16 Guys That Should Be On Your Radar Right Now
We bring to you the ultimate dude list—everyone from the world of films, sports, photography, and more.
By undefined
31 January, 2020
We bring to you the ultimate dude list—everyone from the world of films, sports, photography, and more.
13_0.jpg1. Naezy The Baa
Rapper
The original Gully Boy, Naved Shaikh, popularly known as ‘Naezy The Baa’, has set a new standard for Indian hip-hop—especially after being the inspiration for Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy. He can partly be thanked for the significant hike in people’s interest towards the genre
of hip-hop.
Along with other notable artists, Naezy has emerged as a pioneer of rap music, and can be perceived as a source of inspiration for the youth. A role model for those who desire to follow their passion for music, he has paved the way for talented young musicians to have the confidence to pursue it as a career.
But all said and done, one mustn’t overlook the personal obstacles that he has overcome to reach where he is at today. In his own words, “It feels good that a film is based on my life, but at the same time, people now know about my life, my personal life, which is a bit scary.” Now an open book, it’s not hard to believe that Naezy’s struggles have also inspired the gifted but disadvantaged, in the various pockets of the country.
His inspirational journey to stardom also inspired filmmaker Disha Rindani to create a short film titled Bombay 70, which went on to win the Silver Gateway of India award for Best Short Film at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI).
Now a global phenomenon, Naezy has performed at several music festivals and events such as The India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2019 and Ranthambhore Music and Wildlife Festival 2019, among others.
Global pop music group Now United also collaborated with Naezy, along with Shalmali Kholgade, for a music video titled Legends, making them the only Indian singers to feature in the larger-than-life production. Compelled to bring a change in society, Naezy has emphasised that hip-hop is about ideologies and truth, contrary to popular belief, which solely associates the genre to money and women.
24.jpg2. Prateek Kuhad
Singer
Prateek Kuhad’s manager likes to joke that, at his shows, all you can see are people with ‘heart-eye emojis’ swaying to his songs. She’s not wrong. “Since I mostly sing love songs, I see a lot of loved-up couples in the audience. It’s sweet and that’s why the heart-eye emoji, I guess,” Prateek justifies.
Well, we are a sucker for guitar-wielding men, but Prateek’s brand of music is likely to tug at your heartstrings and make you cry over a perfect love you are yet to meet, eat molten chocolate, and get a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart...all at the same time. That’s his charm.
Think Elvis Presley-meets-Johnny Cash with a little bit of John Mayer thrown in—have we just described the perfect human? Well, he does exist, then.
Add to that the fact that he is in the fag end of a tour spanning over 15 cities, many of which have been sold out. While on his Supermoon tour, he also managed to strum heartstrings at Antwerp and London. But, the rockstar, musician life is not all about glamour, and least of all, wanderlust.
Prateek says, “A lot of people have a really idealised image of touring...that you’re travelling a lot. But you actually get to do nothing. You leave in the morning, check-in at your hotel, do sound checks, return to the hotel at night...then you are too tired to do anything, so you pass out. And the next morning, you have to do the whole thing all over again. I’ve been in Delhi for a few days now, and had just done a show in Pune. I’m a bit relaxed, but it definitely gets stressful at times.”
Those heartfelt lyrics of his current favourite song Cold/Mess [“When I feel cold, I’ll keep you close. And if I could hold you, and take you home... When at night, your toes touch mine, I’ll sing you to sleep, if you were mine to keep”] may have turned into an LDR anthem due to this independent artist’s brand of globetrotting.
36.jpg3. Bikramjit Bose
Fashion Photographer
Bikramjit Bose’s pared-down aesthetic makes him an atypical fashion photographer. With a penchant for black and white imagery, his work mostly features portraits. “For me, the eyes always come first. I think the eyes say so much—if the gaze is correct, the image usually works. And the face, with a bit of prodding and provoking, always reveals something interesting,” he said in a recent interview. Whether it’s fashion editorials or studio portraits, the human element is always the focal point of his work. “My work is minimalist, a bit dark and moody. You won’t see too many happy people because I find happy photos flat and unidimensional,” Bikramjit has said in the past. He draws inspiration from cinema and the works of cinematographers. “I taught myself the basic technical stuff and went out and started taking pictures of just about anything. I didn’t get off to a great start—since the camera didn’t have a functioning in-built light metre, I was estimating the camera settings, and my first-ever roll of film came back with three frames somewhat correctly exposed. The rest were all ominously black...not very promising. It was utterly and purely by chance that, after a while, I discovered that not only was I having fun doing this but it seemed (or I was told) that I had an eye for it as well,” he has previously explained. The 37-year-old looks up to photographers Prabuddha Dasgupta and Peter Lindbergh, and says that subjects of gender neutrality and androgyny appeal to him as visuals.
