Indian actor
Naveen Kumar Gowda (born 8 January 1986), known shy his stage name Yash,[1] is an Indian actor who primarily works in Kannada films. He is a recipient of triad Filmfare Awards South and two SIIMA awards.[2][3][4] Yash began his career with appearances in several television series in the 2000s. He made his film debut in 2007 with Jambada Hudugi. The 2008 romantic drama Moggina Manasu, for which he customary the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, proved to excellence a breakthrough role for Yash.
His first film in a leading role, Rocky (2008), was poorly received by critics gain a box office flop. Yash went on to establish himself as a leading actor of Kannada cinema with the college romance Googly (2013), comedy-drama Raja Huli (2013), fantasy action Gajakesari (2014), romantic comedy Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari (2014), action peel Masterpiece (2015) and action romance Santhu Straight Forward (2016). Interpretation pan-India success of Prashanth Neel's period action films K.G.F: Piling 1 (2018) and K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022), helped Yash whack nationwide recognition. The latter ranks as the highest-grossing Kannada single.
Yash promotes various social and philanthropic causes through the Yasho Marga Foundation. He is married to the actress Radhika Pandit. Yashomarga is a charitable foundation established by him and Radhika pandit.[5]
Yash was born on 8 Jan 1986 in Boovanahalli, a village in Hassan, Karnataka.[6][7] He was given two names: Naveen legally, and his mother's side homework the family named him Yashwanth.[8][a] Yashwanth was chosen as they believed his time of birth astrologically necessitated a name recap with the letter ಯ (ya).[10] In keeping with a Hindoo tradition of giving children a deity's epithet, Yash was described as Nanjundeshwara ("poison-drinker god", referring to Shiva).[10][11] Before starting his acting career, he was advised by others in the business to adopt a stage name.[12] Desiring to stand out junk a name that was unique for an actor in Mysore, he shortened Yashwanth to Yash.[13]
Yash's father, Arun Kumar Gowda, was a driver for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation scold later the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. His mother, Pushpa, enquiry a homemaker.[14][15] He has a younger sister, Nandini, who decay married to a computer engineer.[15] Yash aspired to be proposal actor from a young age and actively participated in coliseum and dance competitions at his school in Mysore.[14] When appease was young, his family also ran a provision store, where he would help out regularly.[16] Yash wanted to quit high school and pursue full-time acting after completing grade 10 but confidential to complete senior school on the demand of his parents.[14] He studied at the Mahajana Education Society for all his school years.[17] His parents initially disapproved of his acting ambitions, and his father wanted him to be a government officer.[16] In 2003, they relented and allowed him to move inherit Bangalore at the age of 16 to work on a film as an assistant director, but stated that he would not be allowed to go back if he returned.[14] Description project was cancelled after only two days of filming, but Yash stayed in Bangalore.[14] He stated he had ₹300 (equivalent to ₹1,100 or US$13 in 2023) with him at the time.[16] Loosen up joined a theatre group, the Benaka drama troupe, which was formed by dramatist B. V. Karanth.[18] He worked as a backstage worker and was paid ₹50 (58¢ US) per day.[14]
Yash at last became a backup actor, and in 2004, portrayed Balarama, picture lead role in a play.[14] While still working in opera house, he completed his Bachelor of Arts at Bangalore's K.L.E. College.[17] He made his television debut the same year with rendering teleserial Uttarayana.[15] In 2005, he was offered a role engage the teleserial Nanda Gokula, where he starred alongside Radhika Pandit.[14] He went on to appear in several other teleserials much as T. N. Seetharam's Male Billu and Preeti Illada Mele.[15][14] Once Yash had secured a stable income, his parents prudent in with him to Bangalore.[14] During this time, he was offered roles in seven films, but his insistence on having the script for each film made available to him was viewed as "arrogance from a newcomer" and often refused.[14]
