What makes a true conqueror? not inheritance or permission, but regality earned, wrestled into being through force of will.
Esquire India, in partnership with Chivas Luxe Collective Perfumes, identifies a ne order of achievers: names remembered not because of their birth, but for their sheer effort. Individuals chosen for the breakthroughs they've forged, the scale of what they've built, and the authority they've claimed for themselves.
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Across cinema, sport, music, entrepreneurship and beyond, these new regals rule— on their own terms, with an insistence that cannot be ignored.
Shreyas Iyer
HIS AUDACIOUS OPEN STANCE WILL tell you everything that is to be known about Shreyas Iyer.
Watch him clear his front leg and wield the long handle to send the chatter around technical weaknesses and temperament
on a leather hunt. Long tipped to lead the Indian batting lineup’s 2020s response to Bazball, he carved out a fief for himself when nobody was looking.
Some disagreement about Iyer and a great batting career can be pardoned, but the fact that he was born to lead is incontestable. Whatever he’s touched has turned to gold. Taking a franchise floundering horribly for years in the world’s biggest T20 league to the playoffs and then a final the next year. Leading a titan side in the same league next and bringing them a come-from-behind trophy win. The 31-year-old’s tenacity took perennial no-hopers Punjab to the brink of a win in the IPL last year. That they lost only by six runs in the final might be a compliment to Iyer—fondly monikered Sarpanch Sahab for his Punjab stint—and his enviable touch.
Even his brief step away from Tests reflects a Regal’s instinct for timing. Iyer’s command of his own arc suggests he has what it takes to be India’s next great all-format captain.
Jonita
When she first moved to Mumbai from Canada in 2013, singer Jonita caused quite a stir. Many were perplexed as to why she'd leave the ‘Promised Land’ where she studied Business and Health Sciences to knock on recording studio doors in Bollywood. Their misgivings only made her more determined to succeed. “Do I still feel like an outsider? Yeah,” she has said, but she has made that in-between space entirely her own.
Touring with Sonu Nigam or opening for Enrique Iglesias, she has learned to straddle the two worlds she calls home. An ace performer, she moves effortlessly between studio and stage, singing in languages ranging from English, Punjabi, and Hindi to Tamil and Telugu.
The voice behind hits like “The Breakup Song,” “What Jhumka?” and “Deva Deva,” she has said, “When I started out, success was more about getting Bollywood songs and earning the respect of my peers. Now, it’s about presenting my perspective through my music.” She's done exactly that in 2025 - opening with her original music for Enrique Iglesias, Shawn Mendes, and Ed Sheeran in India (and lending her vocals to a remix of Sheeran’s Heaven), while also taking the stage alongside Michael Bublé at the 2025 Juno Awards in Vancouver.
Clearly, the cool kid from Toronto has come a long way from her YouTube covers, making a truly Regal arrival on the global stage.
Harmanpreet Kaur
WHEN HARMANPREET KAUR TOOK AUSTRALIA APART with an unbeaten 171 in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, Indian women’s cricket found a new vocabulary for dominance. India may not have gone on to win the tournament, but Kaur remained hopeful, trusting the process.
“Remember why you started. It’ll see you through tough times,” said the India captain.
Kaur has overseen a golden era of Indian women’s cricket that will be hard to replicate. Under her captaincy, India recorded its first bilateral Women’s One Day International win in England since 1999 in 2022, its first-ever Test victory over Australia in 2023, and its first Women’s Twenty20 International series win against England in 2025. She’s also led the Mumbai Indians to two WPL titles. Along the way, her stature has grown internationally as well: in 2016, she became the first Indian woman to be signed by an overseas T20 franchise, Sydney Thunder, in the Australian Women’s Big Bash League.
If the 2025 World Cup triumph proves to be her last big hurrah, it would mark a fitting culmination to a stellar career, and the reign of a true Regal of the game.
Deepinder Goyal
A LITTLE OVER A DECADE AGO, DEEPINDER GOYAL AND his food aggregator platform Zomato changed the game. What
began as a modest restaurant listing grew into India’s food delivery giant, and the rest is history. Today, Goyal stands among
India’s youngest billionaires, his valuation only growing with the acquisition and success of quick commerce service platform Blinkit. District, a lifestyle app for “going out” activities, has also hit the ground running.
From a small town in Punjab, raised by parents who were teachers, Goyal is self-made and unapologetically ambitious.
