<p>Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide on Sunday has left those who knew him grieving. Two colleagues who knew him closely share their memories with Showtime.</p>.<p><strong>A 2 am friend: Bhaskar</strong></p>.<p>Bengalurean actor Bhasi Bhaskar was in Sushant’s film ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’. Bhaskar’s character, a selector, insists on selecting Dinesh Karthik over Dhoni. </p>.<p>Talking to <em>Showtime</em>, he says, “Sushant was a wonderful person. Though we never had a scene together, I met him a couple of times during the shoot and it was always a pleasant experience.”</p>.<p>He recalls Sushant spent days with Dhoni to get the characterisation right. He even video-recorded the way the cricketer slept. “Sushant wanted to go to sleep and wake up like Dhoni to perfect his character,” says Bhaskar. </p>.<p>“He also referred to me the book ‘An Actor’s Work on a Role’ which gives tips on the rehearsal process. He was helpful to everyone around,” says Bhaskar.</p>.<p>The two shared a connection as they were from the Barry John Acting Studio. “We have a WhatsApp group of everyone who studied there. Everyone said if we wanted someone to talk to in the middle of the night, Sushant would be available as he was an insomniac. He was the ideal 2 am friend,” he says.</p>.<p>However, Sushant hadn’t been too active in the group the last couple of months, Bhaskar says.</p>.<p><strong>Always positive: Shampa Gopikrishna</strong></p>.<p>Bollywood choreographer Shampa Gopikrishna was paired with Sushant for ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’ in 2011. They worked together for about six months and ended as runners-up.</p>.<p>“Sushant was definitely sad when we didn’t win, though he never showed it. He was always, always energetic for practice, even though he used to come in the late evening after a whole day of shooting,” recalls Shampa.</p>.<p>One of the judges for the show was Madhuri Dixit and Sushant was one of her biggest fans. “A dance we did was a tribute to her and he was so excited to do it. He was head-over-heels in love with Madhuri ma’am. Another emotional choreography we did was for his mother who passed away when he was young. It took a lot to perform that but it was one of those dances he was proud of,” she says.</p>.<p>Sushant was optimistic. Shampa says, “We used to practice for long hours, and he never once said he was tired. There was a time when he hurt his back and couldn’t move much. He was upset but he powered through and gave a great performance.” </p>.<p>Even after he made a name in Bollywood, he remained humble. “We used to bump into each other occasionally and he always took the time out to come and say hi. It’s terrible that we’ve lost such a gem of a person,” she says. </p>
<p>Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide on Sunday has left those who knew him grieving. Two colleagues who knew him closely share their memories with Showtime.</p>.<p><strong>A 2 am friend: Bhaskar</strong></p>.<p>Bengalurean actor Bhasi Bhaskar was in Sushant’s film ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’. Bhaskar’s character, a selector, insists on selecting Dinesh Karthik over Dhoni. </p>.<p>Talking to <em>Showtime</em>, he says, “Sushant was a wonderful person. Though we never had a scene together, I met him a couple of times during the shoot and it was always a pleasant experience.”</p>.<p>He recalls Sushant spent days with Dhoni to get the characterisation right. He even video-recorded the way the cricketer slept. “Sushant wanted to go to sleep and wake up like Dhoni to perfect his character,” says Bhaskar. </p>.<p>“He also referred to me the book ‘An Actor’s Work on a Role’ which gives tips on the rehearsal process. He was helpful to everyone around,” says Bhaskar.</p>.<p>The two shared a connection as they were from the Barry John Acting Studio. “We have a WhatsApp group of everyone who studied there. Everyone said if we wanted someone to talk to in the middle of the night, Sushant would be available as he was an insomniac. He was the ideal 2 am friend,” he says.</p>.<p>However, Sushant hadn’t been too active in the group the last couple of months, Bhaskar says.</p>.<p><strong>Always positive: Shampa Gopikrishna</strong></p>.<p>Bollywood choreographer Shampa Gopikrishna was paired with Sushant for ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja’ in 2011. They worked together for about six months and ended as runners-up.</p>.<p>“Sushant was definitely sad when we didn’t win, though he never showed it. He was always, always energetic for practice, even though he used to come in the late evening after a whole day of shooting,” recalls Shampa.</p>.<p>One of the judges for the show was Madhuri Dixit and Sushant was one of her biggest fans. “A dance we did was a tribute to her and he was so excited to do it. He was head-over-heels in love with Madhuri ma’am. Another emotional choreography we did was for his mother who passed away when he was young. It took a lot to perform that but it was one of those dances he was proud of,” she says.</p>.<p>Sushant was optimistic. Shampa says, “We used to practice for long hours, and he never once said he was tired. There was a time when he hurt his back and couldn’t move much. He was upset but he powered through and gave a great performance.” </p>.<p>Even after he made a name in Bollywood, he remained humble. “We used to bump into each other occasionally and he always took the time out to come and say hi. It’s terrible that we’ve lost such a gem of a person,” she says. </p>
