Overview
Sushant Divgikar is an Indian singer, actor, model, television personality and drag performer, widely recognised in India's LGBTQ+ entertainment circuit. He is also known by his drag stage name Rani KoHEnur. Divgikar came to public attention after winning the Mr Gay India title in 2014 and representing India at the Mr Gay World pageant the same year, and has since worked across reality television, playback singing and live performance.
Key facts
| Full name | Sushant Divgikar |
|---|---|
| Stage name | Rani KoHEnur |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Profession | Singer, actor, model, drag performer, television host |
| Notable title | Mr Gay India (2014) |
| Television | Bigg Boss Season 8 (2014); Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (Zee TV) |
| Languages | Hindi, English, Marathi |
| Known for | Four-octave vocal range; LGBTQ+ advocacy in India |
Background
Divgikar was born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, into a Marathi-speaking family. He pursued formal education in the city and trained in Hindustani classical music. He is openly gay and has spoken publicly about identifying as gender-fluid, becoming one of the more visible LGBTQ+ figures in Indian mainstream entertainment.
Career
Pageantry
Divgikar won the Mr Gay India title in 2014 and represented the country at the Mr Gay World contest held in Rome the same year. He had earlier participated in modelling and pageant circuits, including the Provogue Mr India contest in 2009.
Television
In 2014, Divgikar entered the Hindi reality show Bigg Boss Season 8, hosted by Salman Khan on Colors TV, becoming one of the first openly gay contestants on the franchise. He has appeared on several singing-based and talk shows on Indian television, including a celebrated stint on Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, where his vocal range drew wide attention.
Music and performance
Divgikar performs as a vocalist across genres including playback, jazz, classical and pop, and is noted for a vocal range spanning approximately four octaves, allowing him to sing in both male and female registers. As Rani KoHEnur he performs at clubs, festivals and corporate events across India and internationally, combining drag with live singing.
Advocacy
He has been an active voice in advocacy concerning Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, gender expression and workplace inclusion, and has spoken at universities, corporate diversity forums and public events. He welcomed the Supreme Court of India's 2018 decision in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, which read down Section 377 to decriminalise consensual same-sex relations.
Timeline
- 2009 — Participated in the Provogue Mr India contest.
- 2014 — Won Mr Gay India and represented India at Mr Gay World.
- 2014 — Contestant on Bigg Boss Season 8.
- 2018 onwards — Expanded performance career as drag artist Rani KoHEnur.
- 2019 — Featured on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, drawing attention for his vocal range.
Significance
Divgikar is regarded as one of the most prominent openly LGBTQ+ entertainers in mainstream Indian media. His combination of pageant success, reality-television visibility, classical and contemporary singing, and drag performance has helped bring drag culture and queer representation into Hindi-language popular entertainment, an area historically dominated by indirect or stereotyped portrayals.
Related topics
- Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series)
- Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
- Mr Gay World
- LGBT rights in India
- Section 377
- Drag (performance)
- Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India
References
- Coverage of Mr Gay India 2014 in Indian and international press.
- Colors TV programming archives for Bigg Boss Season 8.
- Zee TV programming archives for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
- Interviews and feature profiles in Indian newspapers and lifestyle publications on Divgikar's work as Rani KoHEnur.