Sushant Singh Rajput untold story: When SSR rejected Stanford University scholarship to make it big in Bollywood

Today, on the first anniversary of the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's passing, we're reliving the moment when he explained why he decided to forgo his college education.

The late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was a gifted performer, as seen by several of his significant roles. The Bollywood actor, who exhibited a strong artistic bent, was also a genius in the classroom. The late Bollywood actor attended the esteemed Delhi College of Engineering, which is now known as Delhi Technological University, but left before earning his engineering degree.

Sushant has previously acknowledged in a number of interviews that he left college early to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. In a 2017 interview with Hindustan Times, the actor—best known for his remarkable performance in the Bollywood film Dil Bechara—discussed how his family reacted to his career-defining decision.

"It was 2006, my final year in college, when I dropped this bomb at home. They were shocked! So shocked that they couldn't say anything and I took their silence as their approval…. It was hard at that time but now it's different. My dad loves it when, on his walks, people call out to him, show him some recent clipping on me…he is really proud of me. But even today, almost all our conversations end with 'beta, degree le leta'," he had then shared.

Although Sushant won the National Olympiad in Physics and was admitted to the Delhi College of Engineering, he clarified in the same interview that this was not his preferred profession.

"Engineering wasn't my choice. I wanted to be an astronaut, and later, an Air Force pilot. I remember tearing up my Top Gun poster when my parents told me that was not going to happen. Apparently, I was going to be an engineer. Maybe the drama I did that day should've given everyone a clue! But truly, I was gutted," he had stated.

"Instead of heading to Stanford University from where I had a scholarship offer, I dropped out of college and landed in Versova, in a 1RK (room kitchen) that I shared with six others," he had shared. In 2015, Sushant's alma mater bestowed an honorary degree on him.

Sushant remarked in a statement at the time, "I am shocked with the invitation. Despite being a bright student, I left engineering in my third year to pursue my dream — Bollywood. It's really touching that my engineering college wants to give me an honorary degree on their 75th anniversary."