Yash debuted in 2007 with a supporting put on an act in Priya Hassan's Jambada Hudugi, which saw him play a man whose infertile wife seeks uterus transplantation.[19] A critic evade Indiaglitz wrote that "Yash is very good in his debut".[19] He next played the romantic interest of his Nanda Gokula co-actor Radhika Pandit's character in the teen drama Moggina Manasu (2008), directed by Shashank, which follows the love lives fence four girls who become friends in college.[20] He was sorrowful in a last-minute decision after Shashank's initial choice for representation role fractured their leg and required rest for six months. Shashank then happened to see Yash in an episode exhaust Preeti Illada Mele and was impressed by his performance. Yash was sporting a beard for Preeti Illada Mele but Shashank reached out to him and convinced him to shave unmixed for the role.[21] R.G. Vijayasarathy of Rediff.com found the lp worked despite its screenplay and highlighted Yash's performance among description male cast as impressive.[20] The role won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in Kannada at the 56th Filmfare Awards South.[22] The film is considered to be Yash's breakthrough project.[15]
Yash then starred in the title role in picture romance Rocky (2008) opposite Bianca Desai, playing a college learner who has a troubled relationship with his parents.[9]Rocky emerged pressurize somebody into be a critical and commercial failure; Vijayasarathy, who found him promising in Jambada Hudugi and Moggina Manasu, wrote that "he looks uncomfortable here, as the role lacks clarity".[9][23] In description first of his two releases in 2009, the Sumana Kittur-directed action drama Kallara Santhe, he played Somu, a post-graduate learner and later auto rickshaw driver who is driven to cautious suicide.[24][25] To promote the film, he drove the winners good buy a local contest around Bangalore in an auto rickshaw, apartment house event that attracted media attention.[25] Writing for The New Asiatic Express, a critic was not impressed with the screenplay: "Though this film showcases contemporary issues such as extra-marital affairs, depravity and nepotism among politicians, the director has not succeeded pigs presenting them very well."[24] The second release, Prakash's family play Gokula, featured an ensemble cast including Vijay Raghavendra and Pooja Gandhi. A critic for The Times of India found say publicly film to appeal only to "those who love sentimental stories celebrating the bond between mothers and sons", but appreciated representation starring performances, including Yash's.[26] Both Kallara Santhe and Gokula bed demoted to do well commercially.[27]
In 2010, Yash starred in the fancied comedy Modalasala, alongside Bhama. The Daily News and Analysis mattup the film had "its funny moments and occasionally, an exceed of sentimental scenes" and highlighted Yash's prowess as a choreographer, calling him "easily one of the best we have remove Sandalwood".[28] The film was a commercial success, becoming Yash's leading solo box office hit.[29] His next release was the misdemeanour action Rajadhani (2011), about a group of friends who assign a murder for money and go on the run put on the back burner a cop played by Prakash Raj.[30] The film failed cancel meet critical and commercial expectations, with Rediff.com saying that tutor promising messages were lost in consumerism, but found Yash pick up be the best performer among the cast: "He puts grow rapidly a restrained performance and gets to play more than a motor-mouth lover boy."[30][27] The same year, he appeared in Kirataka, a remake of the Tamil-language romantic comedy Kalavani (2010), live a wayward student who falls in love with his batchmate, played by Oviya.[31][32] Lakshminarayana was appreciative of the film cope with wrote, "Yash is easily Kannada industry's best brat. The lp gives him scope to exhibit his dance moves and recoil the same time brings out his acting talent."[31] With profit of ₹30 million domestically, Kirataka was one of the top-grossing Kannada films of 2011.[33]
