From Masaan to Sardar Udham, Vicky Kaushal has been a force to reckon with. While his journey started as an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, the actor worked his way into mainstream Bollywood, giving back-to-back impactful performances. His roles in films like Raazi, Uri, and Lust Stories are remarkable and his performances have been some of the best we’ve seen.

This stellar actor turns 34 today and he has always said that he loves to spend his birthday at work. This time, however, he is vacationing with Katrina Kaif in New York. The two have been having some great fun doing some classic NY things and having the time of their lives. 

Although he has a legion of fans who want to know what the actor is up to at all times, Kaushal has managed to keep a low profile. After all, credit where it’s due, he did keep his relationship private and his weddings plans as well. There are so many things that his fans still don’t know about him and and we are here with all the info they need.

To celebrate the actor’s birthday, we are taking a look at some lesser-known facts about him:

He Had Multiple Job Offers Before Entering Bollywood

While many know that Vicky Kaushal was enrolled for a degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology Mumbai, not many know that he even had job offers post the completion of his course. He had cracked job interviews during campus placement and offer letters in hand, but since he has decided he wants to act during his second year of college, he pursued his dream and joined an acting school. 

He Still Hangs Out With His Friends From College

The actor may be friends with the bigwigs of the industry, but he still takes time out to meet his friends from college. He is always in touch with them. “My closest friends are from my engineering days. They are my buddies, they are my life. After every film, during every screening, they are my core. They are my family. They know me before all of this happened, before I even dreamed of becoming an actor. They know me as I am. With them, it’s not about films, it’s not about what’s happening in my life,’ he said once during an interview. 

He Swallowed A Screw Once

Well, if you have not done anything stupid as a kid, then your childhood would be incomplete. Kaushal too has some memories from his childhood when he did something silly. When visiting Punjab with his mom and brother during summer vacations, he swallowed a screw. He narrated the incident and revealed that he tried to lick and taste the metal and ended up swallowing it. He was later scolded by his mother. 

He Almost Said No To Uri: The Surgical Strike

Vicky Kaushal almost said no to Uri: The Surgical Strike but it was his father, Shyam Kaushal, who convinced him. The reason behind him skipping Uri was him being busy with the shoot of Raazi. He said that since he was so busy with the Alia Bhatt starrer, he did not feel any connection to the role he was being offered in Uri. He read the script once again when his father urged him to and he found it pretty amazing. 

His Favourite Hollywood Films

It is obvious that Vicky Kaushal loves films. His all-time favourite Hollywood movies list includes 12 Angry Men, The Godfather series, Ocean series and Shawshank Redemption. He loves series like Game of Thrones and Prison Break as well.

He Cannot Watch Horror Movies

Here’s something many of us can relate to. Kaushal once revealed that he is not brave enough to watch horror movies. The actor, who has been a part of a horror film titled Bhoot: Part One – The Haunted Ship, revealed that when he watched The Conjuring with his friends and had to watch Andaz Apna Apna right after it so he could be able to sleep. 

He Is Hydrophobic

Yes, Kaushal might be dropping drool-worthy pictures while posing in the pool for his fans, but the actor has always been hydrophobic. Even after multiple attempts, the actor has not learned how to swim. He once revealed that he had joined a class with kids half his size to face his fears, but the classes turned out to be a disaster.

 Vicky Kaushal will be seen in The Immortal Ashwatthama next. He also has Govinda Naam Mera, Sam Bahadur, and Takht in the pipeline. Here’s wishing the star a very happy birthday. 

(Featured Image Credits: Instagram @vickykaushal)