Sushant Singh Rajput, 28 ACTOR
Mumbai
Sushant Singh Rajput dropped out of Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University) and put in four years in theatre before he first caught attention as Manav in Balaji’s popular TV soap Pavitra Rishta. While making his way to the Balaji office in the busy suburb of Andheri, says Rajput, he would dream of working across the road— with YRF (Yash Raj Films) Studios. That dream came true as he was signed on by YRF for Shuddh Desi Romance after a scorching debut in Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che (2013). “I rejected films even when I didn’t have any in hand. When you dream big, are patient and have faith in yourself, good things happen,” he says. Only two films old, Rajput, with his boy-next-door image and easy charm, is already working alongside directors such as Rajkumar Hirani ( P.K.), Dibakar Banerjee ( Detective Byomkesh Bakshi) and Shekhar Kapur ( Paani). WHEN I GROWUP, I WANT TO BE Irrfan Khan. ROLE CALL It’s a combination of the script and director that gets him to sign on the dotted line. FIGURE THIS He spends two hours every day solving mathematical problems to de-stress.