Never afraid to voice his opinions (especially on social media!) he has become a prominent figure in the entrepreneurial circuit, one whose authority is felt as much as it is admired. He lives by the belief: “You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep moving forward,” a mindset that has guided him through every challenge.
Ten years on, with his focus reportedly set on health tech and the development of the cerebral flood flow device Temple, Goyal’s drive remains undiminished. His vision, audacity and relentless pursuit of impact mark him as a true Regal.
Kiran Rao
A GOOD FILMMAKER ISN’T ONE WHO JUST KNOWS HOW TO tell a great story; she must also know how to tell a tale people didn’t even know they needed to see. Kiran Rao is that rare filmmaker.
Not just as a director, but also as a writer and co-producer, Rao has consistently told stories that are unique, powerful and
thought-provoking. But perhaps the most remarkable part about Rao’s work is that her films manage to be all of these things while also remaining thoroughly entertaining. Dhobhi Ghat, Peepli Live, Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, Dangal, Secret Superstar and, of course, Laapataa Ladies are all wonderful examples. She’s a thinker, and someone who wants you to think too.
Off screen, Rao, who began her journey as an assistant director on Lagaan, personified what many women can only dream of. She found love, parted ways, and yet continued to grow from strength to strength, without a trace of bitterness. “There’s no single definition of a ‘good relationship’ or ‘good partner’; it’s about mutual respect, trust and the willingness to evolve together,” she told Esquire India.
A filmmaker with a mind of her own, unafraid to express herself in her work, she’s earned critical acclaim and recognition at
international film festivals. At a time when conversations around toxic masculinity dominate cultural discourse, her cinema stands as a testament to the female gaze at its progressive best. She proves that a Regal isn’t defined by box-office success, but by leading a life and work that are thoughtful, deliberate and distinctly one’s own.
Yash
FOR MANY, ESPECIALLY THOSE UNFAMILIAR WITH KANNADA CINEMA, HE seemed to arrive out of nowhere and conquer the nation. Naveen Kumar Gowda, better known as Yash, is one of modern times’ most elusive superstars. You don’t see him often, nor do you hear him in interviews. Yet, you’re forever waiting for his next move.
The KGF films weren’t just successes; they were pan-India sensations, raising the bar for what it takes to win audiences across the country. While the first one was the most expensive Kannada film ever, the second turned out to be the highest grossing Kannada film. Rocky Bhai was the peak of hypermasculinity in movies and Yash became the poster child of badass bravado. This success was a long time coming and he has only expanded it since.
In an era of excess, a true Regal leads with discretion. Where another actor in his shoes would’ve gone on a rampage signing one movie after another, Yash chose restraint. He’s turned writer and producer for his next, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, and will make his Hindi cinema debut as Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus, Ramayana, a film he’s also co-produced. Both films are this year’s most eagerly anticipated releases, and he’s bound to shine on screen in every shade of grey. Somehow it feels that Yash is only getting started; the mania around him is just a glimpse of what lies ahead. Bigger, bolder and built to last.
Rishab Rikhiram Sharma
A TRUE REGAL LIVES BY HIS OWN rules, and Rishab Rikhiram Sharma has made them entirely his own. Whether it’s switching lanes from the family business of making sitars to playing one—”Why can’t I do both?” he asks, nonchalantly—or covering OTT soundtracks like Game of Thrones instead of sticking rigidly to a raga repertoire, he’s never been a stickler. Even in his personal style, Sharma has always marched to the beat of his own strings.
Choosing statement looks by designers like Suket Dhir and Agraj Jain over traditional kurtas, it’s his mehendi-adorned hands that have drawn attention. “As a performer, I always think of how I can elevate the listener’s as well as the viewer’s experience,” he says of his outfits, which include diamond studs and grilles in his teeth.
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All that aside, it’s his sound that has resonated. His viral tunes have made him one of the most recognisable young faces in Indian traditional music, especially among Gen Zers, for whom his Sitar for Mental Health initiative struck a chord. “Pulsating, evolving, ever-changing and alive,” he tells Esquire India, describing his oeuvre and the vision he serves today. This Regal has big dreams of conquering the world. “I want to play for every single soul on this planet,” he says. This is one takeover we can fully get behind.
Prateek Sadhu
WHEN HE QUIT MASQUE SOON AFTER THE MUMBAI RESTAURANT earned India the top spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, everyone was watching to see what chef Prateek Sadhu would do next. Few expected him to head two-and-a-half hours out of the city. Fewer still imagined he would build a destination dining experience people now plan entire trips around.
