Vicky Kaushal was born on May 16, 1988, in Mumbai, to Sham Kaushal, a well-known stunt director. Coming from a Punjabi family originally from Hoshiarpur, Vicky grew up surrounded by the world of cinema, but his path wasn't set in stone. He studied engineering at Mumbai's Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology and even had a job offer in hand. But his heart belonged elsewhere, in front of the camera. Before acting, he worked as an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and appeared in small roles. His breakout moment came in Masaan (2015), which changed everything.