Photo: Dani Charles Silverscreen Media Inc. (https://silverscreen.in) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Dhanush fascinates me because he refuses to stay in one lane. Most actors who win a National Film Award would coast on prestige roles; he instead keeps writing, producing, directing, and singing playback tracks, treating Tamil cinema as a full-contact sport. What I admire most is the contrast between his unassuming presence and the raw, lived-in intensity he brings on screen — he looks like an everyman and acts like a force of nature. For viewers who think Indian cinema is only spectacle, his grounded performances are the best possible rebuttal. To my mind, he is one of the most complete filmmakers working anywhere today.
Overview
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil films, as well as few Hindi and Telugu films. Having starred in 50 films over his career, his accolades include four National Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, fourteen SIIMA Awards, eight Filmfare Awards South and a Filmfare Award.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Dhanush
- Name (Japanese)
- ダヌシュ
- Reading
- だぬしゅ
- Born
- February 25, 1983 (age 43)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Boar
- Origin
- Chennai, Chennai district, India
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / film producer / screenwriter / playback singer / film director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2011 Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil
- 2011 National Film Award for Best Actor
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from India →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.