What was Sadhu thinking? Not much, he claimed later. “If I had, I would maybe never have done it. I was just following passion.” That ability to walk away at a peak moment, choosing conviction over the chase, purely for the love of the cook, is why Sadhu is such a Regal. His culinary ambitions, sown during training at the Culinary Institute of America and followed by stints at The French Laundry, Le Bernardin and Noma, were always about discovering the stories of food. “At Naar, I’m cooking in the mountains,” he’s said. At his restaurant near Kasauli, that philosophy shows up in dishes like Dirty Toast, inspired by his mother’s hokhegad and his love for his home state Kashmir, he’s told Esquire India.
Evidently, people have developed a taste for his tales, given Naar is now a sought-after table among connoisseurs. The accolades are coming in too—in 2025, Sadhu earned the highest Three Knives distinction, with Naar also awarded Best New Entry at The Best Chef Awards in Milan. A fitting reward, in a short span, for someone playing the long game.
Vineeta Singh
She’s a woman with bite—but Vineeta Singh prefers not to bare her teeth as one of the judges on Shark Tank India. Like a true Regal, she rules with empathy. “The thing that you need the most in that lonely journey of running your own company is a cheerleader,” says the founder of beauty and personal care powerhouse SUGAR Cosmetics.
Singh speaks from experience. Armed with a degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, she famously turned down a ₹1 crore job offer at 23 to build her own business. The journey wasn’t easy, but it shaped the leadership style she brings to the table today.
Known for her sharp business acumen and fearless clarity, Singh has earned a reputation as a decisive judge on the show, never shying away from asking for what she wants. Shark Tank India regulars will remember the moment she and SUGAR co-founder (and husband) Kaushik Mukherjee pitched their own brand and walked away with ₹5 crore from all the sharks for 5% equity.
A champion of resilience with unshakeable conviction, Singh has clearly found her sweet spot building one of India’s most influential beauty brands.
Vikrant Massey
OVER THE COURSE OF HIS NEARLY TWO-DECADE-LONG career, Vikrant Massey is grateful for the support that has come his way. But he’s equally thankful to those who made him feel small. “They help keep the fire inside you burning,” he has said.
For someone who never believed he had leading-man chops, Massey’s rare instinct for inhabiting the emotional truth of a character has been evident from the start—from his television days on Dhoom Machao Dhoom, which made him an instant crush, to Balika Vadhu, his breakthrough role. Cinema followed, with performances in A Death in the Gunj, Sector 36 and Haseen Dilruba, each adding another layer to his evolving craft.
Even when roles were brief or ill-fitting, Massey stayed patient, using every opportunity to sharpen his skill. His recent turn in 12th Fail, marked by a restrained, naturalistic style, earned him a National Award. It was a reminder that consistency, preparation and belief can outweigh privilege and early setbacks.
While many of his peers chase visibility and marquee banners, Massey remains anchored to the work itself, committed to the honesty of the character he plays. That rigour, and his ability to turn adversity into momentum, is what makes him a true Regal.
Tillotama Shome
IF RIGOUR BE THE SOLE PARAMETER BY WHICH TO judge the craft of acting, Tillotama Shome might be one of its finest exponents of her generation. In the 25 years since first charming viewers as the demure domestic help Alice in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, Shome has spread her wings across alternative and mainstream cinema. In international as well as regional-language productions, Shome’s is the kind of presence that marks a true regal.
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An Esquire woman, she’s had quite a moment of late on streaming, with characters spanning the spectrum in Delhi Crime, Lust Stories, Paatal Lok and The Night Manager. But what really stands out in her career is how Shome has never really submitted to the wave. Her parts in films such as Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013) and Manto (2018) have been exercises in complete submission before the craft, her hunger for conflicted, truly interesting characters. Baksho Bondi, which made waves at the 2025 Berlinale, marked her turn as producer. “Our bodies have been used to tell stories, and if you have enough power or popularity, you play characters that have greater agency and prominence in the film. But beyond the screen, women have rarely been trusted with power and responsibility,” she told Esquire India in an interview.
Deepika Padukone
THERE’S LITTLE LEFT UNSAID ABOUT THE remarkable journey Deepika Padukone has had in the movies, from a Hindi film debut opposite a superstar to becoming one herself. Entering the industry alongside another ‘outsider’, Shah Rukh Khan, Padukone wasn’t preoccupied with pedigree. “When I began, it was just a new world,” she has said—choosing instead to focus on what she could control: passion, discipline and an uncompromising work ethic.
