Sushant Divgikar is an Indian transgender model, actor, singer, industrial psychologist and beauty pageant director. She also performs as a drag queen under the name ‘Rani Kohenoor’ or ‘Rani Ko-hey-noor’.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sushant Divgikar was born on Tuesday, 3 July 1990 (age 32 years; as of 2022) in Bandra West, Mumbai. His zodiac sign is Cancer.
Sushant Divgikar’s childhood picture with his father
He did his schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir, Mumbai. She then studied Advertising/PR at Usha Praveen Gandhi College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai. Sushant did his Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science and Amritben Jeevanlal College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. Later, he did a course in advertising from Harkison Mehta Institute, Mumbai.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye colour: brown
gender and sexual orientation
In his teenage years, he identified himself as gay, but later, he realized that he was gender-fluid (one whose gender identity is not fixed). Her preferred pronouns are he, she and they. Talking about her gender identity in an interview, she said,
I had to come out to you all about my gender identity because it was causing me a lot of anxiety and at times I could not cope with it. I realized it was best to keep it there. To clarify, I have realized that I can’t stick to just one gender. I am a combination of both! I love my man as much as I love my woman. I am Shiva as well as Shakti and I am also the coordination of both the powers. This is different from my inclination. I will always be attracted to men. It’s just that my gender identity isn’t just male! I am a non-binary person! I am feeling very relieved.
Family
Sushant Divgikar was born in a Konkani family in Goa.
parents and siblings
His father, Pradeep Krishnarao Divgikar, is a retired Assistant Commissioner, Indian Customs and Central Excise and former President of the Greater Mumbai Amateur Aquatics Association (GMAAA). His mother, Bharati Rao Divgikar, is a retired manager of a Japanese bank and runs an NGO. His elder brother, Karan Divgikar, works with Qatar Airways.
Sushant Divgikar with his parents
Sushant Divgikar with his brother
relationships/affairs
In an interview, Sushant had told that he had three boyfriends. One of her boyfriends was a South African businessman. They first met at a lesbian beauty pageant. Reportedly, she was offered to participate in the TV celebrity dance show ‘Nach Baliye’. As of 2021, he is single.
livelihood
Sample
As a teenager, Sushant started his career as a model in various print advertisements and photoshoots. She has walked the ramp for famous Indian fashion designers.
Sushant Divgikar in a fashion show
In 2014, he participated in the Mr. Gay India contest and won the title.
Sushant Divgikar Mister Gay India 2014
He then represented India in the Mister Gay World contest and was among the top 10 finalists. In the competition, he won three sub-awards, Mister Gay World Congeniality, Mister People’s Choice and Mister Gay World Art.
Sushant Divgikar in Mr. Gay World
Sushant has acted in various TV commercials like for Maruti Suzuki and Idea Mobile.
Television
In 2012, he hosted ‘Atyachar Ka Punchnama’, a TV show aired on UTV Bindass. He has hosted some other TV shows like Style Police and Bindass Video Wars. He appeared as a guest on the 2013 TV show ‘Big Switch 3’.
Sushant Divgikar in Big Switch 3
She then participated as a contestant in various TV shows like ‘Welcome- Baazi Mehman Nawaji Ki’ (2013), ‘Bigg Boss 8’ (2014), and ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ (2018).
Sushant Divgikar in Bigg Boss 8 house
singer
Sushant did not take any formal training in singing. In his teenage years, he used to practice Asha Bhosle’s song ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’ from the Hindi film ‘Caravan’ (1971). In 2020, he released his independent single ‘Diamond’.
diamond song poster
In 2021, he released his single “Damn That Man”. She has lent her voice for the title track of the Kannada film ‘3 Devi’ (2021). Sushant has also uploaded some Hindi cover songs on his self-titled YouTube channel.
Gay
In 2015, he performed as a drag artist for the first time in the theater play ‘Merchant of Venice’ directed by Vikram Kapadia. After this he hosted some drag shows and events at national and international film festivals. At one of his drag events, he was spotted by Indian entrepreneur Ishaan Sethi, who spoke about Sushant with Keshav Suri, executive director of Lalit Hospitality Group. In 2017, Suri invited Sushant to perform with drag queen Violet Chachki at his nightclub Kittysu in New Delhi. The audience liked Sushant’s performance very much and after this Sushant decided to adopt the drag queen avatar Rani Ko Hee Noor.
