Sushant Singh Rajput death: Actor's Kai Po Che impact that made sports films viable again

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence in Mumbai on Sunday. The 34-year-year-old was found hanging at his home and his domestic help informed the same to the police. A team of Bandra Police rushed to the spot 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: The late star's debut film that reinstated sports dramas in Bollywood

In his seven-year Bollywood career, Sushant Singh Rajput gave some solid performances which will forever be remembered by his fans. The late Bollywood actor commenced his film career in 2013 with 'Kai Po Che!', which was a sports drama based on Chetan Bhagat's novel 'The Three Mistakes of My Life' and directed by Abhishek Kapoor. The film was critically acclaimed in India while internationally it garnered mixed reviews.

The plot of Kai Po Che! is set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots. Kai Po Che! tells the story of three best friends - Ishaan Bhatt (Sushant Singh Rajput), Omkar Shastri (Amit Sadh) and Govind Patel (Rajkumaar Rao), who are trying to chase their dreams in the arrival of the new millennium. Their dream is to start their own sports shop and sports academy. The film beautifully encapsulates their innocence and friendship which is blemished by religious politics and communal hatred.

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Kai Po Che! is a rejuvenating tale of friendship, aspirations and passion that might leave you with a mild dose of reality. The film showcases the madness that the common citizen of the country has about cricket, cinema and politics, and the effects that it is making on the process of growth and the ethos of the country. There are no over-the-top dramatic dialogues, instead, those in the film sound very realistic and authentic. 

At a time when the trend of sports films was subsiding, Sushant Singh Rajput's Kai Po Che! left a huge mark on Indian cinema. After this film, several other sports dramas were made in Bollywood. The film was a hit at the box office as it earned a whopping ₹92 crores and in a way, catapulted the careers of both Sushant Singh Rajput and Rajkummar Rao.

Sushant Singh Rajput's amazing potential, timing, acting skills and screen presence left everyone in awe of him. He soon paved his way into the show business as he went on to act in some amazing movies. PK, M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story and Chhichhore were the highlights of his short film career. The MS Dhoni movie and Chhichhore were two of his other popular movies which had the sports element in them tremendously.

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Sushant Singh Rajput death: Some facts about Kai Po Che!

• It had a world premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2013. The film became the first-ever Indian film to feature in the World Panorama section.
• It received six Filmfare nominations at the 59th Filmfare Awards where Sushant Singh Rajput was nominated in the Best Debut category.
• The film which was made on a budget of ₹25 crores earned ₹92 crores at the Box Office.

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IMAGE COURTESY: TWITTER/HAIDARMSDIAN007