In a 2017 profile of Sushant Singh Rajput, Forbes India called the Bollywood star "the confident craftsman", a nod to his tenacity.
Rajput's journey to fame began after he dropped out of engineering college in Delhi to become an actor in Mumbai. Then, just as his TV career was taking off, he quit that industry to focus on Bollywood films and went on to achieve a level of success few can only dream of.
But when Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14 at the age of 34 — a case the police have ruled as suicide — it not only devastated millions of his fans, but gave his fairy-tale story a tragic twist.
Following news of his death, there have been a number of developments, while conspiracy theories have followed thick and fast. Fans have attacked Bollywood's bias against "outsiders", while Rajput's father has filed a case against the actor's girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty.
Here are the latest twists and turns so far.
Why Bollywood is accused of bias
For many years, Bollywood has been locked in an "insider" versus "outsider" debate, with the latter claiming the industry is run by a group of film dynasties whose sole interest is promoting their own. The outspoken actress Kangana Ranaut, once one of the highest paid in Bollywood, has been the most vocal. Ranaut posted a video message in Hindi a day after Rajput's death, claiming he was a victim of nepotism.
Actor Ranvir Shorey also tweeted in July: "'The Gang' is essentially a mutually beneficial alliance of a few powerful, corrupt, crafty old men, and a few second generation younger producers who have inherited film empires. Their objective is to have control over the top of the pyramid and have pliable stars.”
Top producer Karan Johar, who is known for casting many children of Bollywood stars in his films, was one of the first to face a backlash online. Johar immediately went on a social media hiatus, returning on Saturday, August 15, to wish Indians a happy Independence Day.
A number of Bollywood personalities have since been called on by the Mumbai Police to record statements, including director and producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, director Mahesh Bhatt, Yash Raj Films chairman Aditya Chopra, film critic Rajeev Masand and casting director Mukesh Chhabra. Ranaut has also been summoned by police.
Rajput’s father files case against girlfriend
On July 28, Rajput's father, KK Singh, filed an FIR (First Information Report) in Patna, Bihar, against Chakraborty. He accused the actress, who was dating Rajput, and her family of abetment of suicide and stealing his money. Among his accusations was a claim that Rs150 million (Dh7.3m) was transferred from Rajput's bank account to an unknown account over the course of a year.
Chakraborty has denied the accusations and filed her own FIR requesting the case be moved to Mumbai from Patna. She also said she’d been receiving rape and death threats on social media.
On Friday, August 14, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a law enforcement agency tasked with investigating economic crimes, said that while Rs150m was withdrawn from Rajput’s account, no suspicious activities involving Chakraborty were discovered.
Rajput ran two companies along with Chakraborty and her brother Showik, according to the Mumbai Mirror.
How politicians got involved
With elections due in Bihar, Rajput’s home state, later this year, it was only a matter of time before politicians waded in.
While Rajput’s death in Mumbai would normally come under the jurisdiction of the state of Maharashtra, because his father filed an FIR in Bihar, means there’s been mud-slinging from both states, ruled by political rivals.
A team of police from Patna who travelled to Mumbai to carry out their own investigation were put under mandatory home quarantine by authorities, prompting an outcry from politicians in Bihar who demanded the investigation be handed to the federal agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Bihar’s ruling party Janata Dal (United) is a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, a rival of Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena party.
India's Supreme Court has rejected multiple appeals for the case to be taken over by the CBI. "Let the police do its job," it said in a July 30 ruling.
Why his therapist spoke out
On August 1, Rajput's therapist Susan Walker told journalist Barkha Dutt that she decided to breach client confidentiality "given the reckless media coverage around mental health and the lynch mobs unleashing hate on social media", adding that the actor had bipolar disorder.
"Symptoms can include severe anxiety,” she said, adding that Rajput was “suffering terribly during bouts of depression and hypomania".
Walker, who said she started meeting Rajput in November last year, added that Chakraborty gave Sushant the courage to attend sessions. "The treatment that Rhea has received on social media is deeply shocking to me," she said.
The treatment that Rhea Chakraborty has received on social media is deeply shocking to me
In their investigation, Mumbai Police said Rajput searched three items on the internet repeatedly in the week preceding his death: his own name in news reports, the name of his former manager Disha Salian, who had committed suicide the previous week, and information about mental health, an officer told The Indian Express.
The police also recorded the statements of three psychiatrists and one psychotherapist last month, who confirmed that Rajput had consulted them for treatment.
"Sushant’s sad and untimely death needs to be yet another lesson for us all in ending shame and stigma around mental illness,” said Walker.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
THE%20SWIMMERS
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAyan%20Mukerji%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERanbir%20Kapoor%2C%20Alia%20Bhatt%20and%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Naga
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Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
The%20Kitchen
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