M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
Sushant Singh Rajput on one of the M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story posters.Sushant Singh Rajput/ Twitter

Sushant Singh Rajput has proved why he is the dark horse of the film industry. Throughout 2016, he has managed to stay in the news, but in a balanced manner. The young actor is now number one on Google's Top Trending Bollywood Actor (Male) list. Interestingly, the only Khan in the list happens to be Salman Khan and that too at five. Kabir Bedi, Harshvardhan Kapoor and Pulkit Samrat have bagged positions 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

Meanwhile, listed below are five reasons why Rajput is on top and worthy of the tag:

Rajput has grabbed limelight for getting inked in memory of his mother, who left him when he was quite young. "The tatoo is a symbolic representation of five elements. My mother and I are in the centre, implying it is a bond that not even time can defy. The five elements are widely accepted symbols. However, the idea of using my mother and me as elements was thought of by my sister and me," the actor told Hindustan Times.

His name was taken quite often in reference to the much-publicised breakup he went through with Ankita Lokhande. The two were in a six-year-long relationship before they decided to call it quits. While there are quite a few working theories around their split, the most common idea seem to be that they broke up over insecurity and incompatibility. However, the reasons are best known to them.

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story was one of the other reasons why he made headlines. The actor worked hard to play the cricketing star. He had Dhoni's careful diction, body language and a chiseled physique down pat. The biopic went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year, helping Rajput prove that he can pull off a film all by himself.

His alleged affair with Raabta co-star Kriti Sanon also put him on the gossip columns. Even though they claim they are good friends, a recently-released video of them dancing at Star Screen Awards 2016 after party paint a different picture altogether.

Rajput was also believed to have been in a cold war of sorts with Ranveer Singh. Apparently, Aditya Chopra's Befikre was promised to Rajput, but it eventually went to Singh, following which the two have shared a blow hot and cold equation.