Dhanush

Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, more popularly known as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist, and playback vocalist best known for his work in Tamil films. On July 28, 1983, he was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Dhanush has worked in 46 films so far and won 13 SIIMA Awards, 9 Vijay Awards, 7 Filmfare Awards South, 5 Vikatan Awards, 5 Edison Awards, 4 National Film Awards (two as an actor and two as a producer), and 1 Filmfare Awards over his 20 years of an acting career. He was named six times to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List, which takes into account the profits of Indian celebrities.

3 (2012), Maryan (2013), Anegan (2015), Kodi (2016), Vadachennai (2018), and Asuran are a few examples of these blockbuster movies. He continued his successful career

When theatrical box office profits were combined with non-theatrical earnings such as satellite, digital, and audio rights, Asuran joined the 100 Crore Club by earning ₹100 crores within a month of its release. His father, Kasthuri Raja, who directed the coming-of-age movie Thulluvadho Ilamai in 2002, was Dhanush's debut movie. He earned more praise and success in the critically acclaimed and financially lucrative films Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008) and Polladhavan (2007, 2007). He received the award for Best Actor at the 58th National Film Awards for his performance in Aadukalam as a rooster combat jockey, as well as Best Tamil Actor at the 60th Filmfare Awards South (2010).

Dhanush also acted in action flicks Velaiilla Pattadhari (2014) and Velaiilla Pattadhari 2, as well as Maari (2015) and Maari 2 (2018), all of which were released in the decade of 2010s.

In 2011, Dhanush's hit track "Why This Kolaveri Di" from the romantic psychological thriller film 3 became the first Indian music video to surpass 100 million views on YouTube. He made his Bollywood debut in Raanjhanaa, directed by Aanand L. Rai (2013). He was nominated for Best Actor and Best Male Debut at the 59th Filmfare Awards for his role in the film as an obsessive one-sided lover.

Dhanush produced Pa Paandi, his solo directorial debut. He also established his production and distribution company Wunderbar Films (2017) in a partnership with his ex wife Aishwarya Rajnikanth. His Maari 2 song "Rowdy Baby" became one of the most popular and most watched Indian songs of all time. It is the only South Indian video song on YouTube with over one billion views. Dhanush won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Asuran (2019).

Early Life

Dhanush's original name is Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja. He was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu, to Tamil movie director and producer Kasthuri Raja. Initially, he intended to study hotel management and become a chef. His brother, filmmaker Selvaraghavan, however, pushed him to become an actor. Dhanush married Rajinikanth's elder daughter Aishwarya on November 18, 2004. Yatra and Linga, their two children, were born in 2006 and 2010, respectively. The couple filed for divorce on January 17, 2022. Tamil cinema actor Rajinikanth, Dhanush's father-in-law, is supposedly active in efforts to save the couple's marriage and is the most heartbroken by the couple's decision to divorce. He is a fervent Lord Shiva devotee who called his two children Shaivite.

Quick Information

Real Name- Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja

On Screen Name - Dhanush K Raja

Profession - Actor, Producer, Director, Lyricist, Playback Singer

Date of Birth - July 28, 1982

Age - 40

Hometown - Chennai

Nationality - Indian

School- Thai Sathya Matriculation High School, Chennai

College - Madurai Kamaraj University

Qualification - BCA

Marital Status- Seprated

Wife- Aishwarya R. Dhanush

Children - Yatra & Linga

Father - Kasthuri Raja
Mother - Vijaylakshmi

Brother - Selvaraghavan

Sister - K. Vimal Geetha & Karthika Devi

Zodiac Sign- Leo

Net Worth- ₹ 148 Crore

Car Collection- Audi A8, Rolls Royce Ghost Series 2, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Jaguar XE

His Career in Acting

From 2002 to 2010: Beginning of His Career

After being inspired by Kuruthipunal's hypothetical covert expedition, Venkatesh Prabhu adopted the screen name "Dhanush" (1995). His debut was in his father Kasthuri Raja's 2002 film Thulluvadho Ilamai, which was an unexpected hit. In 2003, he appeared in Kaadhal Kondein, directed by his brother Selvaraghavan. The film featured Dhanush as Vinodh, a mentally ill youngster who desired the affection of his buddy and finally became possessive of her. When it was released, the film received both critical praise and economic success, becoming Dhanush's first significant break in Tamil cinema. Thiruda Thirudi was his next film.