47.jpg4. Gaurav Gill
Race Car Driver
If you’re into sports that give you an adrenaline rush, chances are you’re already familiar with Gaurav Gill. The three-time Asia Pacific motor rally champion has always lived in the fast lane, but now, he’s bracing for even greater challenges. Gaurav may have just missed winning the two-day Indian Nation Rally Championship in Bengaluru last month, but he’s now getting set for the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in 2020.
Growing up in Delhi, the Arjuna awardee excelled in tennis, and spent many hours on the courts, but found his calling in motorsports. “My uncle, Upkar Gill, was one of the best rally drivers in the country, and we always had bikes and cars in the house,” he says. Gaurav went on to become the youngest Indian ever to win a rally—the National Championship—in 2000. Although he began with racing motorcycles, Gaurav quickly graduated to cars, as he was spending more time in the hospital than on the road. “I’ve had my ankle and knee put together, I have 16 screws in my joints, but I’m fit and can run a half marathon!” he says. “I used to idolise championship drivers with their flamboyant style of driving, but now I am more old-school in the way I drive.” Gaurav is a big fan of the
late Scotsman Colin McRay. “I have raced with his brother,” he smiles.
Gaurav’s also created a five-city driving-class concept for women, She Drives, where he teaches them to control a car so that they can be safe, day or night; and runs academies in Bengaluru and Coimbatore, to prepare 13-year-old children to become future rally drivers.
58.jpg5. Siddhant Chaturvedi
Actor
Like the proverbial calm before the storm, Siddhant’s journey started relatively slow, with web-series Life Sahi Hai in 2016 and Inside Edge in 2017, before his breakthrough moment came earlier this year—when he rose to instant fame as rapper MC Sher in Gully Boy. Climbing the popularity charts just as fast as the film was grossing money at the box-office and winning awards worldwide, the 26-year-old was highly appreciated and critically acclaimed for his stellar performance (even receiving a hand-written letter and a bouquet of flowers from Amitabh Bachchan). Siddhant’s now a household name—and a legit celeb. Sans any godfathers to bolster him, he is sailing through purely on his acting chops (with those good looks to boot!). He has already signed two big films, other than gracing numerous magazine covers, appearing on TV shows, with 875k and counting followers on Instagram. The best part for us, though: the actor is a poet of sorts, too, often taking to social media to post his musings. Sigh!
69.jpg6. Manish Dayal
Actor
This Indian-origin, American actor is hot property in Hollywood right now. Manish has low-key starred in a tonne of international films and shows—I’m Obsessed With You, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Outsourced, Viceroy’s House, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, among many others—and he’ll be your new rom-com dreamboat in Netflix’s Holidate.
Manish’s interest in films originated while he was in college—he actually wanted to direct and produce films, but realised he enjoys being in front of the camera more. After starting his career with commercials for fast-food brands like Domino’s Pizza and McDonald’s, he made his debut in the TV show Rubicon, followed by 90210. Manish’s biggest pet peeve as an Indian-American in Hollywood is being typecast. “Even as an actor, I’m an Indian-American man in the United States of America; roles are going to be few for me. We’re not represented as fully as some other ethnic groups. So, I think it’s important that I diversify my portfolio. Try everything and diversify as much as you can because creating as much as you can ultimately provides opportunities for us all,” Manish said in an interview recently. In real life, Manish is a romantic. In fact, he proposed to his wife, Snehal Patel, Bollywood style! “My wife loves Bollywood. I re-enacted a scene from her all-time favourite movie, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and that’s how I proposed. In the scene, there’s this gazebo and it’s raining. I had my cousin hiding in a bush filming it. He put rose petals around and really hooked it up. It was a very memorable and very corny experience,” he tells Cosmo.
Manish has done a lot of humanitarian work as well... He supports New York-based The Nanubhai Education Foundation, which works to improve education in rural India, and Innocent Project, that exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing, and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustices.
710.jpg7. Prince Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Recipient of the 7th Bharat Gaurav Award at the British House of Commons, Prince Lakshyaraj is the scion of the royal family of Udaipur, and the inheritor of the formidable Mewar legacy, which is said to be the world’s oldest-serving dynasty. But despite being born with the proverbial silver spoon, Lakshyaraj is grounded, humble, and doesn’t like to confine himself to any preconceived ‘grid’ to define his role and the work that he does. His Instagram handle quite simply describes him as a ‘scientific sadhu’ and a ‘free-spirited traveller’. He may be wise beyond his years, but he’s also got the qualifications to back up the work that he does. With a degree in tourism and hospitality management from Australia, he’s the Executive Director of his family’s chain of hotels, the HRH Group of Hotels. “Since 734 AD, we’ve held on to our belief of ‘custodianship’,” says Lakshyaraj. “Certain things were converted to non-profit, while others had a commercial value. I’ve tried to be a dry sponge: the more you absorb, the more you can learn.” Lakshyaraj’s passion is education—he speaks at colleges and schools to motivate youngsters—and works closely with the government for his non-profit organisations. The young prince also launched Vastra Daan—the world’s largest clothes donation drive, with over 3,00,000 clothes distributed. “I called for it on social media—an average Joe—and thousands of volunteers came forward,” he says.
He concludes, “The key is to do our best; to grow through life, not just go through it, and be willing to adapt and change. Do the greatest good, in the greatest number.”
812.jpg8. Ranveer Brar
Celebrity Chef
The Lucknow-born celebrity chef, who was one of India’s youngest executive chefs at the age of 25, is into his third week shooting for MasterChef India (his second stint there), where he is a judge along with chefs Vikas Khanna and Vineet Bhatia. Ranveer feels that the food ecosystem has become “large and interesting”. “Moreover, the greatest difference I see between last season and this season is how it’s become acceptable for men—amateur cooks—to take pride in cooking at home. While professional cooking in India was always a male bastion, there was a certain stigma attached to men cooking at home,” he adds.
What’s Chef Ranveer like as a judge? “Let’s say I’m not the guy who makes jokes on set,” he says. “It’s not just about teaching, but conducting a world-class competition and ensuring that the best person wins. I am here to inspire and ensure they are learning. I pull them up when needed, and praise them when they deserve it.” Talking about his journey, Ranveer says, “It’s very humbling to be known for what you do, to be able to inspire someone. Your first relationship is with ingredients, recipes, and then it’s with the food that you cook, as food is an extension of society and culture.”
While he can whip up world cuisine and gourmet dishes easy-peasy, Ranveer’s go-to dish is “khichadi, always—it’s good to numb down your palate once in a while.” He looks up to British Chef Rick Stein, “a true storyteller, and Rene Redzepi—what he’s done with Noma, I know him as a person and it’s amazing how he’s bounced back and evolved,” he tells us. Ranveer, whose wife is also a chef, doesn’t like talking shop with her as such discussions can turn “deadly”, but he loves taking her to Masque in Mumbai.
Ranveer’s personal style is all about natural fibres: cotton, wool, and silk. “The connect between food and fabric is the farmer. They grow cotton, rear sheep, and make silk... Just as we promote Indian grain, we also promote Indian fabrics.”
913.jpg9. Jasprit Bumrah
Cricketer
Jasprit Bumrah’s debut for team India was almost inadvertent. A sudden injury to bowler Mohammed Shami saw the cricketer jumping on the next plane to Australia in 2016 and playing for the country in the ODI and T20 series Down Under. The rest, clichéd as it sounds, is history. The fast bowler came to everyone’s notice with his impressive performance, even finishing as the highest wicket-taker overall in the T20 series, as India won 3-0. He debuted in Test cricket in 2018, against South Africa. The 26-year-old has since broken many a record and led India to many a victory, across all formats.
He’s currently ranked No. 1 in the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers, with more than 100 wickets in 58 matches. His T20 and Test record is just as impressive—he’s the second-fastest Indian pacer to scalp 50 wickets in T20, the fastest Indian to get 50 Test wickets, and only the third Indian to take a hat-trick in a Test, among other feats.
And when not turning matches around and clinching victories for the country, the master-yorker is a self-confessed prankster, who loves to pull a fast one on his friends, and loves going on drives to unwind. Interesting, cha(m)p.
The fast bowler is Ranked no. 1 in the ICC rankings for ODI bowlers, with more than 100 wickets in 58 matches.
1015.jpg10. Rehan Poncha
Olympian Swimmer and National Golfer
He swims, plays golf, travels (like, non-stop, #wanderlustFTW), and never misses a workout!
Former swimmer-turned-golfer, six-time national champion and Arjuna Awardee, Rehan Poncha is a man of many talents...all that makes him an instant addition to our list.
