Dhanush - Birthdate, Family, Biography, Age, Wife, Birthday, Movies, Career, Net Worth

Profile Summary

Biography

Actor Dhanush's real name is Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil films.  Over the course of his career, he has appeared in 46 films and won numerous awards, including four National Film Awards (two as an actor and two as a producer), 14 SIIMA Awards, 9 Vijay Awards, 7 Filmfare Awards South, 5 Vikatan Awards five Edison Awards and a Filmfare Award. Six times he was listed on the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, which takes into account the income of Indian celebrities.

His father, Kasthuri Raja, who directed the coming-of-age movie Thulluvadho Ilamai in 2002, served as Dhanush's first director. He had more success in the critically acclaimed and financially lucrative films Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008) and Polladhavan (2007 2007). He received Best Actor at the 58th National Film Awards and Best Tamil Actor at the 60th Filmfare Awards South for his work as a rooster battle jockey in Aadukalam (2010).

With movies like 3 (2012), Maryan (2013), Anegan (2015), Kodi (2016), Vada Chennai (2018), and Asuran he maintained his success (2019). Asuran joined the 100 Crore Club by making a revenue of $100 crore within a month of its release when merging the theatrical box office revenues with non-theatrical earnings like satellite digital and audio rights. Vadachennai became the highest-grossing A-rated Tamil film of all time. In the 2010s, Dhanush also acted in the action movies Velaiilla Pattadhari (2014) and Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 as well as Maari (2015) and Maari 2 (2018).

The romantic psychological thriller film 3's hit song "Why This Kolaveri Di" by Dhanush became the first Indian music video to surpass 100 million views on YouTube in 2011. He made his Bollywood debut in Raanjhanaa by Aanand L. Rai (2013). He was nominated for Best Actor at the 59th Filmfare Awards and received the Best Male Debut Award for his portrayal of an obsessive, one-sided lover in the movie. Dhanush produced Pa Paandi his directorial debut through his production business Wunderbar Films (2017). From Maari 2, his song "Rowdy Baby" became one of the most popular Indian songs ever. It is the only song from South India with a billion YouTube views. 

Dhanush's Birthdate and Age

Dhanush's age as of 2024 is 41 years. Dhanush's birthday is on July 28. He was born in 1983.

About Dhanush's Family

Dhanush's place of birth is Madras, Tamil Nadu. His real name is Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja.Dhanush's mother's name is Vijayalakshmi; she was a Tamil and Telugu film producer and director. Dhanush's father's name is  Kasthuri Raja. He originally intended to enrol in a hotel management program and train to be a chef. However, he was under pressure to become an actor from his brother, the director Selvaraghavan. 

On November 18, 2004, Dhanush wed Aishwarya, the oldest daughter of Rajinikanth. Yatra and Linga, their two kids, were born in 2006 and 2010 respectively. On January 17 2022, the couple made their separation official.

Rajinikanth Dhanush's father-in-law and a Superstar of Tamil cinema is said to be hurt the most by the couple's separation news and was apparently participating in negotiations to try to salvage their marriage. He named both of his boys Shaivite since he is a fervent follower of Lord Shiva.

Dhanush's Divorce with Aishwarya Rajinikanth

The Past Rumors

In 2011 and 2012, there were widespread rumors that actor Dhanush was having an affair with Shruti Hassan, a well-known actress and close friend of Dhanush’s ex-wife, Aishwarya. These rumors emerged while they were filming the movie called 3, which was Aishwarya R. Dhanush's debut feature as a director. There were many stories suggesting that Dhanush and Aishwarya's marriage was falling apart due to this alleged romance.

However, Aishwarya quickly addressed these rumors, telling the media that all claims of an affair between Dhanush and Shruti were baseless and false. Shruti Hassan, when asked in an interview about the affair rumors, responded firmly: "I'm not going around justifying to people. I won't tell people to follow me and implant a microchip in my behind so they can learn the truth. My closest friend in the industry is him. He has always supported my creative endeavors."

The Divorce and Failed Reconciliation

In January 2022, Dhanush and Aishwarya announced their decision to separate. They had been married since 2004 and have two sons, Yatra Raja and Linga Raja. Despite the separation, there were reports that Aishwarya's father, Rajinikanth, had persuaded the couple to reconcile for the sake of their children.

Unverified reports suggested that Dhanush and Aishwarya met at Rajinikanth's Poes Garden residence and had a successful conversation about getting back together. However, these efforts seemed to have failed as the couple did not publicly address any reconciliation.

The Official Divorce

On November 27, 2024, the Chennai family court officially granted Dhanush and Aishwarya Rajinikanth a divorce. Despite earlier efforts to reconcile, they ultimately decided to part ways due to irreconcilable differences. The court proceedings took place in November 2024, where both Dhanush and Aishwarya expressed their wish to end their marriage.

After 20 years of marriage, the couple's primary focus now is co-parenting their two sons, Yatra and Linga. They shared a joint statement acknowledging their years of togetherness and requested privacy to navigate their new lives as individuals.

In summary, while past rumors about an affair between Dhanush and Shruti Hassan were debunked, and efforts to reconcile were made, Dhanush and Aishwarya have now officially parted ways, with their priority being their children.

Career

After being motivated by the fictional covert operation from Kuruthipunal Venkatesh Prabhu chose the stage name "Dhanush" (1995). He made his acting debut in the sleeper success movie Thulluvadho Ilamai in 2002, which was directed by his father Kasthuri Raja. Later in 2003, he had an appearance in Kaadhal Kondein the first film his brother Selvaraghavan had directed. In the movie, Dhanush played Vinodh a young man with mental illness who desired his friend's love and eventually became possessive of her. The movie was a huge commercial and critical success upon release, and it ultimately led to Dhanush's first significant break in Tamil cinema. Thiruda Thirudi was his subsequent movie.

Dhanush made an appearance in the 2004 films Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan and Sullan. Later, he also made an appearance in Dreams, another poorly received movie. Like their prior projects, his father directed this one. Dhanush worked on Balu Mahendra's Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam the same year he performed in Devathaiyai Kanden. Dhanush assisted his brother in the 2006 gangster movie Pudhupettai.

The movie which follows a young man's transformation from street kid to gangster was well-received by critics who singled out Dhanush's performance for special attention. Later, Dhanush starred alongside Shriya Saran in the popcorn movie Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam.

The first movie Dhanush released in 2011 was Aadukalam which he had been working on alongside Vetrimaran for more than three years. During filming Dhanush who took on the character of a local cockfighter, referred to the endeavour as his "Dream Project." The movie received overwhelmingly good reviews and won six accolades at the 58th National Film Awards with Dhanush becoming the youngest performer to win the National Film Award for Best Actor. Dhanush made a lengthy guest appearance in Seedan by Subramania Siva. His next two projects were the action movies Venghai directed by Hari which garnered mixed reviews but was a commercial success and Mappillai a remake of his father-in-1989 law's film of the same name.

Dhanush occasionally performs as a vocalist usually for his own movies. Yuvan Shankar Raja the film's composer first introduced him as a playback vocalist in Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan. They then worked together once again on the Pudhupettai film directed by their brother Selvaraghavan. In Selvaraghavan's movies Aayirathil Oruvan and Mayakkam Enna where he appeared alongside his wife Aishwarya Rajinikanth he sang additional songs.

Raanjhanaa

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Aanand L. Rai and Himanshu Sharma collaborated on the 2013 Hindi-language romance drama film Raanjhanaa. Under the auspices of Eros International Krishika Lulla is the film's producer. It has Mohammed Zeeshan, Ayyub Swara Bhaskar, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, and Dhanush as the main cast. Dhanush makes his film debut in Hindi with this one.

The movie premiered on June 21 2013 and a week later the Tamil version Ambikapath was released. A. R. Rahman created the songs and background music and Irshad Kamil wrote the lyrics for the pieces. The movie opened in theatres on June 21 2013. Kundan chooses to move on from his childhood sweetheart Zoya after learning that she has a crush on someone from her neighbourhood. He however becomes furious when he realises she is lying about her fiance's beliefs.

Maaran

Maaran is a 2022 action-thriller movie in the Tamil language that was written and directed by Karthick Naren. Suhas-Sharfu and Vivek also contributed to the narrative and screenplay. Dhanush Smruthi Venkat and Malavika Mohanan star in the Sathya Jyothi Films production which was also produced by T. G. Thyagarajan Sendhil Thyagarajan and Arjun Thyagarajan. 

