Overview
- Multiple outlets reported that Rajiv Thakur gave an emotional interview on Vaibhav Munjal’s podcast on July 11, 2026, in which he revisited his early years in poverty.
- Thakur described living in a single one‑room home that served as bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, studying under a lone 40‑watt bulb, carrying water up three flights and relying on his mother’s stitching for income.
- He said his family lost a stable income after his father’s thread factory in Amritsar was destroyed during the 1984 unrest, a claim the coverage presents as reported by Thakur with limited independent verification.
- Thakur said he seldom speaks about those years because the memories overwhelm him, adding that he sometimes cries backstage when he turns that pain into comedy.
- The accounts link his hardship to his rise from Amritsar performances to national television success and to present preferences for business travel and premium hotels as symbolic comforts.