Until just a few years back, Rohit Khandelwal was just one among the millions of Indian youth slogging long hours behind an obscure desk in the corporate sector. Today, he is the one-in-a-billion person — the ‘Most Desirable Man’ in the world, the first one from Asia. The man, who just came home after winning 12 gruelling rounds of various tests against 46 contestants from across the world, spoke of his journey with disbelief.
It all began three years ago when he came to Mumbai with Bollywood dreams. “I was living in a single room with five other people who wanted to make it to the industry. I had no much money, but I kept trying for auditions. But the bigger problem was the language. Eventually, I had to undergo classes to get the proper Hindi diction,” says Rohit.
But how did someone who came to Mumbai to act end up becoming Mr World? Rohit explains, “It was completely by chance. One day I saw this ad with previous Mister India Prateik Jain saying 'Do you want to be Mr. India?' At that moment, I thought this wasn't for me. Then I read the description: The person should have a unique charm and should be good-natured. That is when I felt that I could do it.”
While winning Mr. India itself was a huge challenge, Rohit says that even then, becoming Mister World seemed very far from reality. But he worked hard.“I prepared rigorously. I was able to use my strengths accordingly which ensured my victory,” says Rohit. While he has already made a big name for himself in the modelling world, Rohit still very much holds on to his acting dream. “It is my dream to act with Shah Rukh Khan/ I have been getting quite a few offers, but as of now, I am going to be doing the scheduled charity work with the Mr World Foundation.”