Samuthirakani Ramki Mahendran and Krishnakumar Balasubramanian play supporting roles. G. V. Prakash Kumar created the soundtrack while Vivekanand Santhosham handled the cinematography and Prasanna G. K. handled the editing.

On March 11 2022 Maaran became immediately available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Critics and viewers gave the movie very unfavorable reviews criticising the plot the screenplay the directing the music and the acting of the cast.

Atrangi Re

Aanand L. Rai and Himanshu Sharma collaborated on the 2021 Hindi-language romantic fantasy drama film Atrangi Re. Dhanush Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar star in the T-Series Films Colour Yellow Productions and Cape of Good Films production. The movie follows Rinku (Khan) a serial eloper who falls in love with Sajjad a magician (Kumar). She marries Dr. Vishu against her will (Dhanush). Vishu and Rinku quickly fall in love but when Sajjad enters the picture the love triangle turns bizarre. 

After Raanjhanaa was released in 2014 Rai had the concept for the movie. Given the relevance of the subject the writing and the time Dhanush was a given for the lead role but the rest of the casting was left to chance. He co-wrote the screenplay with Sharma examining the complexity of human emotions particularly love. The project was officially announced in late January 2020 but filming didn't start until March of that year and didn't end until March of the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Varanasi sections of Bihar Delhi Agra Mumbai and a few sequences in Madurai and Karaikudi were also used as filming locations. Irshad Kamil wrote the lyrics and A. R. Rahman created the score and soundtrack CD. Pankaj Kumar handled the photography and Hemal Kothari handled the editing. Due to the nationwide lockdown brought on by the pandemic the film's release dates were postponed numerous times. Instead of going into theatres the creators decided to launch the movie on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24 2021. Galatta Kalyaanam was the name given to the Tamil dub and release of the film. Critics gave the movie mixed to excellent reviews; they praised the unconventional premise the lead actors' performances the director the soundtrack and the score but they also criticised the screenplay's incoherence and the way the overall plot was handled.

Pattas

R. S. Durai Senthilkumar wrote and directed the 2020 martial arts film Pattas which was also produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. With Sneha Mehreen Pirzada Naveen Chandra and Dhanush playing dual roles Nassar Munishkanth and Manobala play supporting roles. Vivek-Mervin wrote the music for the movie. 

Following Kodi this marks Dhanush and filmmaker Durai Senthilkumar's second collaboration. The ancient fighting technique of Adimurai which was practised in Tamil Nadu is depicted in the movie.

Prior to the start of filming Dhanush and Sneha trained in martial arts for their roles. The movie had its theatrical debut on January 15 2020 which also happened to be Thai Pongal. Mixed reviews were given to the movie.

The Gray Man

The Gray Man is a 2022 American action thriller film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo based on the 2009 Mark Greaney novel of the same name which the latter co-wrote with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. In addition to Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard the movie also stars Ryan Gosling Chris Evans Ana de Armas Jessica Henwick Regé-Jean Page Dhanush Wagner Moura Julia Butters and Regé-Jean Page. It is the first movie of a series based on John Greaney's Gray Man novels and it was produced by the Russo brothers' firm AGBO. The main character of the movie is CIA operative Court Gentry who after learning dishonest information about his superior is fleeing from the vicious mercenary Lloyd Hanson.

Greaney's book was once slated for adaptation in 2011 with James Gray due to helm Brad Pitt and later Charlize Theron in a gender-flipped role. Neither version however ever materialised. Until it was revealed that the Russo brothers would direct and that Gosling and Evans would star the project sat in development hell. Beginning in Los Angeles in March 2021 filming will end in Prague in July of that same year. It is one of the most costly Netflix original movies with a $200 million production budget.

The Gray Man had a constrained theatrical run that started on July 15 2022 then on July 22 it was made available digitally on Netflix. Critics gave it mixed reviews praising the ensemble cast but criticising the "clichéd storyline and rapid speed." The movie will be followed by a spin-off and a sequel with Ryan Gosling returning to his role. 

