Bollywood Stars Attend Rajput's Funeral As Death Sparks Mental

14 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Bollywood stars attend Rajput’s funeral as death sparks mental health debate ollywood stars joined family mem- ing help. Padukone, who has previously was lauded for his portrayal of Indian bers for the funeral Monday of shared her struggle with depression, cricket hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Bactor Sushant Singh Rajput, whose tweeted with the hashtag the 2016 hit “M S Dhoni: The Untold death aged 34 has sent shock waves #YouAreNotAlone. Story”. He told AFP about the emotional through the Indian film industry and “As a person who has had lived expe- rollercoaster he experienced while film- rekindled a national debate about mental rience with mental illness, I cannot stress ing the movie, which also showed the health. Rajput was found dead on Sunday enough about the importance of reach- heartbreak suffered by the ex-skipper in his Mumbai apartment, with police ing out,” tweeted Padukone. “Talk. when his former girlfriend died. saying he took his own life. A star of hits Communicate. Express. Seek help. “It was very difficult because, after on the big and small screen, Rajput died Remember, you are not alone. We are in we did the preparation, in my head I just days after the shock death of his for- this together. And most importantly, there was him and everything that was hap- mer manager, Disha Salian. is hope.” Sharma, the actress wife of pening was actually affecting me,” he Those attending the funeral included Indian national cricket team captain Virat said. His most recent films were the Shraddha Kapoor, who starred with Kohli, also tweeted condolences. She comedy-drama “Chhichhore”, and Rajput in his last movie release, too had previously opened up about action movie “Drive”—both released “Chhichhore”, which dealt with societal struggling with anxiety. “Sushant, you last year. He had been working on a pressure and mental health. Others, were too young and brilliant to have string of projects, including a Hindi including actress Kriti Sanon and pro- gone so soon. I’m so sad and upset remake of the Hollywood romance “The ducer Ekta Kapoor, joined Rajput’s fami- knowing that we lived in an environment Fault in Our Stars”, titled “Dil Bechara” ly in heavy monsoon rain to pay their last that could not help you through any (“Poor Heart”). Bollywood is still strug- respects as his body was cremated troubles you may have had.” gling to come to terms with the loss of according to Hindu rituals. The young Born in the eastern state of Bihar, two luminaries, Irrfan Khan and Rishi actor’s death has sparked emotional dis- Rajput quit engineering studies to pursue Kapoor, who died in April after long ill- cussion on social media about mental a career in acting and dance. He got his nesses. –AFP Bollywood actress Pooja Chopra arrives to health, with stars including Deepika big break in 2013 with “Kai Po Che”, a Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao (left) and producer, direc- attend the funeral of Bollywood actor Padukone and Anushka Sharma posting film about cricket, love, and politics that tor Dinesh Vijan (right) attend the funeral of Bollywood Sushant Singh Rajput in Mumbai. messages about the importance of seek- won acclaim at the Berlin film festival. He actor Sushant Singh Rajput, in Mumbai.—AFP photos Aboriginal Australian Beyonce urges charges against musicians find new police in Breonna Taylor death fans in virus shutdown eyonce made an impassioned appeal for justice Monday in the boriginal musician Andrew sings in both English and their Bcase of Breonna Taylor, the Gurruwiwi usually per- native Yolngu, which he says African American woman shot dead by Aforms for a few hundred offers an opportunity to spread plainclothes police as she slept at home, people in Australia’s remote far messages about his people’s suf- calling for criminal charges against the north. But during the virus shut- fering at the hands of colonisers officers involved. In an open letter, the down his audience has swelled to to younger Aboriginal people still singer noted that all the police involved nearly 120,000 around the world. learning the history as well as This handout photo shows Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi performing online at in the March 13 shooting death remain Gurruwiwi’s eponymous band is new audiences from as far afield Banubanu Beach on Bremer Island in the Northern Territory.