[ad_1]
- Deepika Padukone has been summoned for questioning as part of an investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
- Young Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, was found dead in her apartment in June, just days after the death of her former manager Disha Salian.
- His sudden death has sparked a renewed debate around mental health.
Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone has been summoned for questioning as part of a drug investigation on the rise in the suicide of actor Sushant Singh RajputIndian police said Wednesday night.
Research has already seen actress Rhea Chakraborty arrested for allegedly buying drugs for her former Rajput boyfriend, who was found dead in June in his Mumbai apartment, and police said he took his own life.
A star with many hit movies to his name, the 34-year-old’s suicide initially sparked a debate about mental health in the multi-billion dollar industry.
But his family disputed reports that he was suffering from depression and accused Chakraborty, 28, of stealing his money and harassing him. She has flatly denied the allegations.
Rajput’s death has sparked a media firestorm in India, where calls for a broader investigation into Bollywood’s so-called “drug mafia” have risen, and TV channels speculate that Chakraborty allegedly drove the Rajput to suicide by buying him cannabis.
India’s main crime-fighting agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, has been investigating his death since last month. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was investigating his cannabis use.
READ ALSO | India’s Leading Crime Agency To Investigate Death Of Bollywood Star Sushant Singh Rajput
Earlier this week, TimesNow TV channel aired sections of a WhatsApp conversation about obtaining hashes, claiming that the two people chatting were Padukone and his manager.
KPS Malhotra, deputy director of the NCB, told AFP that the agency had summoned Padukone, as well as actresses Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh for questioning.
Police have already detained other people in connection with the case, including Chakraborty’s brother and a member of the Rajput household staff.
The investigation has been making headlines for months and some celebrities, including actresses Vidya Balan and Sonam Kapoor, have accused TV channels of conducting a “witch hunt” against Chakraborty.
Born in the eastern state of Bihar, Rajput dropped out of engineering studies to pursue a career in acting.
READ ALSO | Bollywood stars attend Sushant Singh Rajput’s funeral when his death sparks a debate over mental health
He got his big break in 2013 with “Kai Po Che”, a film about cricket, love and politics that won praise at the Berlin film festival.
He was also praised for his portrayal of the Indian cricket hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a successful 2016 biopic.
In an interview with AFP that year, Rajput spoke of the emotional roller coaster he went through while filming the film, which portrayed the anguish Dhoni suffered when his girlfriend died.
“After we did the preparation, in my head I was him and everything that was happening was really affecting me,” he said.