Karnan

Karnan is a 2021 Tamil-language action drama film that was produced and directed by Kalaipuli S. Thanu and Mari Selvaraj. Rajisha Vijayan Dhanush Lal Yogi Babu Natarajan Subramaniam and Yogi Babu appear in the movie (in her Tamil debut). Theni Eswar handled the film's cinematography and Selva R. K. handled the editing. The movie which was loosely based on the 1995 Kodiyankulam caste violence depicts the title character Karnan who comes from a conservative background and fights for the rights of his people.  

The movie was released in January 2020 under the working title Karnan after a short-long pre-production period. Most of the movie is filmed in the rural Thoothukudi district. After the movie's release production began and it was finished in December 2020 despite the COVID-19 epidemic delaying it.

Critics praised the plot casting location metaphoric use directing performances and key technical components of the movie after it opened in theatres on April 9 2021. Although the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions prematurely interrupted its cinema run it was also one of the biggest grossing Tamil movies of 2021. The Indian Express and other publications have listed Karnan as one of the top Tamil movies of 2021.

Upcoming Movies

Dhanush will also star in the upcoming Tamil period action adventure film Captain Miller. Scheduled to hit theaters on 15th December 2023 the movie promises an enthralling cinematic experience with the versatile actor Dhanush portraying dual roles adding to the excitement.

Career Timeline

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Controversies

A Tamil couple submitted a court case in 2017 claiming Dhanush was their son and asking for Rs 65 000 in monthly alimony. According to R Kathiresan and his wife Meenakshi Dhanush was their third son who had escaped from the house. In the case Kathiresan claimed that the actor had removed the markings from his body and that the court-filed birth certificate was not authentic because it omitted Dhanush's name and registration. He said that they are Dhanush's original parents and that Dhanush whose true name is Kalaichevalan is an actor who fled Chennai to pursue his acting career.Shruti Haasan the daughter of Kamal Haasan was associated with Dhanush. 

The revelation of Dhanush's extramarital relationship had garnered a lot of media attention. While the movie 3 was being made the two frequently spent time together. Shruti is a childhood friend of Dhanush's and his wife Aishwarya directed the movie. That is why Aishwarya chose to cast Shruti in her third movie. Regarding her relationship with Dhanush Shruti had stated that she does not care what others label her because he is her best friend. These stories were referred as as rumours by Aishwarya as well.

With the release of his debut song, Kolaveri Di Dhanush rose to fame among the Hindi-speaking population. After that he appeared opposite Sonam Kapoor in Ranjhanaa. Dhanush then appeared in Shamitabh alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Akshara Hassan.

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Net Worth

According to reports Dhanush has a net worth of about $20 million or roughly Rs. 148 crores. According to Forbes he made Rs. 31.75 crores in profits for the calendar year 2019. His income is based on the fees collected from his theatrical performances brand sponsorships and movie appearances. In Chennai he also runs his own independent film production firm Wunderbar Films. 

Trade analysts estimate that Dhanush charges between Rs. 7 crore and Rs. 10 crore for each film. His producing firm has produced 19 films that have done well financially. His collection of automobiles includes a magnificent Ford Mustang worth Rs. 75 Lacs an Audi A8 for Rs. 1.25 Crores and a Rolls Royce Ghost valued around Rs. 6 Crores.

He also has a bungalow in Chennai that is said to be worth $20 million.

Awards won by Dhanush

• In 2010 Aadukalam won the National Award for Best Actor.
• Best Male Debutant Actor (Film Fare Award) for Raanjhanaa in 2013.
• Pa Paandi won the Vijay Award for Best Entertainer of the Year in 2017.
• 2018 South Film Fare Award for Best Actor went to Vada Chennai.
• In its Celebrity 100 list Forbes India put him at number 64.

7 Interesting Facts about Dhanush

• Kasthuri Raja the father of Dhanush is a well-known director and producer.
• He was Rajnikanth the superstarson-in-law.
• Dhanush has always aspired to be a cook; he has never desired to be an actor. Because of his sibling he became an actor.
• The music video for his song Why this Kolaveri Di was the first in India to surpass 100 million views on YouTube.
• True name On stage Dhanush goes by this name while his official records list him as Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja.
• The actress who hails from a family of filmmakers felt compelled to pursue acting. The 37-year-old intended to major in hotel administration and work as a chef. He was quoted as adding that throwing tantrums and sobbing didn't help either in an interview with Outlook India.
• Thulluvadho Ilamai directed by his father Kasthuri Raja was his first film (2002).

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