Sushant Singh Rajput dead: Engineering aspirant-turned-actor let his talent do the talking

Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging from the ceiling at his home in Bandra, Mumbai on Sunday. The actor's sudden demise left his fans, celebrities, and other citizens of the country in shock. The 34-year-old had a successful career and was tipped for superstardom despite being an ‘outsider,’ as the term gained prominence amid the nepotism debate.

READ: 'Sushant Singh Rajput Was A Humble Man': MS Dhoni's Film Producer Arun Pandey

Acting was not Sushant Singh Rajput’s first career choice, at least going by his educational qualification. Born and brought up in Patna, he had attended St. Karen's High School in Patna, before continuing his education in Kulachi Hansraj Model School in New Delhi. As per reports, the actor cleared as many as 11 Engineering entrance exams and was a National Olympiad Winner in Physics, before enrolling for Engineering at the Delhi College of Engineering.

However, his passion was elsewhere, as he started participating in theatre and dance during his Engineering course. As he couldn’t devote time to studies, he received backlogs and quit DCE within three years of his course.

Sushant came to Mumbai and enrolled at the Shiamak Davar dance institute and Barry John’s acting institute. After performing as a background dancer in the acts of stars, he finally shot to limelight with the TV show Pavitra Rishta in 2008. He became a darling of the TV audience and his chemistry with Ankita Lokhande, who he also started dating then, was much-loved.

READ: Sushant Singh Rajput Dead: Mumbai Police At Actor's Residence; No Suicide Note Found Yet

However, destiny had bigger plans in store. He was cast in Rock On director Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che, an official remake of Chetan Bhagat’s 3 Mistakes of My Life in 2013. His performance was lauded and the movie was a success, and there was no looking back.

Sushant was signed by Yash Raj Films for his next Shuddh Desi Romance where showcased his ‘chocolate-boy’ image and won hearts of the audience while wooing Parineeti Chopra and Vaani Kapoor, the same year.   

The next year 2014 was not great for him, as he did not have a full-fledged release, but he stood out in a small role in Rajkumar Hirani’s blockbuster PK, starring Aamir Khan. He had impressed in the role of Anushka Sharma’s love interest in the movie.

2015 and 2016 saw him in one film each, which made headlines for different reasons. While he earned laurels for his act as the iconic Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, again for YRF, it was MS Dhoni: The Untold Story that shot him on to the big stage.

Not just was the actor lauded for getting the looks, mannerisms, and cricketing skills of the former Indian Captain, the movie was a big success, going on to be his first Rs 100 crore-success.

2017 was a setback for him as Raabta opposite Kriti Sanon bombed at the box office. However, he bounced back in style with Kedarnath, which apart from being Sara Ali Khan’s debut, was a success at the box office.

2019 was a mixed year for Sushant with Sonchiriya, where he played a dacoit, earning him praises, but the movie was a flop at the box office.

However, Chichhore, where he played the role of a college student and then a middle-aged man, was loved by the masses. The movie was a surprise hit and went on to become his second Rs 100-crore hit.

While his much-delayed film Drive finally hit Netflix the same year and didn’t make much of a noise, there were big expectations for him from his next Dil Bechara, the official adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars, that he was gearing up for release this year. 

With two Rs 100-crore hits in the span of seven years, apart from other successes and critical acclaim, one can say that the film industry lost not just a good actor, but a successful performer.

READ: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput Dead; Found Hanging At His Home In Mumbai's Bandra

READ: Sushant Singh Rajput Dead: Akshay Kumar Expresses Shock Over Actor's Demise

Image credit: Instagram/@sushantsinghrajput