Dhanush was cast in another movie in 2004 with Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan and Sullan in Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan. Later, he featured in Dreams, another critically criticised movie. His father directed the movie as he had done previously. Dhanush's next movie was released in 2005 with Devathaiyai Kanden, and he also worked on Balu Mahendra's Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam. Dhanush collaborated with his brother in his gangster flick Pudhupettai in 2006. The film, portraying a young man's rise from street urchin to gangster, gained critical acclaim, with Dhanush garnering specific accolades for his portrayal. Dhanush went on to feature in Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam, a mainstream entertainment in which he romanced Shriya Saran.

Dhanush's first release in 2007, Parattai Engira Azhagu Sundaram, did not performed well. The movie was a remake of the Kannada film Jogi. Polladhavan, his second movie in the same year, was released on Diwali. Polladhavan is a remake of the 1948 Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves, and Dhanush's acting has been praised and he gained popularity over time. Dhanush's next film, directed by Mithran Jawahar, is a remake of his brother's Telugu flick Yaaradi. The film's title was Nee Mohini. He later appeared as a cameo in his father-in-law Rajinikanth's film Kuselan. Padikathavan, Suraj's second effort as a director who cast Dhanush, was released in January 2009. His performance was applauded and highly appreciated. His following two films, Kutty and Uthama Puthiran were co-written and directed by Mithra.

From 2011 to 2014: His Critics Success

After three-year filming, Dhanush's debut film, Aadukalam, was released in 2011. He worked with Vetrimaran for the second time. During production, Dhanush played a local cockfighter and referred to the project as his "Dream Project". The film garnered largely positive reviews and was nominated for six National Film Awards, including Best Actor for Dhanush, who was the youngest actor to earn the award. Subramania Siva's Seedan had Dhanush in a prolonged guest appearance. His next two projects were the action movie Mappillai, a remake of his father-in-1989 law's film of the same name, and Venghai, directed by Hari and got mixed reviews but economic success.

Dhanush's next film, Mayakkam Enna, which he co-wrote and co-starred alongside his brother and Richa Gangopadhyay, earned mostly excellent reviews. In 2012, the only film released was 3, directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth (his wife) and starring Shruti Haasan. Because of the popularity of the song Why This Kolaveri Di, the film enjoyed a little hit. The song rapidly went popular, becoming the first video from India to receive 100 million views on YouTube. In 2013, he starred in Maryan with Parvathy, which received positive reviews from critics but performed well at the box office.

His following picture, Naiyaandi, directed by A. Sarkunam, did not fare well at the box office. In Aanand L. Rai's Raanjhanaa, he made his Bollywood debut opposite Sonam. A. R. Rahman created the film's background score, and it grossed over 135 crore rupees across India. The film premiered on June 21, 2013, with the Tamil dubbed version Ambikapathy following a week later. Velaiilla Pattadhari, Dhanush's first movie in 2014, was also his 25th feature and was directed by Velraj. It garnered largely favourable reviews and was a commercial success, ranking among the Top Tamil Films of 2014. Raghuvaran B. Tech, the Telugu adaptation, was likewise a success. Shamitabh, his next film, was directed by R. Balki was also his second Hindi feature film in which he was cast alongside Amitabh Bachchan. The movie opened to rave reviews and was hailed for its premise, but it bombed at the box office. His next film, Anegan, was a box office success directed by K. V. Anand and was a psychological thriller.

