Ankita Lokhande On Sushant Singh Rajput: "Not Seen Anyone As Hardworking As Him"

Image shared on X. (courtesy: MadhumitaroyC)

Actress Ankita Lokhande has been making headlines for the past few months thanks to her appearance on the show Bigg Boss 17. Ankita was on the show with her husband Vicky Jain. The actress, who finished in fourth place, spoke about her experience on the show to Siddharth Kannan. During the conversation, when asked about the one thing she learnt from her ex-boyfriend, late Sushant Singh Rajput, Ankita said, “Hardwork. Sushant was very very hardworking – about his work, about everything. He would give it [his work] his all. He was dedicated towards his craft. I have seen him work tirelessly but I didn’t learn that level of dedication from him [laughs]. I always appreciate that about him – I have not seen anyone as hardworking as him.”

Ankita added that Sushant would chase his dreams. She said, “He was passionate. I am also passionate. But I am passionate when I have my project in hand. If you give me a project, I will give you my 100%. But I do not run after work. At a time, I can only do one thing, and I lack that [ability to chase after multiple things].” She further added, “His [Sushant] brain was everything. He was extremely intelligent.”

Ankita Lokhande and Sushant Rajput dated for seven years, till their break up in 2016.

While on the show, Ankita Lokhande was severely criticised for talking about Sushant Singh Rajput, who died in 2020. Explaining that she only spoke about the late star in a positive light, Ankita Lokhande told ETimes “Yes, I read about it and I would like to say that I don’t need anyone’s fan following and mujhe kisi ke baare mein baat karne ke liye bhi kisi ki permission ki koi zarurat nahi [I don’t need anyone’s permission to talk]. If someone has done something really nice in their life, I would definitely discuss it. I used to discuss my father a lot in the Bigg Boss 17 house because I felt he was an integral part of my life. Yes, I discussed Sushant as well kyunki agar mere saamne koi ladka baitha hai and he wants to be like his inspiration Sushant and if I know about Sushant then why won’t I speak or share information. I will definitely motivate that person. Agar koi insaan chala gaya aur usne bahut acchi cheezein ki hai life mein [If someone, who has passed away, has done good things in his lifetime] I don’t have a problem discussing, mere husband ko koi problem nahi hai, I’m not answerable to people.”

Ankita Lokhande and Sushant Singh Rajput met on the sets of the superhit TV show Pavitra Rishta, and began dating soon after. Following their breakup, Ankita began dating Vicky Jain and married the businessman in 2021.