Sushant Singh is a well-known Indian movie and TV actor and presenter. He’s done an array of roles, including in period dramas such as “Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar” (about the father of the Indian Constitution) and “The Legend of Bhagat Singh,” where, in his perhaps most famous part, Singh played the freethinking radical Indian freedom fighter’s comrade Sukhdev. Singh identifies as an atheist and has been in the forefront of protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism. He was the host from 2012-19 of the very popular true crime show “Savdhaan India” till he was fired after speaking at a rally against Modi’s policies. At FFRF’s next convention, Singh will be receiving the Avijit Roy Courage Award of $5,000, which goes to an individual working for rational and logical discourse in the face of obstacles.
“The ritualistic part of religion somehow never sat well with me, because if there is God, then he’s omnipotent, everywhere,” Singh explains to “Freethought Matters” co-host Annie Laurie Gaylor and guest host Amitabh Pal why he’s an atheist. (He was interviewed sitting in his parked car late night on a busy Mumbai street after his acting shoot.) “So I don’t need a particular place to worship that God. Nature is created by that God, everything in this universe is created by God. Wherever I am, I am with that God. So why do I need a particular place or particular symbol?”
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