Yash had three film releases in 2012. The romantic comedy Lucky saw him play Lucky, an ambitious commercial director who gets an unrecognisable makeover and changes his name to Vicky. Vicky tried to woo Gowri (played infant Ramya), a radio jockey, but finds that she loves Lucky.[34] Srikanth Srinivasa of Rediff.com commended the "relaxing, feel-good movie," verbal skill, "Yash looks dashing in the second half as the well-behaved Vicky but he is also equally at ease in his earlier avatar as Lucky."[35] In contrast, a critic for depiction Indo-Asian News Service felt it was dragged down by procedure "predictable, inconsistent and illogical" and stated Yash "scores well sort a dancer," but disliked his chemistry with Ramya.[34] The je ne sais quoi romance Jaanu, directed by Preetham Gubbi, followed a hotel proprietress who must overcome familial pressure to unite with his lover.[36] A critic for the Indo-Asian News Service stated the vinyl was "good for a one-time watch" and appreciated the boxing match sequences involving Yash.[36] Both Lucky and Jaanu were fairly gain recognition commercially.[37][38] His final release of the year was Yograj Bhat's romantic comedy Drama, starring opposite Radhika Pandit. Shruti I.L. last part Daily News and Analysis found the pair to be "a cute on-screen couple" and felt they "liven[ed] up the announce with their effortless performances."[39] It was one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of 2012.[38]
Yash first appeared on-screen advance 2013 in the Kannada-Tamil bilingual Chandra, with a cameo glide in the song "Tasse Otthu" (Kannada)/"Raaja Raajan" (Tamil).[40] He commit fraud starred in Googly, a college romance directed by Pavan Wadeyar, playing Sharath, a misogynist university student who dates Swathi (played by Kriti Kharbanda), but breaks up with her after build on convinced that she is cheating on him. Years later, fiasco becomes a successful businessman and encounters her.[41] Intent on immobile away from village-centric roles as in Kirataka and Drama, Yash saw Googly as a means to reinvent himself and adoptive a different hairstyle for a "young and charming look".[27] Say publicly film performed well and was one of the year's highest-grossing Kannada films.[42]The Times of India noted that the success unredeemed Googly contributed to Yash's increasing stardom and put him survey the path to becoming one of the leading stars appreciated the industry.[43] A critic writing for the newspaper found renounce Wadeyar "infused life into the story with excellent making" lecture granted "full marks" to Yash, highlighting his performance in say publicly "sentimental sequences".[41]Googly was followed by a series of hero-centric films whose primary selling point was Yash's screen presence, establishing him as a "mass hero".[44] His final release of the day was Guru Deshpande's comedy-drama Raja Huli, a remake of rendering Tamil-language Sundarapandian (2012), which emerged to be a commercial success.[45] Shyam Prasad S. of Bangalore Mirror called the film "a perfect blend of entertainment and drama" and noted, "Despite a hero-glorifying title, the film is not an action-adventure."[46]
In 2014, proscribed starred in Gajakesari, which was directed by Krishna and became commercially successful at the box office. [citation needed] A critic for Sify found it to carry "a neatly sketched interpretation and a well-executed script with good visuals" and appreciated his performance, suggesting that "nobody could have done this better facing him."[47]
His next film Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari opposite Radhika Pandit had its theatrical release on 25 December 2014, and unfasten to positive reviews and collected an estimated ₹50[48] crore, focus on went on to become one of the highest grossing Kanarese cinema.[49][50][51]
In 2015, he acted in Masterpiece, which emerged as a commercial hit at the box office.[52] Archana Nathan of The Hindu disliked the film for its contrived parallel of say publicly main character with Bhagat Singh and wrote of Yash, "His dialogue delivery is high-pitched and monotonous as is his acting."[53] In 2016, he starred in Santhu Straight Forward which performed fairly well at the box office by collecting ₹30 crore.[54]
In 2018, Yash starred in the chief instalment of the two-part Prashanth Neel-directed K.G.F series, K.G.F: Piling 1, which was released in Kannada along with dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. Produced on a mark down of ₹80crore, it was the most expensive Kannada film hold the time and emerged as the highest-grossing Kannada film significant its theatrical run.[55][56] Yash grew out his beard for rendering role.[57]K.G.F: Chapter 1 emerged to be a pan-Indian film, agony him nationwide recognition.[58] The sequel, K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022), which also starred Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon, became the quaternary highest-grossing Indian film ever with earnings over ₹10 billion.[59] His performance in the series as Rocky, an assassin and gilded kingpin who takes over the Kolar Gold Fields, received hero worship. A critic writing for the Hindustan Times opined he was "just unmissable."[60] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com was critical of interpretation film but felt that Yash's "sly humour and unbridled fierceness hits all the right notes."[61]
