New Delhi, March 26 : When Ankita Lokhande said that she gave up on a major Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan’s Happy New Year because of her then-boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput, the late actor in 2014 had chalked it down to something else.
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput had spoken about Ankita Lokhande not being able to do the film Happy New Year. Sushant and Ankita were dating at the time, and in a recent interview, she revealed that she’d dropped out of the high-profile project because she wanted to support him in his career.
Ankita had told Bollywood Bubble in a tell-all interview about her relationship with Sushant that she ‘gave up on many things’ for him, including a splashy Bollywood debut with Happy New Year, starring Shah Rukh Khan. She also rejected Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani and Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela.
“I gave up on many things,” she said. “I gave up on Happy New Year. I remember Farah ma’am offered me the film and I met Shah Rukh sir also. He was like, ‘I will try to give you the best debut.’ And I was like, okay, but at the back of my mind… I was in Macau. Me, Sushant and Shah Rukh, we were sitting, and I was like, ‘Bhagwan, mera na ho (God, I hope I don’t get it).’ Ladki kaisi hoti hai na, she always tries, ‘Nahi yaar, mere partner ka achcha ho’ (A girl always wants the best for her partner).”
In a 2014 interview with Filmfare, Sushant had spoken about Ankita not being able to do the film. He’d said, “The talks were on but many things couldn’t be worked out. Between Kai Po Che and today, I have been in talks for about 25 films, but things don’t always work out. It happens.”
Ankita and Sushant were in a six-year relationship until 2016. He was found dead in his apartment in June 2020. The Mumbai Police ruled his death a suicide, but the case is now being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Ankita had said that she doesn’t regret giving up on the opportunities. “Till today, I have no regrets. I was trying to build a man and I did that. I was trying to be a very strong support for Sushant, and I did it. But then I realised, ‘No, yaar. Main bhi toh kuch hoon (I have my own identity too).’ After my break-up, I understood my value. It is very important to understand your worth,” she said. Ankita eventually made her film debut with Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. (THT)
