Sushant Singh Rajput was born on January 21, 1986, in Patna. One of his sisters, Ritu Singh, is a state-level cricketer. Sushant did his schooling in Patna as well as in New 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. He pursued Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering. (All photos: Instagram)

Sushant Singh Rajput was a National Olympiad Winner in Physics. He cleared as many as eleven engineering entrance exams, including that for the ISM Dhanbad. However, he dropped out to pursue his dream to become an actor

When Sushant Singh Rajput was studying engineering, he used to take dance lessons as a hobby. Rajput was a part of Shiamak Davar's Dance Academy, where at the behest of one of his friends, he also started taking acting classes and realised his passion for acting

Sushant Singh Rajput had a passion for astronomy. In fact, a glance at his Instagram account, you would get to see some brilliant pictures from his stargazing experiments

Sushant Singh Rajput owned a telescope as well. In 2018, he had bought an expensive, Boeing 737 Fixed Base Flight Simulator too

Sushant Singh Rajput used to write poems too, often in his mother's memory. A heartwarming one that he had written in the past read: 'As long as you were, I was. Now just in your memories, I come alive. Like a shadow, Just a flicker. Time doesn't move here. It's beautiful, It's forever... [sic]'

Other touching lines that he had penned, read: 'Do you remember? You promised that you would be with me forever, and I promised you that I would keep smiling no matter what. It seems we both were wrong mother... [sic]'

Did you know Sushant Singh Rajput had undergone 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 a certificate of an instructor," Sushant had told mid-day in an interview

Pictured: Sushant Singh Rajput at NASA.

Sushant Singh Rajput is extremely fond of animals, especially dogs. He used to keep sharing pictures of his pet on his social media account

In picture: Sushant Singh Rajput with co-star Kriti Sanon

Mathematics, dance, astrology, writing - you name it and he was great in it! His acting career started in 2008. Sushant Singh Rajput was spotted by Balaji Telefilms' casting team in one of his plays and was asked to audition. He landed the role of Preet Juneja in 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil'

The following year, Sushant Singh Rajput was cast in 'Pavitra Rishta' as Manav Deshmukh, a role that proved to be a breakthrough for him and for which he bagged several awards as Best TV actor

Sushant Singh Rajput gained prominence with his role in the show 'Pavitra Rishta' with Ankita Lokhande. The duo later fell in love. Ankita and Sushant met on the sets of 'Pavitra Rishta' and were in a relationship for six years

In December 2010, Sushant Singh Rajput participated in the dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4' where he was paired with choreographer Shampa Sonthalia. The pair scored perfect points several times and Sushant won the title of 'Most Consistent Performer'

Sushant Singh Rajput's Bollywood career began in 2013. Sushant auditioned for Abhishek Kapoor's 'Kai Po Che' (2013) and bagged the role of one of the three leads. Sushant's dynamic debut in Bollywood garnered rave reviews and earned him the Star Guild and Screen awards for Best Male Debut. The film has been a critical and commercial success

In a very short span of time, Sushant Singh Rajput managed to carve a niche for himself in Bollywood and was considered one of the best actors in B-town. Sushant Singh starred in films such as PK (2014), Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015), MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and Raabta (2017)

Sushant Singh Rajput's last big success was Chhichhore, which did excellent business at the box office and was praised by critics.

In picture: Sushant Singh Rajput with his Drive co-star Jacqueline Fernandez