Sushant Singh Rajput’s journey before Bollywood: From an engineering college dropout to background dancer then eventually an actor

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

January 21, 2022 - 4:02 PM IST

On Sushant Singh Rajput's 36th birth anniversary, here's looking back at the moment when he realised that acting is what he wanted to pursue. The late actor had a long journey from being a college dropout to a background dancer before making it big.

Sushant Singh Rajput’s journey before Bollywood: From an engineering college dropout to background dancer then eventually an actor

Sushant had an active onscreen career of 12 years. But there was a lesser talked about phase that Sushant lived through before venturing into acting. Patna-born Sushant enrolled for Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) after scoring an All India Rank of 7 in its entrance examination in 2003. He eventually dropped out in his third year of college to follow his dreams. His road to becoming an actor, however, came with many stepping stones.

During his days at the DCE, Sushant enrolled himself in Shiamak Davar’s classes. Because of his impressive moves, he soon joined the choreographer and became a background dancer for his troupe. He went on to feature in the song Dhoom Again from Dhoom 2. He was also a part of Aishwarya Rai’s act at 2006 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, apart from performing at IIFA in 2005.

In 2015, Sushant had told IANS that he joined Shiamak Davar just to see “hot girls”, but he ended up taking life lessons from the ace choreographer. He also credited Shiamak for giving him the confidence to become an actor. Shiamak had told a print publication in 2017 that it was him who suggested Sushant to take up acting, even when the actor wanted to finish his engineering.

Taking the huge leap of faith at switching careers, Sushant joined Barry John’s acting classes. In fact it was here, when he realised that acting was his actual calling. Sushant’s decision to move to Mumbai, however, came with its own hardships. In order to sustain, Sushant picked small jobs while also taking up theatre. He worked with Nadira Babbar’s theatre group Ekjute for two and a half years.

His theatre days gave him a big push and during one such performance at the Prithvi Theatre, the casting team of Balaji Telefilms approached him to audition. Sushant ended up bagging the second lead role of Preet Juneja in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil (2008–2009). Soon after, Pavitra Rishta happened where played the main lead Manav Deshmukh for two years.

Manav was a life altering character for Sushant. He made his Bollywood debut with Kai Po Che in 2013. Sushant passed away on June 14, 2020 at his Mumbai residence.

Also Read: Rhea Chakraborty remembers her late boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput on his 36th birth anniversary; shares an adorable throwback video