Parineeti recalls Sushant Singh Rajput's priceless reaction to National Award win

Parineeti Chopra recalled Sushant Singh Rajput shouting with delight when her National Award was announced during a break on the Shuddh Desi Romance shoot. She said the moment reflected their close bond, with Sushant acting as her buddy and cheerleader.

In Short

• Parineeti Chopra recalled when she won the National Award
• She said Karan Johar's message first alerted her to the announcement
• Parineeti recalled how Sushant climbed on poolside chairs to celebrate her win

Actor Parineeti Chopra has fondly remembered her late co-actor Sushant Singh Rajput, recalling his exuberant reaction upon learning about her National Award recognition. Describing Sushant as her "buddy" and "cheerleader", Parineeti opened up about their off-screen bond during the shoot of their 2013 romantic comedy, Shuddh Desi Romance.

Speaking to Zoom, Parineeti recounted a memorable incident from a break in filming, where she was lounging by the hotel pool alongside Rajput and late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. The news arrived unexpectedly via a congratulatory text from filmmaker Karan Johar.

"I got a message from Karan (Johar) saying, 'Mubarak ho' (Congratulations). I was wondering what this was for. Sushant got excited and said he would find out," Parineeti said.

Upon discovering that the National Film Awards had been announced, Sushant stood atop the pool-deck chairs, exclaiming, "Main National Award winner ke saath kaam kar raha hoon (I am working with a National Award winner)."

Recalling the emotional moment, she added, "I have never seen somebody get so excited, so happy for me... Rishi Sir said, 'Both of you have gone crazy.' Sushant hugged me and I started crying." Parineeti mentioned that Sushant announced the achievement to the entire crew on set the following day.

Beyond their screen partnership, Parineeti highlighted their intellectual camaraderie, anchored by their academic backgrounds prior to entering cinema. Parineeti holds a qualification in banking, while Rajput studied engineering before pursuing acting.

"Sushant and I used to have academic talks. I am a banker by qualification and he had done something before joining films. So we would talk about stars, economics. He really used to get me, and I used to get him," she remarked. Chopra also revealed that the duo was slated to collaborate on a project directed by Homi Adajania, though the film ultimately failed to materialise.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner, Shuddh Desi Romance released in 2013 to critical praise and commercial success. The film featured Sushant, Parineeti and Rishi Kapoor alongside actor Vaani Kapoor.

Sushant died at his Bandra residence in Mumbai in June 2020 at the age of 34. His untimely death triggered widespread public grief and led to extensive investigations by central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Meanwhile, Parineeti was recently seen headlining the Netflix mystery thriller series Shaque: Trust No One, directed by Rensil D'Silva.

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