Mukesh Chhabra Remembers His Last Conversation With Sushant

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death shook his fans and the film industry. The last film he shot for was Dil Bechara, the directorial debut of Mukesh Chhabra who has earned fame as a casting director. The film also stars Sanjana Sanghi as the female lead. As Dil Bechara gears up for release on Disney+Hotstar, Mukesh speaks to The Quint about how the experience having his maiden film release is anything but happy.

The filmmaker also reminisced about the happy times on the sets of Dil Bechara, shot in Jamshedpur.

"We all were very emotionally invested in the film. So whenever we filmed an emotional scene, we needed time to get out of the zone. We used to eat together, play together. With Sushant, cricket was a must. He would also keep showing us stars. He carried his telescope to Jamshedpur. The moment Shah Rukh Khan’s song used to play, he would start dancing.

Mukesh Chhabra, Filmmaker

The casting director-turned filmmaker spoke about the time he first met Sushant and about casting him in Kai Po Che.

"Shobha Sant introduced me to Sushant. That time we were casting for some other film. So I told him that when there is some good role I’ll definitely call you. After 6 to 7 months, I met him at a café called ‘Chai and Coffee’ in Versova. I told him I am casting for a film called ‘Kai Po Che’. I am looking for three new boys. Why don’t you come for a test? So he came the next day and auditioned. He was so charming, he was so good. So I shortlisted him.

Mukesh Chabbra, Filmmaker

The filmmaker and Sushant became close friends after that and their relationship grew over the years. Mukesh remembered the last conversation he had with his friend.

"It was my birthday on 27th May and a lot of people called and of course he also did. So we chatted a lot. He was very happy. He said that if this lockdown wouldn’t have been there we would have been partying. I would have come downstairs to meet you. All those things we talked about".

Mukesh Chabbra, Filmmaker