Kiwi Indian group gives a heartfelt Maori tribute to actor Sushant Singh Rajput

A Kiwi Indian group in New Zealand conducted a Maori tribute in memory of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in Taupo last weekend.

#JusticeforSSR (Sushant Singh Rajput), a movement started in India seeking justice for the untimely death of the Bollywood actor has gained a massive momentum amongst the Indian diaspora across the globe.

Since SSR's death and investigation, several social media groups were formed on Facebook and WhatsApp by ordinary residents, and one such group emerged from this moment was NZ SSR Warriors.

NZ SSR Warriors group came together with an idea of giving a traditional Maori tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput by Dinny, Snow and family of the Haka Shop, Taupo on Saturday, October 24.

The group was given a traditional Maori welcome on arrival at the family-owned Marae themed as ‘kawe mate’, traditionally conducted for people unable to attend tangihanga of the deceased. Everyone present for the ‘kawe mate’, were in a state of 'tapu' to mourn respectfully the dead, and the performers were dressed as if they were mourning one of their own chiefs. 

After a formal introduction, the group was escorted to the inside of Marae to the whare 'Te Ahi Kaa Whare' which means, 'keeping the home fire burning'.

The performers came out with a mesmerising performance of a memorial song for Sushant Singh Rajput where tears were seen flowing not only from the eyes of this group but also from the performers.

Fusion Ad Group from India supplied a special video on the life of Sushant Singh Rajput which was played after the song.

"The video beautifully narrated the life of the departed soul as an enthusiastic man trained in martial arts, a physics enthusiast, a budding pilot, an entrepreneur, apart from being an established actor in Bollywood," a spokesperson from NZ SSR Warriors said.

"After the video, a powerful Haka was a performance done that gave goosebumps to everyone present there," the spokesperson added.

NZ SSR Warriors thanked Dinny, Snow and the family for their heart-warming and emotional performance, Saheli from Fusion Ad Films, India for the informative video, Paramjeet Singh from Forever Memories for the videography of the event and raised hopes that may truth prevail to find the real cause of the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput.

This tribute was telecasted on Facebook Live and got viral across many countries and has received approximately 500,000 reaches, 90,000 engagement, 10,000+ Likes and over 2500 Shares on Facebook.