Mumbai: Statements of a total of 13 people have been recorded so far by the Bandra police as part of the ongoing investigation of Sushant Singh Rajput`s suicide. Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on June 14, at his Bandra, Mumbai home. The preliminary post-mortem report revealed asphyxiation by hanging as the cause of death. Yesterday, Rhea Chakraborty`s statement was recorded. She was at the police station for about nine hours. In her statement, she revealed that Sushant Singh Rajput had ended his contract with Yash Raj Films (YRF) and had even asked her to do the same.

The news of Sushant Singh Rajput`s untimely demise has brought Bollywood`s treatment of newcomers, especially those who are not star-kids and are supposedly outsiders in the industry, under scrutiny. Earlier, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said that the police will investigate all angles pertaining to Sushant`s suicide, including that of a professional rivalry brought to light by the media. Yesterday, the Bandra police had asked for a copy of the contract signed between Sushant Singh Rajput and Yash Raj Films (YRF) to be submitted for investigation. Sushant had worked in two YRF films - Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015). Shuddh Desi Romance was his second film, and at the time it was widely reported that Sushant had bagged a three-movie deal with YRF.

Sushant was also roped in for Shekhar Kapur`s Paani, which was announced at Cannes. The film was supposed to be bankrolled by Yash Raj. However, the film was later shelved. Shekhar Kapur has expressed regret over never getting to go ahead with the project, and even said that he loved collaborating with Sushant Singh Rajput briefly as they were preparing for the film. Sushant Singh Rajput`s family had come down to Mumbai from Patna to perform his last rites on June 15. The funeral went through at Pawan Hans Crematorium in the presence of his family and a few close friends. The family then went back to Patna to immerse his ashes in Ganga on June 18, as revealed by his sister in a now-deleted Facebook post.

Sushant Singh Rajput was last seen on the big screen in Chhichhore in 2019. His movie Drive, produced under Dharma Productions banner, premiered on Netflix in November 2019, as it failed to get a theatre release. Dil Bechara, his last film, was supposed to release on May 8 this year, however, owing to the novel coronavirus crisis and the shutting of theatres across the country, the film could not be released. While the makers haven`t revealed a release date, it is believed that it will go the OTT route as well.

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