An actor to reckon with and a human being par excellence, Sushant Singh Rajput has clearly left behind a gaping breach in Bollywood. His versatility coupled with dancing prowess, not to forget the chocolate boy looks that not many in the Hindi film industry can don, is revisited by fans time and again through the movies and interviews he left behind.
His death remains a mystery. Sushant was a mere 34 when he was “found hanging” in his Mumbai flat. The investigation is smeared with conspiracy theories how vested interests snuffed him out. Today, June 14, on his second death anniversary, here is a quick look at some lesser known facts about SSR:
- Sushant Singh Rajput was born on January 21, 1986, in Patna. His schooling spanned across Patna and Delhi. He attended St. Karens High School in Patna. After his mother’s demise, his family shifted to Delhi and Sushant attended Kulachi Hansraj Model School to complete his education. Later, he pursued Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering.
- Sushant was a National Olympiad Winner in Physics. He cleared as many as 11 engineering entrance exams, including that for the ISM Dhanbad. However, he dropped out to pursue his dream to become an actor.
- Sushant Singh Rajput had a passion for astronomy. In fact, his Instagram account is full of brilliant pictures from his stargazing experiments. SSR owned a telescope as well. In 2018, he bought an expensive, Boeing 737 Fixed Base Flight Simulator too. He is the only Indian to have “bought” a piece of lunar land on the far side of the moon, in a region called the Mare Muscoviense or the “Sea of Muscovy.” He had bought the property from the International Lunar Lands Registry.
- He got the property registered on June 25, 2018. But this may not amount to legal ownership of the land! An international treaty states “Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, are the common heritage of mankind and cannot be owned by any nation.” Shah Rukh Khan is the only other Bollly actor to have been “gifted” a piece of lunar land by a fan.
- Did you know Sushant Singh Rajput underwent training at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)? This was for his astronaut act in a sci-fi film, Chanda Mama Door Ke. The film, however, didn’t see the light of day. “I had done a workshop at NASA when I went there two years ago. Those who trained me had said that if I continued for a few more weeks, I would have received an instructor’s certificate,” the actor is recorded in an interview.
- Sushant Singh Rajput was extremely fond of animals, especially dogs. He regularly shared pictures of his Fudge, his pet Labrador, on his social media account.
Mathematics, dance, astrology, writing – you name it and he was great! His acting career started in 2008 as Preet Juneja in Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil. The following year, Sushant was cast in Pavitra Rishta as Manav Deshmukh, a role that confirmed he was here to stay.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s Bollywood career began in 2013 with Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che (2013). This dynamic debut garnered rave reviews and earned him the Star Guild and Screen Awards for Best Male Debut. The film was a critical success.
Among his best remembered are PK (2014), Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015), MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Raabta (2017), Kedarnath (2018), Sonchiriya (2019) and the posthumously released Dil Bechara (2020).
Also Read: America’s Luna Society To Celebrate Sushant Singh Rajput’s 37th Birthday As “Sushant Moon”