Talent and beauty may have opened doors, but authority is what has kept them open. Look beyond her incandescent poise and undeniable charm, and you see how she has silenced doubters with performances in Cocktail and Piku.
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The controversies surrounding the releases of her films Padmaavat and Chhapaak took an ugly turn and yet, she came out standing tall. Always one to speak her mind, be it her battle with mental health or more recently, asserting boundaries around an eight-hour workday, she embodies strength and vulnerability in equal measure.
From India’s biggest star to a global presence, whether in films, on red carpets, serving on award juries, or gracing international magazine covers, Padukone has never lost command of her own narrative. Even during a deliberate pause to focus on motherhood, the buzz around her never waned. Her return next year with King only underlines the point: she never left the throne.
That sustained command, over her craft, her voice and her choices, is what makes Deepika Padukone the new Regal.
Neeraj Chopra
WHEN THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF INDIAN SPORT IS WRITTEN, NEERAJ CHOPRA WILL STAND TALL AMONG THE other Regals that put India on the global sporting map. In a country that lives, breathes and absorbs cricket, it took a javelin thrower to command the nation’s attention. At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Chopra achieved what many only dream of—winning an Olympic gold medal and becoming the first Asian javelin thrower to do so. He followed it up with a silver at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and in the process, Chopra gave India a sport to believe in beyond cricket.
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He made 2025 a marquee year by finally breaking the elusive 90-metre barrier, a milestone that had long defined the upper limits of his discipline. Later that year, Chopra stood victorious at the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics javelin competition named after him and hosted in Bengaluru, leading from the front as India staged its first international javelin event.
As one seasoned journalist who has tracked Chopra told Esquire India, the boy from Haryana was never meant to be a javelin thrower. Maybe a wrestler. Perhaps a cricketer. Instead, he chose a road not taken and, in doing so, made history.
Diljit Dosanjh
THE FLAMBOYANT SINGER MADE A STATEMENT ON THE MET GALA CARPET IN STRIKING BLACK DANDYISM–inspired attire. “I bring my turban, my culture and my mother tongue—ਪੰਜਾਬੀ—to the Met Gala,” he posted soon after the moment. But for those who truly know Diljit Dosanjh, it takes far more than a sherwani to place this multihyphenate performer in a Regal order. From commanding global stages as one of the defining voices of Punjabi music to delivering layered performances on screen (Amar Singh Chamkila), Dosanjh has built his stature without ever severing his roots in his two-decade-long career. Breakthrough tracks like “Lak 29 Kudi Da,” “Laembadgini” and “Lover,” followed by albums and global tours such as Dil-Luminati, marked turning points that firmly established him on the world stage. Today, he stands as the Punjabi pop king, selling out global arenas and collaborating with international artists, a cultural force of authority.
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Manika Batra
A COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD MEDALLIST and three-time Olympian, she turned down modelling offers to commit fully to the sport, bringing table tennis into the spotlight and proving her mettle at every major competition.
Whether it’s her unique, disruptive playing style or the much-talked-about ritual of painting her nails, Manika Batra brings together all the elements of a true Regal: swagger, style and charisma, yes, but also discipline, control and an innate love for the game. “I sincerely believe that all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them,” she has said, a mantra that seems to define both her career and her attitude.
At 30, in her prime, Batra could still add to her achievements in future competitions. Yet her ambition goes beyond medals—she’s shaping a legacy and defining what it means to be a true icon of the game.
Neeraj Ghaywan
HIS OEUVRE DEALS WITH TOUGH subjects like caste, class and social justice, but with his stylish public appearances and affable public persona, Neeraj Ghaywan is delightfully liberated of the trappings of a filmmaker who tells those stories. In the milestones that he has authored during his ascent, Ghaywan is a refreshing reminder that we need to know which parts of life exist to be rebelled against and celebrated.
He is a man who has spoken of once fearing the identity the system assigned him at birth—a reality he alluded to with delicacy in Homebound. Today, as Ghaywan takes Indian cinema to red carpets and premieres across the world, that past collapses on its own, like the ruin of a regrettable relic.
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What really sets him apart as a filmmaker is his emphasis on emotion and plot over trite social-issue messaging. Masaan tugs at the grief glands, Homebound insists on friendship, while his OTT forays—Geeli Pucchi and Made in Heaven—look at caste in a more contemporary, urban setting. In a recent interview, quoting the filmmaker Satyajit Ray, he said, “Story’s supreme, its politics must rank lower.”