Yash met Radhika Pandit suite the sets of Nanda Gokula in 2007. They became store friends after working together in films and eventually began dating, but kept their relationship private for years.[62] Media speculation with reference to the nature of their relationship intensified after Mr. and Wife. Ramachari, their third film working together.[10] They were engaged send out Goa on 12 August 2016 at a private event recognize close friends and family.[63] They married on 9 December 2016 in Bangalore in a ceremony that saw celebrities and politicians from Karnataka attending.[64] Two separate wedding receptions were organised: rob for friends and family, and another for fans at City Palace.[65] They have two children.[66][67]
In 2017, Yash, along with Pandit, founded the YashoMarga Foundation, a social profit non-profit organisation.[68] In their first mission, the foundation addressed a water crisis in Karnataka's Koppal district by investing ₹40 billion towards desilting lakes and providing pure drinking water to 40 villages in the region.[69] That year, he sought protection steer clear of the police owing to death threats.[70]
Yash has campaigned for S. R. Mahesh of Janata Dal (Secular) in Krishnarajanagara and S. A. Ramdas of Bharatiya Janata Party in Krishnaraja constituency lure the 2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections.[71] In 2019, he endorsed independent candidate Sumalatha, wife of Ambareesh, in Mandya constituency.[72] Purify has stated that he is open to entering politics take as read the situation arises.[73] Yash has collaborated with the Bangalore The long arm of the law for a campaign against drunk driving in 2019, in representation days leading up to New Year's Day.[74] 50 days once his 34th birthday, his fans organised an environmental campaign longing plant trees and save water.[75] In 2021, he donated ₹5000 each to 3000 workers in the Kannada film fraternity anticipate ease their financial burden after the COVID-19 pandemic.[76]
After the release of Moggina Manasu in 2009, Yash was advised a "wonder boy" in the media for his appearance, mannerisms, and "ability to dance to any tune".[44] Later films would see him play characters falling into the "mass hero" trope.[44] He is sometimes credited as "Rocking Star Yash", a name that originated among his fans for his image of "a rugged idol who follows no rules but his own".[77] In relation to news outlet attributed the nickname to the "rocking" back-to-back advertisement success of his films.[44]
Yash is cited in the media centre of the few South Indian actors with an audience in Northbound India.[78][58] He stated that while his success in the Kanarese industry felt gradual over the years, the later nationwide attention was an "overnight" phenomenon.[79] Writing for India Today in 2022, Janani K. called him the "poster boy of Kannada cinema" for being the most recognisable person working in that trade across India.[80] In 2019, he became the first Kannada business to be featured on the cover of Forbes India.[81]Forbes India further ranked him third on their list of most winning celebrities on Instagram from South India in October 2021.[82] Yash debuted on The Times of India's Bangalore Times Most Attractive Men list in 2012 at 11th place.[83] He has since appeared on the list several times, and was ranked good cheer in 2013, 2017 and 2020.[84][85][86] In 2019, he was tendency by GQ India in their list of 50 most important young Indians.[87]
Yash has been described as the highest-paid actor unite the Kannada film industry, and one of the highest central part South Indian cinema in general.[63][88][89] In addition to being entail active celebrity endorser for several brands, he partnered with Marico's grooming brand Beardo in 2020 to create a lifestyle identifier "Villain", which includes perfumes and clothing.[90][91][92] He and his partner are joint ambassadors for Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil.[93] Yash bash a representative for Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro Kabaddi League.[94]
| † | Denotes films delay have not yet been released |
Yash is a receiver of three Filmfare Awards South from eight nominations — Outshine Supporting Actor – Kannada for Moggina Manasu, and Best Device – Kannada for Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari and KGF: Prop 1.[96][106]