Mohit Singh
The 50 finalists list for the Colors TV and JioHotstar grand finale, confirmed as Shiv Thakare, Mr. Faisu (Faisal Shaikh), Rajat Dalal, and Immortal Kaka (Ravinder Singh), represents four individuals whose academic journeys span engineering degrees, commerce graduation, and university-level education — a surprisingly varied set of qualifications for men who have built their careers on social media, music, fitness, and reality television. The top four contestants who competed in The 50 grand finale puzzle task on February 19, 2026, collectively represent some of the most academically qualified participants ever to compete in the final stages of a major Indian reality competition. Each finalist’s educational background tells a distinct story about how academics and ambition coexist in India’s digital-first entertainment generation.
Shiv Thakare – Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.)
Shiv Thakare, the reported winner of The 50, holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree from G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering in Nagpur, Maharashtra — a fully accredited engineering college affiliated with Nagpur University. He completed his secondary schooling at Sant Kavaram Vidyalaya in Amravati, Maharashtra, before moving to Nagpur to pursue his engineering education. His degree in engineering places him among a small group of Indian reality show winners who hold formal technical qualifications.
Despite his engineering background, Shiv Thakare never pursued a career in the technical sector and instead transitioned into the entertainment industry through the reality television circuit, beginning with MTV Roadies Rising Season 14 in 2017. He subsequently won Bigg Boss Marathi Season 2 and competed in multiple major shows including Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Bigg Boss 16 before entering The 50 in February 2026. His decision to pivot from engineering to entertainment after graduation reflects a broader trend among young Indian graduates who now pursue digital and entertainment careers over traditional sector employment.
Also Read: Shiv Thakare Crowned Winner of The 50? The 10-Minute Puzzle That Settled the Ultimate Rivalry
Mr. Faisu – Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
Mr. Faisu, whose real name is Faisal Shaikh, pursued his higher education at Rizvi College of Arts, Science, and Commerce in Bandra, Mumbai, where he completed a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree. Born on October 5, 1994, in Dharavi — one of Mumbai’s most densely populated areas — he worked as a salesman to support himself financially during his college years while simultaneously pursuing his passion for content creation. This dual commitment to education and entrepreneurial ambition during his college years helped him develop the work ethic that would later power his rise as one of India’s most-followed social media influencers.
Mr. Faisu did not begin creating content professionally until after his college years, when the rise of platforms like Musical.ly and later TikTok provided a direct channel for his creative output. He gained massive popularity through his group Team 07, a collective of friends from his college and biker group circle that transitioned into a content creation team. His B.Com degree remained secondary to his digital career but reflects a structured academic foundation during a period when most social media careers were entirely self-taught.
Also Read: The 50 Finalists Revealed: Prince Narula, Mr. Faisu, and Manisha Rani Lead the Race to the Finale
Rajat Dalal – Graduate
Rajat Dalal, who finished in fifth place during the semi-final stage of The 50 before the top four puzzle task, attended Tagore Academy Public School in Faridabad, Haryana, for his secondary education. He pursued higher education at Manav Rachna University in Faridabad, a private university that offers engineering, management, and humanities programmes, where he completed his graduation. While his specific degree subject at Manav Rachna University has not been publicly disclosed in available sources, he successfully balanced his academic coursework with intense powerlifting and fitness training during his university years.
Rajat Dalal’s exit from The 50 at the fifth-place mark, just before the final four puzzle task, was described as the most surprising result of the entire finale sequence by multiple entertainment outlets. Born on January 12, 1996, in Faridabad, he built his entire post-graduation career on fitness, powerlifting, and social media — areas entirely unrelated to his formal degree subjects. His trajectory mirrors that of many Indian university graduates who complete formal education while building parallel careers in sport, social media, and entertainment.
Kaka – B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering
Immortal Kaka — whose real name is Ravinder Singh — holds the strongest and most specific technical academic qualification of all four finalists, having completed both a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and a full B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Polytechnic College in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. After completing his B.Tech, he secured employment as a government-sector architect at PUDA — Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority — where he earned approximately Rs 25,000 per month before leaving to pursue music full-time. His engineering-to-musician transition is the most dramatic career pivot among all four finalists.
Ravinder Singh’s story is particularly unusual because he did not leave his engineering career immediately after graduation but rather worked in a government post for a period, using his salary to fund his own music recordings. His breakthrough Punjabi song “Kah Len De” in 2020 changed his career trajectory permanently, making the engineer-turned-singer a mainstream name in Punjabi music. Of the four finalists, he is the only one who held a white-collar government job before becoming a full-time public figure in the entertainment space.
The academic and professional backgrounds of The 50’s top four finalists highlight a defining characteristic of India’s post-2015 digital generation: formal degrees in engineering, commerce, and applied sciences being traded in for careers in music, fitness, and social media content creation. In all four cases, the respective contestants built their primary audiences through platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and digital music streaming — none of which were covered in any of their undergraduate curricula. Yet each carried elements of their academic discipline — analytical thinking, structured work habits, and goal-oriented planning — into their entertainment careers.
The show’s grand finale broadcast is scheduled to air on March 22, 2026, on Colors TV and JioHotstar, with the winner’s prize — amounting to a share of the ₹50 lakh pool, though the exact figure post-deductions is not publicly disclosed — going not to the contestant but to the fan who selected the winner on JioHotstar from the competition’s start on February 1, 2026. The contrast between the finalists’ formal academic training and their actual careers serves as one of the defining social narratives of The 50’s 19-day recorded season, which attracted 5.8 million digital views in its second week alone according to Ormax Media data. The official announcement of the winner remains sealed until the broadcast date.
Four men — one B.E. engineer, one B.Com graduate, one Mechanical Engineering B.Tech holder, and one university graduate — all walked away from their degrees to chase fame. Does India’s education system need to catch up with where careers are actually heading — or is the hustle itself the real degree?