I sat watching, with a weird mixture of cringe, horror and disgust, as a pack of dogs attacked every stray cat that they could get their paws on. I glanced upon one last post -- it was a screenshot of someone's Whatsapp chat. It didn't look particularly interesting, but it had about a 1000 comments under it; some of which were hashtags seeking justice, while others were just a string of abuses. I closed Instagram and Twitter, shut off my phone and sat down to ponder what our society had become, and how we as human beings watch in amazement at the idea of someone else's despair. I was done.
2020 has been a weird year. We have had a long string of untimely deaths, natural disasters, manmade ones and are perched on the brink of WW3. When the news of Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide rolled in on 14th June 2020, many, including me were shocked beyond reason. Nobody could believe that a spunky actor like him, in his prime could just end his life. People began discussing that he was probably struggling in his private life and that it got the best of him. The topic of mental health came to the forefront and pundits on TV began discussing the same. In a day or two, the bullying and nepotism angle started getting more airtime.
I am not exactly sure when the whole suicide or murder theory came about, but ever since that began, people have just lost it. Leading actors & actresses started getting trolled everyday. They were being told that they were never nice to Sushant and that he died because of them. Even a famous director/producer wasn't spared, and is still not. Accusations were flying from every angle. The latest victim of this mob is Sushant's girlfriend and housemate Rhea Chakraborty. She has been arrested, not for murder, but for consumption of weed and it is being reported that she sourced it for him.
A few years ago when the rapper Mac Miller died of accidental drug overdose, everyone pounced on his ex girlfriend Ariana Grande's socials accusing her of driving him to drugs & eventual death. On the other side of the globe when actress Rekha's husband died of suicide, people did the same thing. There was no social media around at the time (thankfully!) but everyone, including the media made her out to be this vamp who used and discarded him. Even Sushant's longtime ex-girlfriend and ex-fiance Ankita Lokhande was accused initially until everyone saw her attend his funeral. Women have forever carried the blame for mens' failures. On the flip side, women have always been expected to lift up a broken man. How many times have you heard of a family getting their son married off to a 'simple' girl just to correct his meandering ways. Nobody knows if Sushant started smoking weed or doing drugs before he met Rhea. But the so-called justice warriors have been brainwashed into believing that he is the epitome of correctness and he can do no wrong.
Rhea has apparently admitted to using weed along with Sushant. But what the mob (yes thats what they are) is accusing her of is driving him to using those drugs and eventual death either at his own hands or actually murdering him. Whats their proof you ask? --- the thousands of Instagam/twitter/youtube accounts that spout theories after theories everyday. When the bullying and nepotism angle didn't work, it moved onto drug abuse. Now the mob is trying to throw mud on EVERYONE in the industry and hoping some of it will stick. The so called justice warriors are just keyboard warriors who take pleasure in going to a celebrity's profile and abusing them all day. Names are thrown around randomly with no confirmation or evidence. A leading actress who is known for her spitfire talk has made this all about herself and is trying to even her perceived scores with Bollywood. To her, the only person that matters is herself. No one else. In this mess, everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame.
We're in the age of fake/sensational news. Insane conspiracy theories being shared everywhere with no consequence whatsoever. Anyone with a smart phone can film themselves say the vilest of things and put it up on the internet for others to consume. An entire generation of people have made it their duty to open their phones everyday, watch curated content, and tweet/abuse/comment on every piece of "news" connected to this case. Over the last 3+ months, people have been brainwashed into believing that justice for someone that they did not really follow/support even a day prior to his death, is far more important than than having a moral compass or any sense of decency. Arm chair critics have turned into arm chair abusers. Insta pages that want to increase their following, post stories and lies like they are going out of style. Random names being mentioned, leaks by officials whose vested interests aren't exactly clear -- such actions lead the justice seeking mob to bombard celebrity accounts with name calling and abuses. Anyone who requests for calm and some sense of decency is termed a "druggie".
Media channels are making the most of this lunacy. To them, all that matters is TRP. Journalists have stooped to a new low. The pack of dogs I mentioned earlier were so-called journalists camping outside Rhea's apartment building waiting for a resident to appear, only to hound him or her with questions and accusations about her life. Calling the cops on these vultures leads to more drama and sensational news about how evil this family is. I saw a video of one such blood thirsty journalist knocking on door or a family member of Rhea's and accusing them of god knows what, and when he was rightfully kicked out, he turned it into a freedom of the press argument. Since when is it ok to forcefully enter a stranger's home and interview/accuse them? And the online mob gleefully enjoys this drama, cheering the journalists on. Its sickening. This lockdown has brought out the worst in us.
We will never know what actually happened to poor Sushant. The waters have been muddied so much that any news or evidence that comes out will always be questionable. In the end, two families have been destroyed. The business of entertainment will never be the same again.
