Overview
Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Hindi cinema and television. After gaining popularity through the television serial Pavitra Rishta, he transitioned to films and became known for his performances in Kai Po Che!, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, and Chhichhore. His death in Mumbai at the age of 34 became one of the most widely discussed events in Indian popular culture in 2020.
Key Facts
| Full name | Sushant Singh Rajput |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 January 1986, Patna, Bihar, India |
| Died | 14 June 2020, Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Education | Delhi College of Engineering (mechanical engineering, did not complete) |
| Occupation | Actor, dancer |
| Years active | 2008–2020 |
| Television debut | Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil (2008) |
| Film debut | Kai Po Che! (2013) |
| Notable films | Shuddh Desi Romance, PK, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kedarnath, Chhichhore, Dil Bechara |
Early Life and Education
Rajput was born in Patna, Bihar, to Krishna Kumar Singh and Usha Singh. He was the youngest of five siblings, with four elder sisters. After the death of his mother in 2002, the family relocated to Delhi. He studied at St. Karen's High School in Patna and later at Kulachi Hansraj Model School in Delhi.
Rajput was a meritorious student and qualified for several engineering entrance examinations. He enrolled at the Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University) to study mechanical engineering but left in his third year to pursue acting. During his time in Delhi, he trained as a background dancer with Shiamak Davar's dance company and later joined Barry John's acting school.
Career
Television
Rajput began his on-screen career as a background dancer, performing at events such as the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in 2010 and Filmfare Awards. His acting debut came with Balaji Telefilms' Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil in 2008. He achieved nationwide recognition playing Manav Deshmukh in Ekta Kapoor's Pavitra Rishta (2009–2011), opposite Ankita Lokhande, on Zee TV. He also participated in the dance reality shows Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4 and Zara Nachke Dikha 2.
Films
Rajput made his film debut in Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che! (2013), an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life. The film and his performance were critically appreciated, earning him a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Male Debut. He followed with Maneesh Sharma's Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and a supporting role in Rajkumar Hirani's PK (2014).
In 2015, he played the title role in Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!. His most commercially successful performance came in Neeraj Pandey's biographical sports film M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), in which he portrayed the Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The role brought him a Filmfare Best Actor nomination.
Subsequent films included Raabta (2017), Abhishek Kapoor's Kedarnath (2018), and Sonchiriya (2019). Nitesh Tiwari's coming-of-age comedy Chhichhore (2019) was both a critical and commercial success and won the National Film Award for Best Hindi Feature Film. His final film, Mukesh Chhabra's Dil Bechara (2020), an adaptation of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, was released posthumously on the Disney+ Hotstar platform.
Personal Interests
Rajput was known for his interests in astronomy, astrophysics, and quantum mechanics. He purchased a telescope and frequently spoke about space exploration. He maintained a public list of personal goals he wished to achieve, which included learning new skills, training for activities such as flying lessons, and supporting educational initiatives.
Death
Rajput was found dead at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai, on 14 June 2020. The Mumbai Police initially registered the case as death by suicide. His death prompted widespread public mourning and debate around mental health, nepotism in the Hindi film industry, and conditions for outsiders in Bollywood.
Following a complaint by his father in Patna, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August 2020. The Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau also conducted parallel investigations into associated financial and narcotics matters. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) constituted a medical board that submitted its findings to the CBI. The investigations attracted sustained media coverage in 2020.
Filmography Highlights
- Kai Po Che! (2013)
- Shuddh Desi Romance (2013)
- PK (2014)
- Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015)
- M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
- Raabta (2017)
- Kedarnath (2018)
- Sonchiriya (2019)
- Chhichhore (2019)
- Drive (2019)
- Dil Bechara (2020)
Significance
Rajput is regarded as one of the few Indian television actors of his generation to make a successful transition to leading roles in Hindi cinema. His portrayal of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is frequently cited among the more notable sports biopic performances in Indian film. Following his death, public discourse in India focused on issues of mental health awareness, the working culture of the Hindi film industry, and the treatment of actors without film-industry backgrounds.