The famous 'Kolavari Di' fame actor Dhanush is a popular actor down south. He was born on 28th July 1983.His father Kasthuri Raja was a famous film director in the South Indian film industry. Dhanush was born as Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja. The multifaceted actor went to St. John Matriculation Higher Secondary School Alwarthirunagar. Dhanush stepped into the field of acting after his brother director Selvaraghavan pressurized him to take up acting.
Dhanush made his acting debut in the south Indian film industry with his father's film 'Thullavadho Illamai'. The movie was directed by his father and the script was written by his brother Selvaraghavan. Dhanush essayed the lead role in this film. The movie went on to become a blockbuster hit which gave Dhanush much needed name and fame. Dhanush's next successful film was his brother Selvaraghavan's debut directorial flick 'Kadhal Kondein'. The movie starred Dhanush as a mentally disturbed guy. Sonia Agarwal essayed the female lead in this film. The film was released in 2003 and it became a huge success. The film paved a way for Dhanush in the mainstream Tamil cinema. Dhanush who is a lyricist, playback singer , producer and actor as well, gave an outstanding performance in his first ever hero centric film. He got lots of accolades from one and all for this film.
In the year 2004-2005, Dhanush's career graph went down as most of his films could not become successful at the box office. The first three releases of that year earned profit, but rest failed to mark at the box office. He was seen in the films like 'Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan', 'Sullan' and 'Dreams'. 'Dreams' proved to be the biggest disaster of Dhanush's acting career. In 2005, Dhanush appeared in two average grosser films. They were 'Devathayai Kanden' and 'Adhu Oru Kanu Kaalam'. The former received an average reviews but the later received rave reviews but could not prove at the box office.
Dhanush's biggest project was 2006 Tamil crime flick 'Pudhupettai'. The film was loved on the global level , but could not appeal much to the Tamil audiences. Thus , the film was an average grosser at the box office. He then appeared in a comic caper 'Thiruvilaiyaadal Arambam'. The film was hit which proved to be a relief for Dhanush's average film career.
In 2007 Dhanush was seen in 'Parattai Engira Azhagu Sudaram', The film was a remake of a Kannada film named 'Jogi'. The film failed at the box office and received negative reviews. Next, the talented actor was seen in 'Polladhavan' which was a blockbuster hit. The film saw Dhanush giving a mesmerizing performance. It was based upon Vittorio De Sica's 'The Bicycle Thieves'. In 2008, the versatile actor was starred in a Drama flick 'Yaaradi Nee Mohini'. The movie was a remake of a Telugu film 'Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule'. The film proved to be a blockbuster hit. Dhanush made a special appearance in a Rajinikanth starer flick 'Kuselan'.
In 2009, Dhanush was paired with Tamannaah Bhatia in an action comedy named 'Padikathavan'. Dhanush received lots of critical appreciation and rave reviews for his fabulous performance in this flick. In 2010, Dhanush was seen in the films like 'Uthamaputhiran' and 'Kutty'. Both of the films received the positive response from the Tamil audience despite getting mixed reviews. In 2011, Dhanush was seen in 'Aadukalam'. The film received lots of positive reviews and won many awards at the 58th National Film Awards. He received the best actor award for this film. He joined the club of the youngest actors to receive the national award.
Next, Dhanush made a special appearance in the film 'Seedan'. After this, the young actor was seen in the action packed films like 'Mappillai' and 'Venghai'. Both the films got mixed reviews from the critics. Later, Dhanush was seen in a romantic drama called 'Mayakkam Enna'.
Recently, Dhanush was seen with his wife Aishwarya R. Dhanush in the film '3'. The film became very popular when Dhanush's song 'Why This Kolavari Di' reached to the peak of the fame. The song was written and sung by Dhanush himself. The song went viral worldwide in a very short span. He has also sung another song named Kannazhaga in the same film.
Dhanush will be seen next in Bharat Bhala's flick 'Mariyaan'. The south Indian superstar will be making his Bollywood debut with Anand L Rai's film named 'Raanjhanaa'. He will be paired opposite Sonam Kapoor in this film. Abhay Deol will play a key role in this film. He has also signed a biopic by Manish Jha. Soon, Dhanush will be stepping up in Malayali films as well with the film 'Kammath & Kammath'.
Besides acting, Dhanush has done playback singing for the movies like '3', 'Mayakkam Enna', 'Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan', 'Aayirathil Oruvan' and 'Pudhupettai'. He will also produce a film named 'Ethir Neechal' in 2013.
Dhanush has tied a knot with famous superstar Rajinikanth's elder daughter Aishawarya in 2004. The couple has two sons named Yatra and Linga. Dhanush was nominated for PETA's brand ambassador with the title of 'India's Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2011'. He has joined WWF India to support Earth Hour 2012. The talented actor is now in pursuit of a successful career in the Hindi film industry.