Dhanush

Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, director, lyricist, producer, and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, along with appearances in Hindi and Telugu films. Over a career encompassing 50 feature films, he has established himself as one of Tamil cinema's highest-paid stars and has featured six times on the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. His achievements include four National Film Awards, eight Filmfare Awards South, one Filmfare Award, fourteen SIIMA Awards, and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Born on 28 July 1983 in Madras, Tamil Nadu, Dhanush is the son of film director and producer Kasthuri Raja and his wife Vijayalakshmi. He grew up alongside two sisters, Vimalageetha and Karthiga Karthik, and an elder brother, director Selvaraghavan. Initially aspiring to study hotel management to become a chef, he was encouraged by his brother to pursue acting instead. Before making his screen debut, he adopted his artistic moniker from a fictional covert operation featured in the 1995 film Kuruthipunal.

Dhanush debuted in the 2002 coming-of-age film Thulluvadho Ilamai, directed by his father. He achieved his breakthrough the following year starring as a troubled youth in his brother's directorial debut, Kaadhal Kondein, followed by the successful romantic comedy Thiruda Thirudi. Over the next few years, he appeared in project collaborations such as Devathaiyai Kanden, Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam, and the 2006 gangster drama Pudhupettai, which later attained cult status. That same year, he earned commercial success with the comedy Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam.

Between 2007 and 2010, Dhanush expanded his box office footprint with starring roles in Polladhavan, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, and Padikathavan. He also ventured into playback singing, earning a Filmfare award for the track "Un Mele Aasaidhaan" from Aayirathil Oruvan. His performance as a cockfight jockey in the 2011 drama Aadukalam marked a career milestone, earning him his first National Film Award for Best Actor as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

In 2011, Dhanush gained global attention when the song "Why This Kolaveri Di" from his romantic psychological thriller 3 became the first Indian video to exceed 100 million views on YouTube. He subsequently expanded to Hindi cinema with Raanjhanaa in 2013, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. His success continued with notable projects including the comedy-drama Velaiilla Pattadhari in 2014, Shamitabh, Anegan, and the action comedy Maari in 2015.

Dhanush made his directorial debut in 2017 with Pa. Pandi and starred in the sequel Velaiilla Pattadhari 2. He won his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil for the crime drama Vada Chennai in 2018, while his song "Rowdy Baby" from Maari 2 became the first South Indian music video to reach one billion YouTube views. He earned his second National Film Award for Best Actor playing the lead in the 2019 drama Asuran and made his international screen debut in The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir.

Dhanush operates the production banner Wunderbar Films. His recent acting projects include Pattas, Karnan, Jagame Thandhiram, the international action film The Gray Man, Thiruchitrambalam, Vaathi, and Raayan, the last of which became his highest-grossing release. He has continued to feature in prominent projects across multiple film industries while maintaining an active career in filmmaking.