As a director, how he has been able to introduce this subtle interrogation within mainstream stories backed by and starring some of the biggest names in business, is nothing short of masterful. And that fine balance of intent and drive propelling his craft is what makes Ghaywan a Regal.
Anchit Kapil
“THE ONLY WAY TO WIN IS TO LEARN FASTER THAN anyone else.” For Anchit Kapil, it’s not just a favourite quote, it’s the blueprint.
Marketer and co-founder of Crepdog Crew, Kapil has become the undisputed king of the drop. First to jump on the bandwagon, the company was born out of the founders’ frustration: they couldn’t find the kicks they wanted. (At last count, Kapil’s collection stood at 119 pairs!)
What began as an online sneaker marketplace has since evolved into India’s largest aggregator of sneakers and homegrown streetwear brands, a go-to destination for sneakerheads who once shopped abroad or risked being burned by dodgy platforms closer home.
Hunting for the Kylian Mbappé x Nike Air Max Plus VII collab or Travis Scott’s Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Muslin/Shy Pink”? In an era of hyped drops, limited runs and peak streetwear obsession, Kapil’s Crew has you covered. Their invite-only secret drops are a collectors’ paradise.
A yoga-toting entrepreneur who describes himself as a “vibe curator”, Kapil took a calculated gamble on his passion, and it paid off. Never one to shy away from risk, this Regal plays the long game.
Hanumankind
“I’M A BIG STEPPER…” THE LINE FROM RAPPER HANUMANKIND’S global hit “Big Dawgs” feels more like a mission statement than a lyric, echoing his meteoric rise as he leads India’s hip-hop revolution. The 2024 single peaked at #23 on the Billboard charts and it’s been only up from there. In 2025, he became the first Indian rapper to perform at Coachella and dropped his debut album Monsoon Season, featuring collaborations with A$AP Rocky and Roisee. If that wasn’t enough, he found time to collaborate on tracks for Dhurandhar (whose music slaps hard) and undergo major knee surgery. There’s clearly no slowing him down.
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Vir Das
TO DESCRIBE HIM A STAND-UP COMIC WOULD BE TO say the sea exists for ships to travel; Das’s quiver has arrows of so many manners and fashions that one aches to be wounded. Hardly has anything else in recent times resonated more in Indian society than the writer-actor-comedian’s “Two Indias” monologue—which angered the establishment and attracted nationalists’ ire upon its release.
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The Dehradun-born citizen of the world has fearlessly and yet, in his own, earnest way, spoken against hate, social differences and racism in his specials and on his social media handles. “Someone once said to me in the comments, ‘Just make me laugh, bro. Don’t make me think’. And I think you should get someone to tickle you—because that’s the way to laugh without thinking. In my show, you might have to think a little bit,” he told Esquire India in an interview. This sense of responsibility and purpose with what he puts out in the world is why he is a Regal.
After an International Emmy win (for Vir Das: Landing), a return to films for the 46-year-old was long due. With Happy Patel, pop culture finally gets what it’s been missing—a film from the wicked, wonderful mind of Vir Das.
Vicky Kaushal
HIS BOX-OFFICE-SMASHING TURN AS A FEARLESS Maratha king this year notwithstanding, Vicky Kaushal’s humility was the defining quality everyone pointed to when we interviewed him for Esquire India’s cover story in March. “A beautiful soul” is how many describe him, and it’s a reputation he’s earned.
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It’s a sensibility Kaushal has carried from his alternative cinema beginnings (Masaan) to big-ticket blockbusters and all the way to a National Award win (Uri). The actor has done what few of his generation have managed: he’s given the Hindi film hero a new spin. You’ll see him fight, romance, dance and do everything else expected of a leading man, but you’ll also see him surrender fully to a character, transforming himself when the role demands it. He was the spitting image of Sam Manekshaw in Sam Bahadur, bulked up impressively to play Chhatrapati Sambhaji, and has since shed it all for Love and War.
Kaushal understands the toughness of the business—what privilege means and how hard it still is to earn your place. Perhaps that’s why his success comes with authority, minus the arrogance. “For my mom and dad, it wasn’t about raising good men, it was about raising good human beings,” said the actor, who went on to marry box-office empress and on-screen Aphrodite Katrina Kaif, and recently welcomed their first child.
A Regal doesn’t need to announce authority; it’s felt. With his confidence and secure sense of self, Kaushal proves exactly why he belongs in that league.
Compiled by NITIN SREEDHAR, PRANNAY PATHAK, SAURAV BHANOT AND RUDRA MULMULE
To read more stories from Esquire India's January 2026 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.