but Khan has never entertained it and continued to ignore them.
A day ago, Khan even urged his fans not to be enraged about Rajput’s followers abusing him and asked them to understand the emotions behind their grief.
Earlier, actress Jiah Khan’s mother has also accused Salman Khan of influencing her daughter’s death investigation following Rajput’s death. She claims that Khan had repeatedly called law enforcement officials to remove the heat from Sooraj Pancholi, Jiah Khan’s rumoured boyfriend at the time of her suicide.
Gulf News has reached out to Salman's team for a statement.
Rajput’s death has also re-ignited debates about favouritism and groupism in Bollywood, dragging Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan into the raging debate on social media.
One Twitter user Nikesh Nandan took up for actor Randeep Hooda, an actor without a Bollywood dynasty, saying: “He lost 20 kg in 27 days for Sarbjit movie, gave his best for this movie still this man didn’t win any award for this movie. Clear enough how Bollywood support nepotism.”
“Don’t #BoycottKhans or any other actor, just stop watching their useless movies. Also stop whitewashing their image, everyone has flaws.... Support their movies only if they come up with good content. Bollywood audience need to wake up. Its now or never,” posted Twitter user Naanu.
Twitter user Nitish Vishwakarma simply posted: “#Boycottnepotism #boycottkaranjoharmovies #boycottkhans. Support shushant singh rajput. Support kangana ranaut..”
On the flip side, fans of the Khans are stepping up and supporting the stars with all their might.
A day ago, the hashtag #WeStandBySalman was gaining traction, while Shah Rukh Khan’s fans have started to trend #SupportSelfmadeSRK.