Now, the Olympian swimmer has his eyes set on being a ‘double Olympian’ by repping the country with his golfing prowess at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Whether he’ s hot air-ballooning in Turkey or teeing off in Thailand, Rehan never misses a workout. “I’m very passionate about fitness. I always include a workout in my day, no matter where I am. Most hotels have a gym, so it’s easy to factor in a workout. If time is limited, I just focus on getting in a cardio session—like a 20-minute high intensity run on the treadmill,” he says.
Not a fitness fanatic, for him workouts are all about having fun, the cool, millennial way. “A morning run is always a great way to get in your workout and discover a new city. Make it part of your sightseeing itinerary—I have caught some spectacular sunrises on the beaches of Turkey on my morning runs,” he says.
Rehan has another talent that needs no extra hours in the gym...he has a way with words that can make you want to start training for the Olympic track team or renew your gym membership, at least.
A mentor for the Indian Collegiate Athletics Programme (ICAP) and a motivational speaker, Rehan may just be India’s answer to Aquaman...DC, are you listening?
1116.jpg11. Prashant Sawant
Celebrity Fitness Instructor
If you want a body like an A-lister, it’s only fitting that you seek a fitness instructor to the stars to achieve the same. And who better than Prashant Sawant, Founder of Body Sculptor, whose clients include the likes of Varun Dhawan, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandez, among many others.
Prashant’s fitness journey started 20 years ago, with a desire to get into the right physique. Amazed at his own transformation, he decided to train people, helping everyone make fitness a way of life.
A strong believer in hardwork and consistency, Prashant launched India’s first chain of luxe personal-training studios, which completed 16 years in 2019.
Back in 2004, he started with a small space serving as the cardio wing; fast forward to today, he has trained over 234 celebrities and transformed many people’s lives through his state-of-the-art studio and body transformation programs.
In his spare time, the fitness junkie likes to read and plan different result-oriented workouts.
Prashant has trained over 234 celebrities in the last two decades.
1217.jpg12. Anand Ahuja
Founder, Bhane and Veg Non Veg
Antithesis of a hypebeast and a millennial-in-the-know, it’s natural to feel awed by Anand Ahuja, almost like meeting the much-cooler friend of your older brother. He’s the man behind Bhane, the go-to fashion label to earn instant street style cred, and Veg Non Veg, India’s first multi-brand sneaker boutique. Did we mention that he is booed up with OG Indian fashionista, Sonam Kapoor? And together, they make a formidable fashion power couple.
“If I could wear one outfit for life, I think it would be black jeans and a black T-shirt, and then just keep changing the sneakers. We (Sonam and I) have got a good wardrobe but now we’re hanging out in hoodies and tees,” he says. Anand takes his sneakers rather seriously—wearing his faves while meticulously storing others, and passing on the love to sneakerheads-in-the-making, too. “There are probably just 30-40 pairs in my wardrobe that I actually wear. But in all, I may have 100 pairs, some in London as well. And I give a lot of them away, too,” he says.
While he may have admitted to having a tough time choosing between sneakers and Sonam, there’s one thing that trumps it all...food. And we all know, a couple that eats together, sets #RelationshipGoals together. “One ritual we follow is to always have one meal together. If we’re in the same city, we have it together in person. But if not, we do it over Skype. That really helps in a long distance relationship,” he says.
1318.jpg13. Simran Singh Shergill
Polo Player
He’s the shining star of Indian polo today. Six-goaler Simran Singh Shergill, who was recently conferred with the Arjuna Award for polo, was last seen slugging it out on the field in Jodhpur for British Polo Day, where his Jaipur team, Mundota Fort and Palace, defeated the Jodhpur team. Speaking about his award, Simran says, “It’s a huge honour!” Simran, whose father once commanded the President’s Bodyguard, started riding when he was 13, and now joins the likes of Samir Suhag (former India captain) and Colonel KS Garcha, who’ve also been recipients of the Arjuna Award in the past. “I’ve played a lot of tough matches, but I would say that the Open has always been the highest handicap tournament in Asia,” he says. “It used to be a 20-goal tournament, and now it’s 16, but just to play it was a great experience—you play against the best.”
All athletes have their idols. Talking about his polo inspiration, Simran says, “Over the years, you compete with some of the best in the world. There’s an Argentinian who’s here for British Polo Day, Gerardo Mazzini. He used to be a seven-goaler, now he’s a six-goaler, but the amazing thing is that he was already a six-goaler at the age of 18! Then, there’s Dhruv Pal Godara and Samir Suhag—we all grew up playing together. Manu Pal Godara was also an incredible player.”
