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Sushant Singh Rajput Just Ripped Aditya Chopra's 'Befikre' To Shreds

The actor's relationship with YRF, who used to manage his work, soured early last year.
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Sushant Singh Rajput, who started his career with television (Pavitra Rishta) but found his breakthrough role in Bollywood with Abhishek Kapoor's well-received Kai Po Che, has something to say about Aditya Chopra's Befikre.

The film, which featured Ranveer Singh and Vani Kapoor, was widely panned by most critics and also found its way into this writer's Worst Films Of 2016 list.

In an interview with HT Cafe, Rajput, who used to be a YRF Talent (which means that Yash Raj Films was looking after his movies/endorsements like they do with Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Anushka Sharma), said, "I was never offered Befikre. But had I been offered, I wouldn't have done it. If the same production house is offering me a niche film like Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015), I would do it because Dibakar Banerjee (director) has a different interpretation of the old classic; and I would do a Paani where Shekhar Kapur will be raising a very important and immediate issue."

He further added, "If Befikre was representing the new-age youth of India and romance as what it was claiming, it would have been great irrespective of the box-office numbers. But unfortunately, it didn't do that and hence I would not be interested. I am not suggesting that films should only reflect reality (like Pink, Neerja or Dhoni biopic)," he said, before adding, "They could also be fanciful films like The Jungle Book (2016), which was also very popular. But it's extremely important to know and then claim what you have made. It's a wonderful new India, and it is reflecting in the way we are bridging the gap between our 'hits' and 'good' films."

Things between Sushant Singh Rajput and YRF soured after the former felt that the Aditya Chopra-led studio was aggressively promoting Ranveer Singh/Arjun Kapoor over him. Rajput did Shuddh Desi Romance and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, one an average grosser and another a massive flop with the production house, before breaking his association.

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A report on Spotboye.com said that Rajput felt he was getting 'step-son' treatment and whatever projects came his way were rejects by Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor. The final nail in the coffin was when his then girlfriend Ankita Lokhande was rejected for a role in Sultan despite delivering a stellar audition.

Ever since he walked out of YRF, Rajput hasn't worked in any of their films, much like Shraddha Kapoor, who too left the banner after Luv Ka The End.

About his rivalry with Ranveer Singh, Rajput said, "It's probably because we are about the same age and also because I opted out of the old management (Aditya Chopra's company) and he (Ranveer) decided otherwise, and so some comparisons can be made. But I feel the choices we young actors make will be a differentiator when it comes to films that are made, our respective careers and the taste of our audience."

His comments about Befikre indicate that he's still not over the disappointment he felt with Yash Raj Films and its head honcho, Aditya Chopra, who directed the romantic drama.

HuffPost India reached out to YRF for a comment on Rajput's rant but the studio declined to say anything.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.