Sandeep Singh Speaks To Subhash K Jha On The Defamation Suit Against Arnab Goswami & Republic TV
What prompted action from you after so many months of slander on one channel?
There is a saying in Hindi, ‘Der aaye durust aaye’. It has taken me time to come to terms with the loss of a dear friend. I was the only one from the film industry who was there at the time of the tragedy to take care of formalities and to look after the family.
This was interpreted as a publicity ploy by Sushant’s so-called friends?
I was very amused by these so-called friends who never came home to condole with Sushant’s family but surfaced on television twenty days after his death to get their two minutes of fame on television and to boost their followers on Instagram.This was their moment to get famous after years of anonymity. It took them a month to decide whether they were Sushant’s friends or not.
In his death Sushant made many famous?
Bahot logon ko mashoor bhi kar gaya and kuch logon ko sabak bhi sikha gaya. I think Sushant’s death impacted everyone everywhere , except a section of the media that saw this as an opportunity to boost their TRPs.
What do you have to say about the collective lawsuit against the film industry?
I want to bow down to the industry for collectively getting together to fight this defamation. It’s always been said about the film industry todne ka kaam karte hain jodne ka nahin. This time for the first time the film industry has come together as one. I gathered the courage to send my legal notice to Republic TV and Arnab Goswami after the film industry took action against the defamation.
Are you in this for the long haul?
By defaming me for standing by Sushant’s family during the time of crisis, Arnab Goswami and his channel have deterred anyone from standing by a friend during a crisis. I think justice has been served quickly. For 40 days the media stood guard under my residence. Now they’re standing under Arnab’s residence. His alleged TRP games have also been revealed .
You have mentioned extortion in the legal notice?
Yes, I have. If you remember the MeToo movement last year ,people’s names were mentioned randomly. Guilty and innocent people paid up huge amounts of money to smother the scandal. No one except the accused knows what the family has to go through when such a scandal happens.Some news channels have forgotten basic humanity.
Are you going to be one of those who forgets to follow up on the case after a legal notice?
Bhulne ki ghalti Arnab Goswami na kare. This is the first time I’ve sued anyone. And I’m doing this because my family has been dragged into this. You can forget the fact that I’ve struggled hard for twenty years to reach where I am. No one should forget I’m a Bihari. We Biharis know how to fight back.