Sushant Singh Rajput (21 January 1986 – 14 June 2020) was an Indian actor, dancer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Rajput started his career with television serials. His debut show was Star Plus’s romantic drama Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil (2008). Followed by an award-winning performance in Zee TV’s popular soap opera Pavitra Rishta (2009–11).
Rajput made his film debut in the buddy drama Kai Po Che! (2013), for which he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He then starred in the romantic comedy Shuddh Desi Romance (2013). After that in titular detective in the action thriller Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015).
His highest-grossing releases came with a supporting role in the satire PK (2014). Followed by the titular role in the sports biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). For his performance in the latter, he received his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Aftar that he went on to star in the commercially successful films Kedarnath (2018) and Chhichhore (2019).
NITI Aayog, the policy think-tank of the Indian government, signed him to promote the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP). Apart from acting and running Innsaei Ventures, Rajput was actively involved in various programmes like Sushant4Education, as a part of efforts to help young students. In June 2020, at age 34, Rajput reportedly died by suicide at his home in Bandra, Mumbai.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2013 | Kai Po Che! | Ishaan Bhatt |
| 2013 | Shuddh Desi Romance | Raghu Ram |
| 2014 | PK | Sarfaraz Yousuf |
| 2015 | Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! | Detective Byomkesh Bakshy |
| 2016 | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
| 2017 | Raabta | Jilaan/Shiv Kakkar |
| 2018 | Welcome to New York | Himself |
| 2018 | Kedarnath | Mansoor Khan |
| 2019 | Sonchiriya | Lakhan "Lakhna" Singh |
| 2019 | Chhichhore | Aniruddh "Anni" Pathak |
| 2019 | Drive | Samar |
| 2020 | Dil Bechara | Manny |
Television
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2008–2009 | Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil | Preet Juneja |
| 2009–2011 | Pavitra Rishta | Manav Deshmukh |
| 2010 | Zara Nachke Dikha | Contestant |
| 2010–2011 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4 | Contestant |
Music videos
| Year | Song |
| 2017 | "Paas Aao" |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2009 | Indian Telly Awards | Most Popular Actor (Male) | Pavitra Rishta | Nominated |
| 2010 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Most Popular Actor (Male) | Pavitra Rishta | Won |
| 2010 | BIG Star Entertainment Awards | Best Television Actor (Male) | Pavitra Rishta | Won |
| 2010 | Boroplus Gold Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role | Pavitra Rishta | Won |
| 2011 | Boroplus Gold Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role | Pavitra Rishta | Won |
| 2011 | Kalakar Awards | Favourite Actor (Male) | Pavitra Rishta | Won |
| 2014 | Producers Guild Film Awards | Best Male Debut | Kai Po Che! | Won |
| 2014 | Producers Guild Film Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Kai Po Che! | Nominated |
| 2014 | Screen Awards | Best Male Debut | Kai Po Che! | Won |
| 2014 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Male Debut | Kai Po Che! | Nominated |
| 2014 | Filmfare Awards | Best Male Debut | Kai Po Che! | Nominated |
| 2014 | IIFA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Kai Po Che! | Nominated |
| 2017 | Screen Awards | Best Actor (Critics) | M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story | Won |
| 2017 | Filmfare Awards | Best Actor | M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story | Nominated |
| 2017 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor – Male | M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story | Nominated |
| 2017 | Stardust Awards | Best Actor | M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story | Nominated |
| 2017 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Actor (Male) | M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story | Nominated |
| 2017 | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Best Actor | M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story | Won |
