Aman Verma: No one is speaking up for the industry as everyone is scared. That’s why people are taking advantage – bollywood

“I am losing friendship with a number of my friends who don’t see eye-to-eye with what happened to Sushant Singh Rajput. We believe in different versions. I hope with the CBI’s investigation the truth comes out soon,” says Aman Yatan Verma, who believes that people need to understand that this is a political game.

Verma is unhappy that while news channels are focus on “cooking up new stories daily”, people aren’t “even thinking about issues like the GDP, economy, unemployment or migrants”. “But people know all about Rhea and her family and her what’s app chats,” he exclaims.

He is upset about the entire film industry being “labelled as drug users”. Verma admits, “I don’t do drugs, or smoke or drink and don’t have a single vice. And there are so many other actors like me, who have worked hard to make a place for ourselves. I might not have achieved a lot but that has not made me negative towards the industry. This is the best industry to be in and everyone wants to be in it and make a name for themselves.”

While he believes that this might be a “bad phase” for the film industry, he also feels that “this is the time to show solidarity, but sadly that isn’t happening”. “This is the time for us to stick together and speak up for the industry. Everyone is scared and so people are taking advantage. I appeal to senior actors, who have a position and place, and people look up to them and have loved them over the years, so they need to make a statement at this juncture. They need to come out and protect the industry that has given them everything. I have been very vocal about things and have lost out on film projects due to my opinions. People have to voice their opinions like Jaya ji (Bachchan) did in the Parliament,” he says.

Verma feels sorry for Sushant’s family as “everyone has forgotten him”. “People who had nothing to do with Sushant are talking on his behalf and have opinions on what kind of a person he was. By being part of a conversation regarding him, you are getting the eyeballs, which is really sad,” says the actor, who is shooting for a film, “inspired from the current events in the country” including Sushant Singh Rajput’s death investigation. Ask him if his project, too, is trying to get eyeballs and he says, “People might think so and there might be controversy around the film but it’s an inspirational version and not a blatant copy. It is the perception of the producer, writer and director.”