—AFP photos on the Louisville, Kentucky force. “Three the breakout success of a series as France, Germany, and the months have passed—and zero arrests of concerts being broadcast United States. “To me, some have been made, and no officers have online while the coronavirus pan- balanda (outsiders) don’t under- been fired,” she wrote to the state’s demic has seen Australia’s indige- stand... (what) Yolngu has been attorney general, Daniel Cameron. nous communities tightly sealed going through all those years The police involved—Jonathan off from the rest of the country ago,” he said. “So the world wants Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove and Brett over health concerns. “East to know about our story, we Hankison—“must be held accountable,” Arnhem Live” featured share our story and knowledge she said. She called on Cameron to use Gurruwiwi performing a 20- about (the) Yolngu people from the power of his office “to bring justice minute set against a backdrop of Arnhem Land.” to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the In this file photo US singer/songwriter exposed red-and-white bluffs The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band value of a black woman’s life.”Besides Beyonce arrives for the world premiere of and the setting sun. “All this coro- is one of eight acts that has criminal charges against the officers, she Disney’s “The Lion King” at the Dolby the- navirus that’s been happening played the concert series to urged Cameron to conduct a transparent atre in Hollywood. — AFP here (means) no shows, no music, date—the finale this Saturday investigation and to probe the Louisville no anything,” the artist told AFP, features internationally successful eral times before using a battering ram to police department’s response to the enter the apartment. A search turned up adding the shows were launched band Yothu Yindi—with the per- killing. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency to “make people happy”. formances not only offering no drugs, and the two suspects who This handout photo shows Aboriginal musicians Djakapurra medical technician, was in bed asleep Musicians around the world exposure but also an income were the target were already in custody. Munyarryun (left) and Malngay Yunupingu (right) performing online at shortly after midnight when police exe- have migrated online after stream after local festivals were Anger spilling into the streets over the Bawaka Homeland in Arnham Land in the Northern Territory. cuting a “no knock” warrant burst into deaths of African Americans at the hands COVID-19 forced venues to cancelled. Close-ups of the artists enter her apartment in search of two sus- close. But organisers in Arnhem playing are interspersed of police has become a full-blown crisis pected drug dealers. in the United States, propelling massive Land say the response to virtual with drone footage of sparkling Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, performances from the isolated green-blue seas meeting white protests and demands for deep changes reacted by opening fire, setting off the in law enforcement. —AFP corner of Australia’s Northern sand beaches and craggy red exchange of gunfire that ended in Territory has far surpassed cliffs topped with thickets of Taylor’s death. The officers say they expectations, reaching tens of trees—doubling as a tourism announced themselves and knocked sev- thousands of fans weekly who campaign for the picturesque otherwise may never have region. Local tourism officer engaged with the local Yolngu Ryley Heap said he hoped the culture. “It was sort of hard to concerts would attract a new comprehend that we could... get wave of visitors once travel Pandemic pushes Japan so many hits and so many people resumes. “The region in general is into it. And we’ve had pretty solid quite unknown, and as unknown numbers the whole way through,” as it is, it’s also untouched—it’s geisha to get online Yolngu Radio’s Nicholas O’Riley pristine here, it’s absolutely spec- This handout photo shows Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi performing online at said. “It’s incredible to watch tacular,” he said. Banubanu Beach on Bremer Island in the Northern Territory. when we do the livestream on the “We certainly would like to apanese geisha “Chacha” sits on her entertainers and raconteurs highly skilled Saturday nights, and people com- showcase it more, and we have knees with her fingertips neatly in traditional Japanese dance, musical menting on where they’re watch- done that through the perform- Jplaced on the wooden floor, grace- instruments and games. Almost everything ing from, from right around the ances, so hopefully there is a fully bowing to an audience sitting not in in the repertoire of these performers— world and from all around flow-on effect.” Gurruwiwi has front of her but miles away, watching from singing and dancing in small enclosed Australia.” Viewers from Spain to post-lockdown plans of his online. Beneath spotlights, the graceful 32- spaces, to entertaining customers with Canberra have posted comments. own, hoping to eventually per- year-old geisha performs a traditional witty conversation and delicately pouring form live in front of crowds as dance, moving like a butterfly and artfully sake in a customer’s cup—is at odds with Boosting exposure, big as his digital following. unfolding and fluttering her fan.

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