Mumbai: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput on Monday was cremated at the Pawan Hans crematorium here in the presence of family members and close friends from the film and TV industry.
Rajput was found hanging in his Bandra apartment on Sunday. He was 34.
The actor's body reached the crematorium in Vile Parle from Cooper Hospital around 4.15 pm.
Though it poured heavily, friends joined the actor's final journey.
Casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who helmed Rajput's upcoming "Dil Bechara", was among the first ones to arrive at the venue along with actor Kriti Sanon. Sanon worked with Rajput in 2017's "Raabta".
Rajput's friend Rhea Chakraborty also attended the cremation after visiting the hospital.
The actor's "Chhichhore" co-stars Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Sharma, along with filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, who directed him in his big-screen debut "Kai Po Che!" and "Kedarnath", were also present.
They were joined by others from the film fraternity, including producer Ekta Kapoor, actors Vivek Oberoi, Randeep Hooda, Prateik Babbar and singer Udit Narayan.
According to a source, only close family members and select friends from the industry were allowed to go inside the crematorium in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rajput, who made the storybook transition from Patna boy to television and then the starry lights of the Hindi film industry, was the youngest of five siblings and is survived by his father and four sisters.
Rajput's last screen appearance was Nitesh Tiwari's 2019 film "Chhichhore", where he played the role of a father who conveys a message of hope and affirmation to his son who has attempted to kill himself.
Rajput's sudden death comes days after his former manager, 28-year-old Disha Salian, ended her life by jumping from a high rise building on June 9.
As news of the tragic death spread and condolences poured in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as a bright young actor gone too soon.
"He excelled on TV and in films. His rise in the world of entertainment inspired many and he leaves behind several memorable performances. Shocked by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and fans. Om Shanti," the prime minister said on Twitter.
An engineering student, Rajput left his course at the Delhi Technological University in the early 2000s to enroll in choreographer Shiamak Davar's dance classes and later joined acting guru Barry John's classes.
He also performed as a background dancer in the song Dhoom again with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the 2006 film Dhoom 2.
But it was the small screen that gave the "outsider" his breakout role as the mild-mannered Manav in the Ekta Kapoor-produced soap opera Pavitra Rishta in 2009.
He left the show in 2011 and two years later made his film debut with Kai Po Che!.
He also starred in films such as Shuddh Desi Romance, Raabta, Kedarnath and Sonchiriya. But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the 2007 biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.
Rajput's sudden death came as another shock for the film fraternity, still recovering from the deaths of Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Basu Chatterjee.
For many, Rajput's death was a reminder of the fragility of life and the importance to be sensitive, empathetic and available to those who might be suffering silently.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
