Madhur Bhandarkar, a filmmaker, has suggested that the film industry "ignored" Sushant Singh Rajput. He commented on the "boycott culture" against Bollywood films that has gained steam over the past few years.
Madhur spoke to Maniesh Paul on his podcast about the trend of boycott calls against Hindi films. He said, "I have noticed that this (boycott) happened largely after the passing of Sushant Singh Rajput. Maybe the industry ignored him… He was from a non-film background and he came and he struggled… It was a very unfortunate, untimely demise and from there, the anger amid the public got aggravated. It is the public’s opinion."
Madhur also commented on the fact that this isn't the first time this kind of situation has arisen. He said, “It has happened many times before. Like in the case of Gangubai Kathiawadi, people watched it and it was nice. I think this (boycott culture) is a phase. If the film is nice and the content is strong, people will go and watch. People watched Kantara, The Kashmir Files, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, it’s not like people don’t go to watch the movies."
Since Sushant Singh Rajput's death in June 2020, his fans and some celebrities from the industry have claimed that he was sidelined and ignored by big names in the Bollywood industry. As a result, many online trends have emerged calling for the boycott of films. This featured some of the biggest stars in the Hindi film industry. Alia Bhatt, who is a star kid, was targeted for working in the industry.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi also faced boycott calls ahead of the release. But it performed well at the box office and received rave reviews. Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan also faced calls for a boycott. Yet it emerged as one of the top-grossing Hindi films of all time.
Sushant's 2016 sports drama, MS Dhoni The Untold Story, is set for a re-release in theaters on May 12. The film was one of Sushant's most successful films. He received several nominations in the Best Actor category at that year's awards ceremonies. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the film also stars Kiara Advani, Disha Patani, Anupam Kher, and Bhumika Chawla.