2015 TO PRESENT

The action-comedy Maari, starring Kajal Aggarwal, Robo Shankar, and Vijay Yesudas, was Dhanush's next film in 2015. It was released internationally on July 17, 2015, directed by Balaji Mohan and scored by Anirudh Ravichander. He co-starred in Velraj's Thanga Magan with Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Amy Jackson, K. S. Ravikumar, and Raadhika. Dhanush made next release was in 2016 with Thodari, a train-set action thriller, and Kodi, a political action thriller. He had a cameo role in Power Paandi, his directorial debut, which was released on April 14, 2017. In 2017, he made his feature film debut as a lead actor in Velaiilla Pattadhari 2, directed by his sister-in-law Soundarya Rajinikanth.

He wrote the screenplay and lines for the film, as well as produced it. It was one of the most popular Tamil films of the year. In 2018, he released the films Vadachennai and Maari 2, a sequel to Maari. Vadachennai received positive reviews from critics and went on to become the highest-grossing A-rated Tamil film of all time, whilst Maari 2 received mixed reviews. The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir, Dhanush's debut foreign film, was a disaster when it was released globally in 2019. His debut film of 2019, Asuran, was hailed by reviewers for its violent depiction of land and caste violence and went on to become a box office sensation, breaking into the 100 Crore Club for generating 100 crores within a month of its release. His next film, a romantic thriller named Enai Noki Paayum Thota, was released on November 29, 2019, after multiple delays owing to financial issues, to mixed reviews.

Pattas, directed by R. S. Durai Senthilkumar and starring Dhanush in a dual role, was Dhanush's first Pongal released in 2020. The film received negative comments. Dhanush appears in the Netflix thriller The Gray Man alongside Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, and Ana de Armas. Dhanush's first 2021 role was Karnan, directed by Mari Selvaraj and co-starring Lal, Natarajan Subramaniam, Yogi Babu, Rajisha Vijayan, Gouri Kishan, and Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli. The picture was released on April 9th to critical acclaim. Karthik Subbaraj's black comedy gangster film 'Jagame Thandhiram,' planned to be released on June 18, 2021, was his next project. The film also starred Aishwarya Lekshmi and James Cosmo.

Critics had mixed thoughts about it. He also appeared in Aanand L. Rai's August 2021 film Atrangi Re alongside Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan. Dhanush's third film in Bollywood received positive reviews.

His Work in Music

Dhanush records music rarely, usually for his films. Yuvan Shankar Raja introduced him as a playback vocalist in Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan, and he collaborated with him again in Pudhupettai, directed by his brother Selvaraghavan. In Selvaraghavan's flicks Aayirathil Oruvan and Mayakkam Enna, he co-starred with Aishwarya Rajinikanth and sang additional songs. In 2011, the song "Why This Kolaveri Di" was uploaded on YouTube as part of Aishwarya Dhanush's directorial debut, 3.

The song became India's most-searched video. The soundtrack was composed by Anirudh Ravichander, while Dhanush authored most of the lyrics. He has also performed in the Kannada film Vajrakaya's song "No Problem" and the Telugu film Thikka's song "Thikka". In the film Ezhumin, Dhanush sang for debutant musician Ganesh Chandrasekaran. The audience favourably appreciated the song since he notably performed it emotionally.

His Other Activities

Dhanush collaborated with WWF India to promote Earth Hour 2012. Perfetti India Ltd. appointed Dhanush as the brand spokesperson for Center Fresh chewing gum in August 2013. With the film Pa Paandi, he made his directorial debut.

His Recognitions

Dhanush has garnered a number of accolades and nominations. Dhanush has won and been nominated for various National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, and Vijay Awards. He won the National Award for Best Actor in 2011 for his performance in Aadukalam. The list of awards that he has won so far is way too long including 10 Vijay Awards, 14 SIIMA Awards, 6 Edison Awards, 5 Vikatan Awards, 2 IIFA Utsavam Awards some of his accolades are mentioned here-

1. National Film Awards