Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise left a void in choreographer Shampa Gopikrishna’s life, but she feels grateful for having had the opportunity of knowing him and spending memorable moments with him. For the unversed, Shampa was Sushant’s dance partner on the popular reality TV show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. On Sushant’s first death anniversary, she walked went back in time and shared her memories of the late actor.
“Ambitious, passionate and a dreamer... that’s how I would describe Sushant. Be it his dance project or his acting stint, he always gave his best. I still remember how he used to rehearse for his performances till 2 am at night. Everyone used to leave but he would keep rehearsing. In the mornings, he had Pavitra Rishta shoot and after pack up he would come to the studio for his dance rehearsal. It must be so exhausting for him but he never complained. There was even a time when he performed despite suffering from severe back pain. In fact, he always asked me to give him difficult steps... he believed in challenging himself and doing things out of his comfort zone,” Shampa told the Cinema Journal.
Shampa and Sushant became good friends on the show, and they never lost touch with each other even after Sushant moved to Bollywood. “Sushant and I spent three-four months together while working on Jhalak.... Apart from dance, we also used to eat together, laugh together. We had even partied together. He had once invited me to his house on his birthday. We shared a great bonding. Meeting him and choreographing him was my biggest blessing.
“After Jhalak..., he stepped into Bollywood... his life became different and he became busier with his work. I also got busy with my work...so naturally we did not see each other that often or interacted the way we used to earlier. But we never lost touch with each other. When filmmaker Shekhar Kapur signed him for Paani, he texted to share the good news with me. He sounded so excited when he told me about the project,” she added.
While speaking about Sushant, Shampa recalled how she missed her chance to work with the former in one of the Hollywood crossover projects. “We both were approached for one of the Hollywood crossover films, wherein Sushant had to play the lead role. However, that film got delayed and meanwhile, Sushant got the offer to act in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. So, he opted for Dhoni and left that Hollywood film. But he even sent me a sorry text. I was really touched by his gesture and told him to not to say sorry as we will get more chances to work together later. I never thought that was our last chance,” she melancholy said.
Sushant got in touch with Shampa in 2019 when he wanted her to give him dance training. “Sushant always wanted to learn something or the other. Everyone knows about his bucket list. Honing his dance skills was also there on his bucket list. In September 2019, his manager contacted me and asked if I would be available to give personal dance training sessions to Sushant. I immediately said yes. I was so happy to know that Sushant wanted me to help him hone his dance skills. That was a special moment for me. After that call, I did not get to hear much from Sushant’s manager. I once called his manager to know about the update and she said, ‘Sushant is going for a long trip to Europe. We might take this forward in November or December’.”
And the opportunity of giving personal training to Sushant remained unfulfilled. “But I never got any call from their end and then in June last year he passed away. I was shocked when I heard about his demise. It still feels unbelievable that Sushant is no more.
“My only regret is that I did not put much efforts to push him or his manager for conducting that dance training session. I assumed that Sushant must be busy and it would be better not to disturb him. That’s my only guilt,” she concluded.
