Meghana Sajjanar’s Dream, Ayushmann Khurrana’s Gesture: The Rifle That Changed Her Journey
Meghana, a Bengaluru-based rifle shooter, had been pushing herself to compete at the highest level but was struggling to access world-class equipment. A web report highlighted the financial difficulty surrounding her sporting gear. Ayushmann Khurrana read the story and, despite never having met Meghana, stepped in to sponsor a state-of-the-art rifle for her.
Xtratime Webdesk: For Indian shooter Meghana Sajjanar, the biggest hurdle in her international career was never a lack of ambition or ability. It was something far more fundamental, i.e., access to the right equipment. With financial constraints making world-class gear difficult to afford, her pursuit of excellence faced an unexpected roadblock. That changed when her story caught the attention of Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who stepped in to help turn an equipment struggle into a fresh opportunity.
Meghana, a Bengaluru-based rifle shooter, had been pushing herself to compete at the highest level but was struggling to access world-class equipment. A web report highlighted the financial difficulty surrounding her sporting gear. Ayushmann Khurrana read the story and, despite never having met Meghana, stepped in to sponsor a state-of-the-art rifle for her.
The impact was significant; Meghana later said the rifle helped “level the playing field”, allowing her to train without compromising on her preparation and compete against the best. Her results soon provided a striking example of what that support meant.
At the 2026 Asian Shooting Championship at Delhi's Karni Singh Range, Meghana won a team gold and an individual bronze in the 10m air rifle event. Remarkably, she achieved the feat while eight months pregnant. She subsequently gave birth to a baby girl and returned to rigorous training in June. She is now preparing for the upcoming ISSF World Cup in Cairo.
For athletes in precision disciplines such as shooting, talent and training are only part of the equation. Access to specialised equipment can directly shape how an athlete prepares and competes. In Meghana’s case, financial limitations had become a sporting barrier. One newspaper report brought that struggle into the spotlight, and an unexpected intervention from a Bollywood star helped remove it.
Sometimes, the struggles of an athlete simply need to be noticed in the right way. Meghana Sajjanar’s journey found that moment when her story reached Ayushmann Khurrana, and what followed gave her more than just a rifle; it gave her renewed belief to chase the world stage.