From Sushant Singh Rajput to Susheel Gowda, actors who died by suicide despite massive popularity
Not even a month into Sushant Singh Rajput's demise, people heard another news of Kannada actor Susheel Gowda's death by suicide
Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide has created a roar all across. Another Kannada actor Susheel Gowda also died by suicide while memories of Sushant were still fresh. From Silk Smitha to Pratyusha Banerjee, there are various other actors, who, over the years, had died by suicide despite gaining massive popularity.
Take a look:
Sushant Singh Rajput's demise has hit closely to various people, since the actor was massively popular in Bollywood. The actor, by his own confession, did not have a Godfather in the industry. By the age of 34, Sushant left a legacy behind with movies like 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', 'Kai Po Che' and 'Chhicchore'. Sushant's upcoming movie is 'Dil Bechara', the trailer of which released recently. More so, if reports are to be believed, the actor had other projects in his kitty too. Sushant's alleged friend Sandeep Ssingh also released a poster claiming Sushant was supposed to be part of his debut production film called 'Vande Mataram'.
Renowned Kannada Television actor Susheel Gowda was found hanging in his friend's house in his hometown Mandya. Aged 32, Gowda received massive popularity for his soap opera 'Anthapura', and reportedly, was going to make his Kannada movie debut soon.
Tamil actor Kunal Singh, most remembered for his role in 'Kadhalar Dhinam', which was also partially reshot in Hindi as 'Dil Hi Dil Mein', died by suicide in 2008. Aged 30, actress Lavina Bhatia had found him hanging in his Mumbai apartment. The actor had reportedly tried to suicide even previously by slashing his wrist. Kunal was working on the Hindi film 'Yogi' when the news of his suicide broke.
Known as the 'Hat-trick hero' in Telugu cinema, Uday Singh had various successful movies and awards in his kitty. He died on January 5, 2014 by suicide at the age of 33. Reportedly the actor suffered depression for over a year due to financial crisis. The actor's movie 'Chitram Cheppina Katha' remains unreleased.
Hindi Television actress Pratyusha Banerjee was found hanging in her Mumbai apartment on April 1, 2016. According to officials, the 'Balika Vadhu' actress died by suicide. Pratyusha, aged 24, was a well-known celeb. Since her career in 2010 with Balika Vadhu, she appeared in shows like Kitchen Champion, Bigg Boss, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, Savdhaan India, Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Comedy Classes, Sasural Simar Ka, Kumkum Bhagya, Aahat and Power Couple too.
Silk Smitha, who had worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada as well as the Hindi cinema, was the most sought after in 1980s. Born as Vijayalakshmi Vadlapatla, Silk Smitha was found hanging with her saree in her Chennai apartment on September 23, 1996. Upon examination, traces of alcohol were found in her body. Like Sushant's demise, fans were divided whether the 35-year-old actress died due to depression or any foul play was involved in the matter.
Jiah Khan, born as Nafisa Rizvi Khan, died by suicide on June 3, 2013. The 25-year-old actress, who had worked in movies like 'Ghajini', 'Housefull' and 'Nishabd', was found hanging in her Juhu apartment. A six-page suicide note addressed to her then-boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi, was discovered by Jiah's sister. On January 13, 2018, a court in Mumbai charged Pancholi of abetting suicide. Jiah Khan's mother Rabia Khan had independenly hired British forensics expert who had declared that Jiah's hanging was staged.
Indian model and actress Kuljeet Randhawa, best known for playing strong female characters on TV, died by suicide in her Juhu apartment on February 8, 2006. The 30-year-old actress had appeared in Hip Hip Hurray, C.A.T.S, Aahat and Kohinoor. In her suicide note, Kuljeet had stated that she was ending her life since she couldn't cope with life's pressures. She had completed filming 'By Chance' before her demise.
Bengali TV actress Disha Ganguly was found hanging in her Kolkata apartment on Aprill 9, 2015. She had appeared in the popular Bengali sitcom, 'Tumi Ashbey Bole'. The actress reportedly took the step after social stigma over same-sex relationship.
Popular Bollywood actress Divya Bharti, who was seen in movies like 'Deewana' and 'Vishwatma', fell down from the window of her fifth floor apartment in Andheri on April 5, 1993. The mystery around her death, whether suicide, murder or accidental death, still remains.
Similar was the case with actor Guru Dutt, who died on October 10, 1964, after mixing sleeping pills with alcohol. Filmmaker Manmohan Desai also fell from his balcony in Mumbai apartment in on March 1, 1994.