Does Sushant Singh Rajput's Twitter cover image of Van Gogh's painting hold a cryptic message?

The industry lost one of its brightest stars, Sushant Singh Rajput yesterday (June 15), who died by suicide. His death, at the age of 34 comes as a big shock to his family, celebrities and millions of his fans worldwide.

The former television star, who ended his life after hanging himself in his home has left a huge gap in the world of entertainment. While initial reports suggest that the primary cause of his death is depression, his passing away has also made the world focus on the importance of mental health.

Even as many try to cope with his untimely demise and wonder "what went wrong", some are trying to fish out for clues on his social media profiles. Fans are also drawing a connection to Sushant's last film, "Chhichhore" which served a strong message pertaining to suicide and mental health.

Sushant, who kept posting a lot of interesting tidbits related to astronomy, art and science was a big fan of acclaimed artist, Van Gogh. Now, a cryptic connection is being seen between how the two artists, Sushant and Van Gogh, both lost their lives when they were in their 30s.

For the unknown, Van Gogh, who is quite renowned for his artworks died after he shot himself in the year 1890. He was suffering from poverty, depression and mental illness. In fact, one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, 'Starry nights' was done while he spent time in an asylum. The same artwork was also Sushant's cover picture.

There are also a lot of tweets talking of the same connection.

Even though Sushant's body has been sent for forensic investigation and depression hasn't been ruled out as the official cause of his death, many known to the actor are talking about his battle with depression.

In an exclusive with Etimes, his fitness trainer, Samee Ahmed, who has been coaching the actor for a long time also spoke about the actor's mental well-being at length:

"...To be very honest the depression part had been going on, but it had never really affected his work and other things. Most of the times when I met him and whenever we used to work out together, it was more about other things. It was all about science, astronomy, stars, planets and his upcoming projects. So we really never actually spoke about depression which hits your negative side but it was all about the positive goals about his future, about how he needs to train for his upcoming films and other things.”

Sapna Bhavnani, who worked with Sushant closely in one of his most popular films, "MS Dhoni" mentioned, in an interview that Sushant was suffering for a while and he had no support through his tough times.

While Sushant's loss is a life lost too soon, it's important we prioritize mental health and do not neglect this. Seeking help, reaching out for support and beating the stigma can help save lives.

Mental illnesses often manifest as hidden diseases and you never know when it takes the worst of you. Celebrities, such as Deepika Padukone have, in the past broken the tabboo and talked about the need for conversations and it's time we pay attention to that. Problems like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder can make it difficult to live life and if we continue treating these problems as "superficial", it would only lead to lasting damage. What is more saddening is that a lot of young people, especially in India, between the ages of 19-36 lose their lives without getting the support that they need.

Hence, opening up the conversation around mental health is the need of the hour. Creating a healthy atmosphere to talk, having access to the right resources can save lives. Remember, depression is a tough and complex disease to battle but nonetheless, recovery and healing is possible.