Sushant Divgikar aka Rani Kohenoor
In an interview, when asked how she developed her interest in becoming a drag queen, she said that she had been interested in dressing up as a woman since her childhood. he/she said,
As a child, I always loved dressing up. I have always been fascinated by makeup, accessories and fabulous clothes. I used to participate in fancy dress competitions and always dress like a mermaid or Madhuri Dixit; I even dressed like Tina Turner once. I always enjoyed playing female characters because they had so much depth and character. But at that time, I never knew what drag was. As I grew up, I started reading about it and watching other drag artists around the world and I knew this was what I wanted to do!”
he adds,
I created this avatar because I wanted people to understand that drag is performance art, and it’s not just cross dressing. My gender is fluid, hence the name, because Rani is a queen but has the ‘hee’ in ko-hee-noor. In drag, a man – gay, straight, transgender or bisexual – may perform as a woman which primarily involves wearing hyper-feminine clothing, exaggerated makeup, and wigs. Drag can also be performed by women – lesbian, straight, trans or bisexual – who dress up as male characters and perform. Gender fluid people also do drag – our first solo performance is drag king Durga Gawde, who goes by the stage name Shakti.”
Sushant Divgikar as drag queen
Sushant is the first Indian drag queen to perform with the global media company Conde Nast. She has also performed as ‘Rani Kohenoor’ or ‘Rani Ko-he-Noor’ in various Indian TV shows, stage shows and live events. In 2021, she participated in the drag queen singing television series ‘Queens of the Universe’. In the show, she sang songs like “Piya Tu Ab To Aaja”, “Laila Main Laila”, and “My Heart Will Go On”.
lgbtq activists
Sushant has been working as an LGBTQ activist for a long time. He has actively participated in various LGBTQ parades and seminars.
Sushant Divgikar at LGBTQ parade
In his various interviews, he has talked about providing rights to the LGBTQ community. In one of his interviews Sushant said,
I consider Hijra icon Gauri Sawant, Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi and many others as my spiritual gurus. I don’t have to be from their community to feel a familial bond with them. That’s the beauty of being part of this community. When I talk about minorities, I have to talk about Hijras, Dalits as well as sexual, gender and even religious ones, because our struggles are interconnected. Why do we have to demand equal rights in democracy?”
Other work
In 2017, he appeared in the Hindi web series ‘101 India’. In 2022, he started a YouTube series ‘Main Bhi Rani with Sushant Divgikar’, in which he talks to various transgender people.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- 2018: GQ’s 50 Most Influential Young Indians
Sushant Divgikar- GQ 50 Most Influential Young Indians 2019
- 2019: Community Leadership Award by India HIV/AIDS Alliance for unprecedented excellence and being a voice for LGBTQIA+ nationally and internationally
- 2019: Real Hero Award by Rotaract 3141 for breaking barriers and challenging gender norms
- 2020: Change Maker Award by MAC India
- 2020: Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list
- 2021: Top 25 Creators on Instagram in India by Instagram for Business
- 2022: Blogger Award for LGBTQIA+ Voice of the Year – Popular Choice by Cosmo India
Sushant Divgikar holding his award
Favorite
- Drag Queen: Trixie Mattel
- Song: Woh Kaun Thi Se Lag Ja Gale? (1964)
Facts/General Knowledge
- His/her family and friends call him/her Sushi.
- When he was in school, he participated in swimming competitions, and he was a sports captain. He participated in various state-level and national-level swimming competitions.
- He has a tattoo on his left chest.
Sushant Divgikar’s tattoo
- She is an avid dog lover and has a pet dog.
Sushant Divgikar with his pet dog
- Sushant is a spiritual person and has deep faith in Lord Ganesha.
Sushant Divgikar with the idol of Lord Ganesha
- She has been featured on the covers of various magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Rolling Stone.
Sushant Divgikar featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
- He is often seen drinking alcohol at parties and events.
Sushant Divgikar holding a glass of wine
- He received honors in various events. He was once honored by the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Sushant Divgikar was honored in a program
- Sushant is active on various social media platforms. He/she has a self-titled YouTube channel.
- He/she was once depressed due to bullying and harassment due to his/her sexual orientation. He talked about this in an interview. he/she said,
My family is my biggest strength and they have been very supportive of whatever I do. I am blessed to come from a broad-minded and progressive family. They do not discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, caste or creed. There are many people who say one thing and do the exact opposite. My parents taught us to treat everyone with love and respect, no matter who they are or where they come from. I think every family should be like mine. He supported me in my difficult times. Also, Indian model Diandra was a big support.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn