Bollywood actor’s death shines spotlight on unfair hiring practices

By Kaasha Minocha, Newsroom By the Bay

SARATOGA, California ––  On June 14, the day Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput died, online searches for the term “nepotism in Bollywood” spiked by almost 2,000%. 

But the real story was how Rajput died. 

Police in Mumbai called Rajput’s death a suicide and launched an investigation. Meanwhile, the death of the popular 34-year-old actor has sparked debate among fans about unfair hiring practices as well as the obstacles that Indians face when seeking help for their mental health.

Connections and careers 

Over the past few generations of Bollywood, nepotism has come under increasing scrutiny. 

Historically, Bollywood actors have belonged to three groups: Those who came into the industry from Punjab more than 80 years ago; actors from the 1970s and 1980s; and the continued lineage such as children, nieces, nephews, and other relatives of members of these groups. 

Over time, critics say, insiders who hire others based on their family connections have created unhealthy competition. For example, actress Alia Bhatt was already well-known as the daughter of director, producer and screenwriter Mahesh Bhatt, long before she made her debut in the film “Student of the Year.”

To be clear, nepotism exists in other industries and professions outside of entertainment. The role of legacies in college admissions in the U.S. is well-known and has been sharply criticized.

But favoritism still stings, and Rajput’s death sparked the conversation anew on social media and other platforms.

Actress Kangana Raunaut once called filmmaker Karan Johar the “flag-bearer of nepotism” and accused him of being “intolerant to outsiders” (Johar responded that Raunaut “has a right to have an opinion”). Actress Tapsee Pannu has said that she has lost some films due to what she called unfair hiring practices. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Bollywood starlet turned Hollywood sweetheart, said she “has been kicked out of films because someone else was recommended.”  

Rajput’s fans have criticized Bhatt and other actors for being so-called “star kids” in the film industry. Originally, Rajput wanted to be an astronaut and studied engineering at Delhi College of Engineering. However, after realizing he had a passion for theater and dance, he decided to pursue acting. Rajput began with television serials where he debuted in a show called Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil, followed by a starring role in Zee TV’s soap opera Pavitra Rishta. Rajput made his film debut in Kai Po Che!

According to Shreeja Sharma, the morning show host on Bolly 92.3 FM in San Francisco, as an outsider to the industry, Rajput struggled to secure a foothold in Bollywood.

Though Sharma does not feel comfortable drawing an explicit connection between nepotism and Rajput’s suicide, she hopes the recent talk about hiring practices will make casting directors more aware of the impact of their decisions.

“I’m sure (directors) would just stop for a minute and think about, ‘Why am I getting this person?’ I don’t want to be called out for picking this person when he or she does not have talent,” Sharma said. 

Irika Katiyar, a rising senior at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California, and an active member of the school’s Indian Cultural Awareness Club, believes that it’s difficult to prevent favoritism given personal bias.

“Directors or others might be biased towards a certain gender or towards a certain age,” Katiyar said. “There’s always going to be this bias you can’t get rid of, however, directors and others have to try to not use those biases to determine who’s gonna play the role.” 

The role of mental health

Though there is no record of Rajput being clinically diagnosed for depression, the Hindustan Times reported on July 21 that police have recorded the statements of three psychiatrists and a psychotherapist as part of their probe into his death. According to the report, Rajput “was consulting these mental health professionals” and had been undergoing treatment for depression since November 2019.

The news has added a new dimension to Rajput’s story, highlighting the cultural barriers that exist for Indians who seek help, no matter how famous they are.

“If someone was to go see a therapist, it would be looked down upon in India,” said Saratoga student Katiyar. “If someone was seeing someone without telling anybody else, just the fact that you’re not telling anyone that you’re going to therapy shows that there’s a certain stigma around openly having mental health problems.”

Katiyar believes that some of the stigma comes from the way children are raised. If parents aren’t open to mental health, they might be raised to believe that they shouldn’t feel certain emotions.

Psychotherapist Ananya Saikia believes that it is important to create safe spaces in everyday conversations. In a June 21 article in MAKERS India, Saikia, who is based in Bengaluru, India, wrote that people who suffer from depression often are often hesitant to talk about their struggles out of fear of being judged. 

According to Saikia, it’s hard to be vulnerable in India because there is a heightened expectation to be practical and ambitious about your career and cast emotions to the side. Saika hopes that discussions about mental health become more common.

“It is not after someone has lost their life that we need to have these conversations; this is an integral part of everyday life,” Saikia wrote.

If you or someone else is struggling emotionally, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 or the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357).