Sports / I regret not talking to him: Akhtar recalls meeting late actor Sushant in 2016

Cricket Desk: Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has sent shockwaves across the nation when the news arrived. The actor, who played the role of former Indian captain MS Dhoni in his biopic, was found dead in his house in Bandra, Mumbai. The police called it a case of suicide. It was revealed by the police that they had found papers which implied that the actor was suffering from clinical depression for the past six months. The 34-year-old actor died on June 14, 2020.

Days after this incident came to light, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has spoken on his matter. The ex-cricketer uploaded a video on his YouTube channel in which he spoke about the actor. He revealed that he had in fact met Sushant in Mumbai a few years back. According to Akhtar, the actor had not looked confident to him.

I could have shared experiences of my life with him: Shoaib Akhtar

“I met him in Olive in Mumbai when I was about to leave India in 2016. To be honest, he did not look very confident to me. He went past me with his head down when my friend told me he is doing MS Dhoni’s film,” said Akhtar in his YouTube video.

Akhtar further said that he regrets not talking to the actor then. He said that he feels they would have got along quite well. He also expressed that had he told him about his own experiences then things might have been better for Sushant.

“I thought I will have to watch his acting now, He has come from a humble background and he is making a good film. The film did turn out to be successful but I regret not stopping him there and having a word with him about life. I could have shared experiences of my life with him, maybe I could have talked to him like the way I do which could have given him a broad spectrum in life. But I regret not talking to him,” he added.

Akhtar then discussed how suicide should never be an option. He urged people to talk about their problems. The ex-pacer also revealed that actress Deepika Padukone has reached out when she was going through a bad phase.

“Ending your life should never be an option. Setbacks are an asset in life but when you know you have problems you should discuss it. Deepika Padukone reached out after her break up that she was suffering from anxiety and needed help. I think Sushant also needed help,” said Akhtar.