Happy birthday Sushant Singh Rajput: From Pavitra Rishta to MS Dhoni, here’s how engineering student Sushant dared to dream big

Watch | Exclusive Interview With Sushant Singh Rajput About M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

Today, he is one of the leading names in the list of self-made actors we have. As the young heartthrob turns 31 today, here is a sneak-peek into his inspiring and exciting journey.

Also read | Sushant Singh Rajput starts training for Chandamama Door Ke, see video and pics

Sushant joined Shiamak Davar’s dance classes to be around girls!

According to Sushant, he “wanted to learn dancing and there were no girls in my engineering class.” Hence, he enrolled with Shiamak Davar in Delhi and worked as a background dancer for several award ceremonies and Bollywood events. He even joined Barry John’s drama classes and that’s when he found his passion for acting.

In 2005, he was in the dance troupe at the 51st Filmfare Awards. Check out the video where he talks about his journey as a background dancer.

Watch Sushant Singh Rajput talk about his journey as a background dancer at Filmfare Awards

Sushant did theatre for two-and-a-half years

He moved to Mumbai and joined Nadira Babbar’s theatre group. During this time, he also featured in several TV commercials.

Here is Sushant Singh Rajput’s first TV appearance. He is the guy clapping in the audience.

See an old video of Sushant Singh Rajput which is his first Tv appearance:

Sushant’s small time TV debut became a bigger hit than the show

Though Sushant made his TV debut with a small role in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil, his character of Preet Juneja became quite popular despite dying on the show. So much so, that he was brought back in the series finale as a spirit!

He was soon spotted by the casting team of Balaji Telefilms

Sushant’s big break came in 2009, playing Manav Deshmukh opposite Ankita Lokhande. While his onscreen act won massive female adulation and awards, his real-life romance with Ankita made bigger news. They parted ways last year.

Watch Sushant Singh Rajput’s role in Pavitra Rishta as Manav Deshmukh

Sushant’s dancing was tested on the sets of Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa

From salsa to rumba and tango, Sushant did all and became the first runner-up on Jhalak season 4. In 2011, he quit television to pursue a filmmaking course abroad.

Sushant’s big Bollywood break came in Kai Po Che

Based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel “The 3 Mistakes of My Life,” Kai Po Che proved to be a great debut for Sushant whose performance received both critical and commercial acclaim. He even won awards.

Sushant did four other films with varied plots

He signed Shuddh Desi Romance as his second film. He then played a supporting role of a Pakistani guy in PK and a detective in Dibakar Banerjee’s period mystery thriller Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! All these films only strengthened his footing in Bollywood.

Sushant, the onscreen MS Dhoni!

2016 gave Sushant, his biggest career high. He played Indian cricketer and the most successful captain, MS Dhoni, in the Neeraj Pandey directed biopic. Sushant’s hardwork was evident as he got not only Dhoni’s onfield helicopter shots right, but even his body-language, mannerisms and charm. There is no doubt, only Sushant could’ve played Dhoni to utmost perfection. One of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of the year, it was a definite hit, just like Dhoni’s sixes!

See Sushant Singh Rajput’s unseen pics:

Sushant is here to stay. And with more exciting movies line-up in 2017, we hope the actor continues to impress. He truly deserves all the acclaim. Here’s wishing Sushant Singh Rajput, a very happy birthday!