# Darasing Khurana

Darasing Khurana is an Indian actor and philanthropist who rose to fame after winning the Mr. India International 2017 title and representing India in Mr. International 2018. Khurana has been involved in various initiatives, including his role as Commonwealth's Year of Youth Champion. He is the first Asian and the second person globally to hold the title alongside Prince Edward of the UK. Under his role, he serves as a spokesperson, advocate, and contributes to policy discussions concerning the future of youth across 56 Commonwealth countries. He also serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF India and is the brand Ambassador of Datri, a blood stem cell donor registry in India. Khurana has been honored with the title of Global Peace Ambassador and has participated in events including meetings with dignitaries such as King Charles and Queen Camilla in London. Khurana has been honored with the title of Global Peace Ambassador and served as the keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Summit 2024 at the Oxford University. Additionally, Khurana has attended various events, including meetings with dignitaries such as King Charles, Queen Camilla, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa.

## Early life and background

Darasing Khurana was born on January 12, 1992, in the town of Parbhani, Maharashtra. His family is Punjabi. He attended Queen's School, Parbhani and Symbiosis College of Commerce and Economics, Pune and H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, before receiving a master's degree in Business Management from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS).

## Career

He started performing theatre at a tender age of 4. At the age of 14, he participated in Mr. Parbhani competition, a local pageant in his hometown, and won the competition. He later came to Mumbai, and graduated from H.R. College of Commerce and Economics there.
While he was studying, he became a part time model and walked the runway at numerous Indian and International fashion shows, including the Lakme Fashion Week, Bangalore Style Week, India International Style Week, India Luxury Style Week, as well as other fashion events.
In 2017, he won the Rubaru Mr. India International 2017 and represented India at Mister International.
Khurana has walked for several fashion shows as a show stopper and as a closing model, including Royal Fables. he also walked as a show stopper along with former Miss Universe Lara Dutta Bhupati at the page3 Awards.
Khurana is the Brand Ambassador of DATRI, an India-based blood stem cell donors registry. and Goodwill Ambassador of Kunwar Global School.
He is the founder of Pause.Breath.Talk Foundation, an initiative to help those suffering from mental health problems.
Khurana is a part of UNICEF initiative and was invited to speak on the impact of climate change on children's lives in an event held in November 2020.
In July 2023, Khurana teamed up with UNICEF India and Asia's largest student-run social organization, Abhyuday of IIT Bombay.

## Philanthropy

Khurana founded the Pause.Breath.Talk foundation after the untimely death of his friend and fellow actor, Sushant Singh Rajput. The foundation aims to make therapy affordable and accessible to young people suffering from mental health problems. Additionally, he serves as the brand ambassador of DATRI, which helps match donors with individuals in need of blood stem cells in India. Furthermore, he is involved with UNICEF and supports various other charitable causes. He is also associated with the social cause 'Daughters are precious' in Rajasthan.

## Position held

Darasing Khurana has started his role as the Commonwealth Year of Youth Champion by concentrating on mental health projects. This came after he met with Queen Camilla and talked with Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland in London. In February 2024, Khurana was appointed as the Commonwealth Youth Champion for 2024, becoming the first Asian and the second person overall to hold the title.

## Engagements and Key Events

In 2024, Darasing Khurana was invited to meet Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom, wife of King Charles III, in London.
Khurana co-hosted the International Youth Live event alongside Lady Dentaa Amoateng, MBE, at Marlborough House in London. The event featured various launches, interviews, and content highlighting Year of Youth activities. It was broadcast live across 56 Commonwealth nations. During the event, Khurana conducted interviews with notable figures, including Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, several United Nations officials, representatives from Cambridge University, and other dignitaries.
He was also a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Summit at Oxford University, where he was appointed as the Global Mind Health Ambassador.
In 2024, Khurana attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as a special guest of the Commonwealth Secretary-General. During the event, he moderated a panel discussion on mental health, which included Samoa's Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, and United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rabab Fatima.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role(s) |
| 2022 | Bai Ji Kuttange | Dara |
| 2023 | Bandra | |
| 2024 | Kaagaz 2 | Manminder |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2018 | Hear Me. Love Me. | Dara | | |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Singer(s) | Ref. |
| 2020 | Prarthana - Hope for Humanity |

## Awards and recognition

* 2017: Awarded the Most Promising Face of the year at WOW Icon Personality Awards.
* 2018: Received the 'Style Icon of the year 2018’ at Rajasthan Style awards
* 2018: Honored with Wow Starlite Excellence Awards in Pune
* 2019: Honored with The Indian Achiever's Award
* 2022: Khurana received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the state’s former Governor, [[Bhagat Singh Koshyari]], at the Global Wellness Awards 2022. The ceremony took place on June 15, 2022, at the Maharashtra Rajbhavan.
* 2023: Best Host of the Year 2023 at the Mid-day Showbiz Awards
* 2024: International Personality of the Year 2024 from AsiaOne Magazine
* 2024: Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award held in UK