Sushant Singh Rajput’s work would always keep the actor alive in the hearts of his millions of his fans after his untimely death in June this year. One of his notable works is the 2018 film Kedarnath, which saw the actor playing ‘pithu’ at the holy Kedarnath shrine. The film was a dramatic retelling of the calamitous flash floods in Uttarakhand in June 2013 in which 4,000 people died and 70,000 went missing.
Sushant had to climb mountains with Sara Ali Khan on his back
Director Abhishek Kapoor had opened up about how shooting for Kedarnath was an exhausting experience for Sushant. Ahead of the film’s release, he had said, “Sushant is very strong mentally and physically. Not everybody can lift huge weights on their back and climb the mountain. As an actor, Sushant shows lot of dedication to his character, but this time it has been very demanding on him physically.”
Sushant would have to get wet in freezing temperature
The film required Sushant to not just lift heavy weight but also to get drenched in ice-cold water. Talking about how Sushant did all of it without hesitation, Abhishek said, “On certain days during our shoot in Uttarakhand, the temperature would drop to two-three degrees and he would have to get wet. He would be shivering in the cold while everyone else around would be wearing jackets and gloves. Undeterred by the topography and freezing cold weather, he would go on shooting.”
Sushant was ‘troubled’ during Kedarnath shoot
Hardly anyone knew about Sushant’s reported struggles with depression or anxiety before his death. Sharing his own experience of working with him, Abhishek had told Enquiry, on YouTube, “He was very troubled while we were shooting for Kedarnath. But when we shot, he was 100% there. He never threw tantrum, it was cold, he had to carry Sara on his back, and he never said no if I asked for retakes. I couldn’t pay much attention to him during the shoot, but I knew we would reconnect if he wanted to.”