Dhanush

For other uses, see Dhanush (disambiguation).

Dhanush
Born
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja

(1983-07-28) 28 July 1983 (age 41)[1]
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • playback singer
  • lyricist
Years active2002–present
WorksFilmography
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2004; sep. 2022)​
Children2
FamilyKasthuri Raja family
AwardsFull list

Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983),[2] known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema.[3] Having starred in 50 films over his career, his accolades include four National Film Awards (two as actor and two as producer), fourteen SIIMA Awards, eight Filmfare Awards South and a Filmfare Award.[4] One of the highest paid actors in Indian cinema, he has been included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list six times.[5]

Dhanush's first film was Thulluvadho Ilamai, a 2002 coming-of-age film directed by his father, Kasthuri Raja. He achieved further success in Polladhavan (2007) and Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008), both of which were critically acclaimed and commercially successful.[6] His role as a rooster fight jockey in Aadukalam (2010) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.[7] He continued success with films, including Maryan (2013), Velaiilla Pattadhari (2014), Anegan (2015), Maari (2015), Kodi (2016), Vada Chennai (2018), Asuran (2019), Thiruchitrambalam (2022), Vaathi (2023) and Raayan (2024), the lattermost of which emerged as his highest-grossing release.[8]

In 2011, Dhanush's popular bilingual song "Why This Kolaveri Di" from the romantic psychological thriller film 3 (2012) became the first Indian music video to cross 100 million views on YouTube.[9] He made his Hindi film debut with Aanand L. Rai's Raanjhanaa (2013). His performance as an obsessive one-sided lover in the film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut in addition to a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[10] Dhanush produces films through his production company, Wunderbar Films, and made his directorial debut with Pa Paandi (2017).[11][12] His song "Rowdy Baby" from Maari 2 became one of the most-viewed Indian songs of all time.[citation needed] It is the first South Indian video song to reach 1.5 billion views on YouTube.[citation needed] Dhanush won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for Asuran (2019).[13]

  1. ^ "Dhanush Had a Very Kabali Birthday With Rajinikanth". NDTV.com. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  2. ^ "On Dhanush's birthday, his 8 mantras for a happy and successful life". The Indian Express. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Dhanush on being pushed into acting at 16 and judged by his looks". The Indian Express. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. ^ "It is a triple joy: Dhanush on National awards for 'Visaranai'". 28 March 2016. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Dhanush - Forbes India Magazine". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  6. ^ "After Visaaranai, Vetrimaaran to adapt another book into a film". Hindustan Times. 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  7. ^ Nadar, Ganesh (31 May 2011). "Aadukalam sees Dhanush in his best performance". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Dhanush-starrer Raayan Now The Highest Grossing Tamil Film Of 2024". News18. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Record-breaker: Kolaveri Di becomes 1st Indian video to cross 100 million views on YouTube". Dna India. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  10. ^ Bhaskar, Swara (21 July 2013). "Crazy love in Banaras". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  11. ^ Menon, Vishal (14 April 2017). "'Pa. Pandi' review: The power of love". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  12. ^ `Power Paandi`-Dhanush turns director! Archived 25 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Sify.com (Updated 7 September 2016). Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Dhanush wins National Award for Asuran, thanks Vetrimaaran for believing in him". The Indian Express. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.