Off the field, Simran likes to hang out with his family in Delhi. Talking about his personal life, Simran says, “I am married, I have a son.” He met his wife in college and the couple got married after dating for five years. Would he want his son to pick up the mallet, like his dad? “Of course, I would want him to play polo, but that’s up to him.”
The ace polo player, whose favourite horse is a champion mare called Foreplay, says he is not ambitious in terms of planning out his career, but is very competitive on the field, “I just want to get better with each game”. He’s got loads of time, considering polo is a game for all ages. “A lot of players are in their 60s, because when they were younger they were busy working. But all you really need are good horses and a great team to support you.”
1420.jpg14. Yash Kotak
Co-Founder, Boheco
Meet one of the seven men who are doing what Bob Marley, your parents in 1969, and millennial rappers such as Dopeadelicz wanted to do—decriminalise cannabis.
Yash Kotak is one of the seven co-founders of Boheco, aka, Bombay Hemp Company, currently one of the major players to bring CBD-infused products and hemp textiles into the country. “Many people treat hemp and cannabis as a problem. With Boheco, we realised that to change the narrative, hemp and cannabis have to be presented as a solution. I still remember that for our initial meetings with government officials, the team actually took a hemp brick, a hemp shirt, and a hemp food product to show the officials that what they’re considering a problem, we think is a solution in the form of roti, kapda, makaan,” he says.
If you thought the Queer Eye’s Fab 5 have it tough, giving a makeover to a plant has not been an easy ride for the ‘Boheco 7’ either. Yash is also responsible for a recent addition to their coterie of eco-friendly hemp textiles and medicines—the Ministry of AYUSH-approved, Ayurvedic CBD oils for your skin. It was sold out within just two weeks of its launch in November this year.
Yash’s gumption, passion, and the fact that he is probably the most well-informed person to talk about your CBD beauty concerns, make him an easy fit on our list. Yes, a man whose knowledge of cannabis is not limited to just the Pineapple Express!
Just please don’t ask him if using CBD oils or wearing a hemp shirt will make you high. “CBD does not get you intoxicated. We address that elephant in the room first and then list the benefits. Because there are two kinds of people who would use CBD products: the ones who are convinced about its benefits because of their global exposure, and the others with certain conditions that can be relieved through CBD,” he adds.
15aditya.jpg15. Aditya Seal
Actor
Aditya Seal made his debut in the controversial Ek Chotisi Love Story at the age of 14. While he was seen in smaller roles in films with ensemble-casts, such as Tum Bin 2 and Namaste England, he returned to the spotlight this year with his character Manav Randhawa, aka, the bad guy in Student Of The Year 2 (SOTY 2). Being part of a Dharma Production film is a great achievement for an up-and-coming actor like Aditya, and needless to say, the movie put him on the map. “I think, in my career, I’ve been missing eyeballs, be it Tum Bin 2 or whatever... While we thought we had a winner, something went wrong. In SOTY 2, I got the recognition that I need and it’s very important because it’s set in a way, positioned in a way. A lot of people get to know you after you do a Dharma film,” Aditya said in an interview. He might have started his acting career early, as a teenager, but Aditya really wanted to be a cricketer. And when that didn’t happen, he put his energies into Taekwondo, representing Indian internationally and even winning a gold medal. If you’re one of his 347k followers on Insta, you’d know that he is in a relationship with actor Anushka Ranjan. He’s also an animal lover and has an adorable dog named Mija. *We’re not melting, you are!*
16screen20shot202019-12-1720at209.25.4520pm.jpg16. Afroz Shah
Environmentalist
A lawyer by profession, Afroz first made headlines as an eco-crusader when he took it on himself to clear up the Versova beach in Mumbai in 2015. This ended up becoming the world’s largest beach clean-up project, in which more than
20 million kilos of garbage was cleaned manually in about 160 weeks from the 2.5 km coastline. What had begun largely as a single man’s attempt to clean the beach grew into a full-fledged movement, with hundreds of people—including many high-profile politicians and Bollywood celebrities—swinging into action as volunteers, and many others starting similar drives in other parts of the country. The 2016 United Nations’ ‘Champion of the Earth’ awardee then turned to Mumbai’s Mithi river, a 17.8 km-long water body often dismissed as one of the biggest sewers in the city. Between November 2018 and September this year, Afroz, along with his team of volunteers, had cleaned about 1.25km of plastic and other waste, and started various programmes to teach the locals how to manage trash and reduce its production in daily lives. His endeavours towards saving the environment have won him numerous awards and recognitions from all over the world, including CNN Hero 2019. He also founded the Afroz Shah Foundation in May this year to continue working on his mission and spreading awareness.
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