Shoaib Akhtar Said He Had Met Sushant Singh Rajput When He Was In India In 2016 And He Regrets Not Talking To The 34-Year-Old Actor:
The death of suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput a fortnight ago has moved people across spheres. Noted Indian cricketers including captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma all expressed sorrow and gave Sushant ‘s family condolences. Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was the latest to react on the tragic demise of the Bollywood actor.
Akhtar said he had met Sushant when he was in India in 2016 and he regrets not talking to the 34-year-old actor, who starred in former India captain MS Dhoni’s biopic ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’.
“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 personal career when he had to make a name for himself when the stalwarts such as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were competing. “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.
Akhtar also said that it should never be an choice for Sushant, who died on 14 June, to seek support and end life. “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. I think Sushant also needed help,” said Akhtar.
