Directors posting condolence messages for Sushant have replaced actresses who refused to sleep with them: Richa Chaddha

Actress Richa Chaddha has been vocal regarding the nepotism debate which has been re-ignited ever since Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment on June 14, 2020.

Richa Chaddha wrote that instead of talking about mental health, nepotism has become the topic of discussion. Here’s what she said further,

It is being said that the industry seems to be divided between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’? In my opinion the Hindi film industry and it’s entire eco-system is only divided between kind and unkind people

Richa also expressed her concern that as an outsider she feels that the industry operates like a food chain,

In the brief time that I have spent here as the first person of my lineage, my assessment is that the industry operates like a food chain. People are scoundrels when they know they can get away with it. Those who are anguished today have themselves been cruel to their subordinates

She also mentioned how she had to gather strength in order to recover from being sabotaged,

There are insiders who can be kind and generous, and outsiders who are punitive egomaniacs. In the nascent phase of my career, I was often ‘cut to size’ by outsiders. It took me all my strength to recover from various forms of subtle sabotage. But this is not about me. The tragic part is that everyone here has experienced a version of this.”

She mentioned how nepotism makes her “laugh-out-loud”

I don’t hate ‘star kids’,” she added. “Why are we expected to? If someone’s father is a star, they are born into that household the same as we are to our folks. Are you ashamed of your parents… This is a hateful and nonsense argument. I am a self-made person in this business. Will you tell my children to be ashamed of my struggle to reach where I have, for instance?

Richa goes on to recall a story from during her rehearsal days with Sushant,

Sushant and I started out by workshopping together in a theatre group. I was sharing a 700 sq ft apartment in Andheri West with a friend from Delhi. Sushant would pick me up on his bike and we would head to the rehearsal, for which I was grateful. I wasn’t poor or broke. But I can’t say money was not a consideration when I had to head out to do an ad audition for a skin brand. I would worry about my make up melting in the auto rickshaw before I even arrived. This was would NEVER happen with a ‘star-kid’, and if it does, they will be lauded for being humble enough to take the rickshaw in the first place. But I don’t resent their privilege. the thing with privilege is, it is invisible to those who have it. We cannot have a sincere discussion about equality before confronting entitlement. And it will not happen by blaming ‘the privileged’ for a man’s death or calling for actresses to be raped

Richa expressed rage at the fact that the late actor’s friends and his rumored girlfriend’s social media have been flooded with hateful message,

I am surprised by our collective lack of dismay or shock at how low we have stooped in our discourse. The social media timelines of the deceased actor’s friends and girlfriend are littered with filth! Who are these ‘fans’? I checked out a few profiles online. The same gutter mouths that abused Sushant when he took a stand on the ‘Padmavat’ issue are now abusing his loved ones for ‘not being there’ for him.

She noted that “several filmmakers who shared condolence messages a month ago are the same people who have run down movies of their peers pre-release, have replaced actresses who refused to sleep with them at the last minute and several have in fact repeatedly forecasted ‘iska kuch nahi hoga’.