Sushant Singh Rajput death: How the actor's Dhoni masterclass elevated Indian sports films

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence in Mumbai on Sunday. The 34-year-old was found hanging at his home and his domestic help informed the police about the same. The Bandra Police sent a team to the spot almost immediately to further investigate the death. The news comes days after his former manager Disha Salian committed suicide by jumping off a building.

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Sushant Singh Rajput death: When the Bollywood actor left everyone in awe with his performance in MS Dhoni movie

The first of Sushant Singh Rajput films came in 2013 in the form of Kai Po Che, which was based on Chetan Bhagat's novel 'The Three Mistakes of My Life'. The film was critically and commercially acclaimed, giving Rajput a great start to his film career. In his seven-year Bollywood career, Sushant Singh Rajput gave some solid performances which will forever be remembered by his fans.

However, the highlight of his short career was his impeccable performance in 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story', which was a biopic based on the former Indian cricket captain's life. The movie showcased the highs and the lows of the cricketing career of MS Dhoni and it was produced by the cricketer himself.

Sushant Singh Rajput, who played the titular role in the film, took it to another level with his phenomenal performance. Sushant Singh Rajput perfectly nailed the role and managed to get into the shoes of MS Dhoni in the best possible way. He received a lot of plaudits for his quintessential portrayal of MS Dhoni.

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In fact, during the promotions of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, the former India captain himself lauded Sushant Singh Rajput's efforts to get into the skin of the character and go beyond just imitating him. MS Dhoni revealed that Sushant Singh Rajput underwent 2-2.5 hours of practice every day for 9 months to reprise his life in every sense, from the way he talks to the way he walks. Fans, as well as critics, were in awe of Sushant Singh Rajput's acting skills.

For the first time in India, a biopic was lauded to such an extent and rightly so because the kind of efforts Sushant Singh Rajput had taken to portray the character was commendable. When it comes to acting in a biopic, Sushant Singh Rajput took a leaf out of Hollywood's book as he nailed the character flawlessly. The film did wonders at the box office as it earned ₹216 crore. It could be fair to say that Rajput played a huge role in raising the standards of sports biopics as prior to him, no major Indian cricketer or sportsperson for that matter was shown on the screen with such aplomb.

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Sushant Singh Rajput death: When Sachin Tendulkar took notice of the Bollywood actor

Sushant Singh Rajput had once shared an anecdote where Sachin Tendulkar watched him bat during the time he used to practice for his role in the MS Dhoni movie. Sushant Singh Rajput said that there was this one incident that gave him an immense amount of confidence just before the start of the film. He added that he was practising at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) with Kiran More and Sachin Tendulkar was sitting in the first row.

Sachin Tendulkar was watching his son on the next wicket. He further said that it was the last 15 minutes of his practice which is why he was allowed to hit the ball wherever he wanted. He said that he hit all kinds of shots including the famous helicopter shot and just went on hitting.

Sushant Singh Rajput revealed that he was enjoying it because he had always wanted to play cricket but he could never get into his school team. He added that Sachin Tendulkar walked up to Kiran More and asked him who he was representing because, at the MCA, only the professionals who play for the state are allowed. But Kiran told him that he was an actor and he was playing Dhoni in MS Dhoni movie. The late Bollywood actor said that Sachin Tendulkar didn’t say anything but that expression on his face was priceless as it said everything.

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IMAGE COURTESY: CHENNAI SUPER KINGS INSTAGRAM