‘Fans expect us to be vocal on important issues’ – Manoj Tiwary on cricketers’ silence on Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise

It’s almost been two months since Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide, leaving his fans across the world, shocked, but the late actor hasn’t gone out of the limelight. Investigations are underway and Rhea Chakraborty, along with the who’s who of the Indian film industry, are being interrogated.

Even Ankita Lokhande, Sushant’s ex-girlfriend, said how the 34-year-old was a big fan of India’s MS Dhoni and his ideologies, believing in bouncing back after a few setbacks. She talked about his patience and believed that a person of his temperamencan’t take his own life due to depression.

Even as a number of personalities have spoken about Sushant passing away, most of the cricketers have stayed mum, one of whom is Bengal’s Manoj Tiwary. The 34-year-old veteran said that the fans expect the players to opine on important topics in the country, apart from performing on the field.

As a public figure, we have responsibility: Manoj Tiwary

Tiwary put forth his opinions during a live chat with Sportskeeda. “It is surprising for many people. They keep tagging me and saying most of the cricketers have not come out. I cannot speak for anyone. Everybody has decided how they want to lead their lives, whether they want to be vocal about certain issues or not is completely up to them,” Tiwary told.

“I personally feel that people should obviously come out. As a public figure, we have responsibility. Our honest fans and lovers expect a lot of things out of us. They expect us to not only come out on the field and do well but at the same time when important issues come in our country, they expect us to come out and have a say,” he mentioned.

Tiwary also was of the opinion that cricketers remain silent as they don’t want to get involved into controversies. “But at the same time, I can understand why many people don’t come out and say what they want to. They want to be diplomatic. That’s fine with me but I’m not that sort of a person,” Tiwary added.

After Sushant left mother earth, many believed that nepotism in Bollywood left the actor stranded. Sushant acted in TV series to start his career and made his debut in movies with Kai Po Che in 2013. In July, his last movie Dil Bechara, along with Sanjana Sanghi, released on OTT platform Hotstar.