Mahesh Shetty on Sushant: How I wish that call had come through

Mumbai, June 19  One of the two last calls Sushant Singh Rajput tried making before committing suicide was to his ePavitra Rishta co-star Mahesh Shetty. The call did not get through.

In a long note, Mahesh regrets saying how he wishes that the call had come through. Sharing a black and white picture in which Sushant and he are posing with a bike, Mahesh recalled their initial meeting and endless talks of food, books, cinema, science and much more.

Mahesh wrote: “It’s a strange feeling… I have so much to say yet I’m speechless.

“Sometimes in life, you meet someone and feel an instant connection as if you’ve known him all your life and you realise that you don’t have to be born from the same womb to be brothers. This is how we met… We met as brothers.

“We hit if off over our love for food and long walks in Film City and didn’t realise when and how we became such an integral part of each other’s lives. Both introverts, both amazingly old fashioned when it came to our friendship, both living in a little private world of our own.

“So many memories, our journeys, our endless chats (he could talk about anything under the sun with equal conviction), food, films, books, nature, science, relations and lots of bakwaas… He was like a kid in a candy shop and that boundless energy laced with all the limitless dreams was always infectious. He made me feel loved. We shared a unique bond and I was always glad that our relationship never needed any public display of affection or a public validation. It was sacred for both of us. How I wish I had captured it all in a lot more pictures so at least I have had something to look back at now. But still, I’m thankful, at least I have the last 13 years’ journey filled with memories to cherish and hold on to for the rest of my life.

“His success, his achievements, his work… he was always a perfectionist and no matter what I say, I will never be able to explain the genius in him. I could never express how happy I felt every time I watched his film on the big screen and all the days and nights of hard work he put behind those characters. He was an inspiration to almost everyone around me and that made me even more proud. He was always so full of life with dreams in his eyes. All those who loved him always automatically became a part of my family too and will always remain that way.

“I never thought I’ll ever be writing all this for you brother. Here we were planning on our retirement farming dreams and now this… I somehow always knew that you were the blessed one… But never expected that he’d take you away so soon. I’ll always behold your legacy to heart and wouldn’t want it to go waste. I wish the world celebrates your life as much as your work. Feel as if there is a sudden void which will never be filled again. For every important event of our lives, we were always there for each other. How do you even explain if you suddenly lose a piece of your heart? How do you convince yourself to live with all the why’s, all the other hundreds of questions and what-ifs? I’m sorry but I’ll always hold so many grudges now. How I wish you would have opened up your heart completely. You knew that Shetty hai aur tere saath humesha rahega. Then why??? Baat to kar leta yaar !!! How I really wish that call would have come through kamini… Life can never be the same !!! I know how much you loved the stars… Dharti Maa Ki Kasam, I’ll be looking out for you every night brother,” Mahesh wrote.