While pursuing engineering, Rajput enrolled himself in Shiamak Davar's dance academy.
Sushant Singh Rajput was an 'outsider' who made it big in Bollywood. And just like any other outsider, he too had his share of struggle. In fact, not many know that he had worked as a background dancer for quite some time in his early career.
Born on January 21, 1986, Rajput made his big-screen debut with 'Kai Po Che!', where his character resonated with us on a personal level. And thereafter, his success story became a symbol of hope for middle-class Indian youth. Because he was just one of us - who achieved everything that we dream of. That's why his untimely passing - on June 14, 2020 - felt like a personal loss. Well, it still hurts!
if you suppressed your aspirations to make a short film, write a script, become a singer and instead settled for participating in your friend’s sangeet because you were asked to choose law, engineering or accountancy over performing arts, then watch this.#SushantSinghRajput pic.twitter.com/sm3tqlUbw8
— Film History Pics (@FilmHistoryPic) August 5, 2020
(Credit: Film History Pics)
To mark the late actor's 39th birth anniversary, we share an interesting fact about him that you probably didn't know.
Yes, you read it absolutely right! Sushant Singh Rajput appeared in Hrithik Roshan's 2006 action thriller, 'Dhoom 2' - but as a dancer, not an actor.
Not many know that while studying at the Delhi College of Engineering, Rajput enrolled himself at Shiamak Davar's dance academy. Thereafter, he worked as a background dancer in several Bollywood films, including for the track "Dhoom Again" in 'Dhoom 2'.
(Credit: YRF)
Notably, he was also one of the background dancers in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's performance at the 2006 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne, Australia.
Speaking about his passion for dance, the late actor shared in an interview, "... I may have gone to dancing classes looking for girls but I really liked it! I got selected for Shiamak’s ‘special potentials’ batch. One day he said: 'You are not one of my best dancers but there is something about the way you express that makes me pick you for my first row…why don’t you try theatre?'”
Afterward, Rajput began attending acting classes under the theatre director Barry John. And there, he realized that this was what he would like to do for the rest of his life. In his words, "I joined Barry John’s acting class and, to my surprise, while everyone else got a C, I got a B at the end of that three-month diploma course. This is when I started seriously thinking of acting as a potential career. My nerd instinct kicked in and I started reading up everything I could find on acting, including Stanislavski. The grades at Barry’s assured me that I can be trained as an actor and by this time I had also started enjoying being on stage. After all these years of being shy, I could now say and do things I wanted to, behind the garb of the character. The stage unleashed me, liberated me. I could engage the audience; the people were connecting with what I was doing on stage. I could make them laugh or cry. For the first 20 years of my life, it was difficult to get people to understand me, but now I could do it easily. That gave me a real high."
Sushant Singh Rajput was a complete outsider who made it from background dancer to a movie star through hard work and talent. That's an amazing and unique true story. Take a moment to remember that above everything. For outsiders, actors struggling, for anyone. That's a legacy.
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) June 14, 2020
(Credit: Vir Das)
In 2006, he dropped out of his college (during his final year in his engineering course), and moved to Mumbai. He worked at Nadira Babbar's theatre group (Ekjute) for two and a half years and simultaneously did small roles in television and films. While working at the Prithvi Theatre, he was spotted by a casting team of Balaji Telefilms, paving his way for a second lead in the television series 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil' in 2008.
Rajput entered 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil' in its seventh episode. His performance in the show was a hit, which helped him bag the lead role in another series, 'Pavitra Rishta'. This was a breakthrough for him, earning him enormous acclaim and numerous awards.
‘Pavitra Rishta’ starred Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande as its lead pair.
After doing several television shows, he made his Bollywood debut with 'Kai Po Che!' in 2013.
Rest in Peace, Sushant Singh Rajput. We Miss You!
