Actor Swastika Mukherjee, who predominantly works in Bengali cinema, and has worked in Bollywood projects like Paatal Lok and Qala, has reacted to the comments made by former cricketer Sourav Ganguly on Rahul Arunoday Banerjee‘s death. Rahul died in Odisha on March 29 after a drowning incident while shooting for the Bengali soap Bholebaba Paar Karega. Sourav wondered why he had to go towards the water body in the first place. (Also read: Rahul Arunoday Banerjee death: Priyanka Sarkar joins Artists Forum as they file police complaint against producers)
What Swastika said
Swastika has now questioned Sourav for making such a comment in the first place. While speaking to Sharmila Maiti on her channel, Swastika said, “As a public figure he should be aware of what words are coming out of his mouth. I do not understand cricket or football. Now if I tell you (the host), ‘Why are you bothering about YouTube channel for a few likes? This comment in itself has a condescending tone. You are doing your job well and this is your income. It might not be mine. I might be a huge someone. But if I say today why are you doing this YouTube interview? Do something else… then I immediately making your work feel less.”
‘Whoever is a public figure of his stature…’
She continued, “Not everyone can be knowledgeable of every single thing. Now he is indispensable and without him the project might not go ahead. But if Rahul does not go in the water body, then someone else will replace him and go. Whoever is a public figure of his stature, should also, understand what he is speaking. He does a non-fiction show as Sourav Ganguly, on the AC floor. So, he is not supposed to know how the shooting is done. He is provided everything he needs because he is Sourav Ganguly. But another Rahul Ganguly might not be getting all the amenities.”
A few days ago, when Sourav was asked to comment on Rahul’s death, he said that it is a very unfortunate incident and asked, “I don’t know why he went into the water even though it was for shooting.” His comment did not go well with many on social media.
What caused Rahul’s death?
The news agency ANI stated that Rahul was shooting alongside co-actor Sweta Mishra. Officials stated that the two were allegedly performing a dance sequence in knee-deep water when they suddenly slipped into a ditch. Both were rushed to Digha Hospital; however, Rahul could not be saved. The Bengali entertainment industry, or Tollywood, called for an indefinite strike starting from Tuesday (April 7) to demand safety and security measures on the set of films, Television shows and web series.
