Dhanush's meteoric rise from Kollywood to Hollywood

When he made his first foray into Kollywood in 2002, people knew that Dhanish was not just any other actor. Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja or, as he is known to his fans, Dhanush is headed to Hollywood to star in a film with an illustrious cast that includes Uma Thurman, Alexandra Daddario, Gemma Arterton and Barkhad Abdi. In just 12 years, the actor has had a remarkable journey, moving from Tamil to Hindi films and now to Hollywood, and he's been successful every step of the way.

Breaking boundaries

One of the key reasons for Dhanush's extraordinary success—whether in Tamil or Hindi cinema—is his eagerness and hunger to learn. When he started working in 2002, he moved directly from Thai Sathiya Matriculation High School to the world of films. But Dhanush spent a lot of time and effort, as he still does, learning from every film. The actor breathed life into every role he did and one never felt that he was acting. He was so at ease in front of the camera that he was a natural. While some of his initial movies may not be ones that can be raved about, they all instilled in him the confidence and desire to achieve more. He also honed his acting skills along the way and by 2007 he had both a strong fan following and marketability. In fact, even today, his Polladhavan is a much-talked about film. But it was director Vetrimaaran's Aadukalam that put the talented actor firmly under the spotlight on the national stage. He walked away with a much-deserved Award for Best Actor at the 58th National Awards. Dhanush's constant endeavour to learn, push boundaries and try new things has kept him constantly on the move, propelling him to greater heights.

The producer, singer and lyricist

While many actors in Tamil cinema stuck to acting, Dhanush decided to foray into production in 2011 and set up Wunderbar Films. There are 12 films under the banner today and films like Ethir Neechal, Kaaki Sattai, Kaaka Muttai, Naanum Rowdydhaan and Visaaranai have been box office successes. The versatile actor also proved to the film industry and others that as a producer he had a knack for picking up scripts that were profitable and award-worthy. Kaaka Muttai won two National Awards while Visaaranai premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a standing ovation.

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By 2012, Dhanush also started to sing and write lyrics for his films. 'Why this Kolaveri Di' (2012) went on to become a global hit, turning the actor into an international sensation. He knew the pulse of the youth and he made sure that whatever he did, it would appeal to them. He was keen on becoming a pan-India actor. Meanwhile, directors across all film industries were raving about him.

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The Bollywood connect

By the time Bollywood director Aanand L Rai roped in Dhanush for his 2013 film Raanjhanaa, the actor had firmly established himself as an actor, producer, singer and lyricist in the Tamil film industry. Aanand L Rai chose Dhanush, not surprisingly, over others to star in the movie with Sonam Kapoor. The actor's Hindi movie debut was a big hit as well. Dhanush won the Best Debut Male Actor award at Filmfare and at IIFA in 2014. He was then seen in director R Balki's Shamitabh with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshara Haasan in 2015. The interesting thing to note is that he didn't choose to go the usual commercial cinema route in Hindi. The scripts he picked out were different from the run-of-the-mill ones (and from each other), allowing him to showcase his diverse acting skills. That has worked in his favour. Renowned Hindi director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra recently said, "I do admire Dhanush. He’s such an inspiration and a world talent. The world should be working with him." His words could not be truer. 

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On the path to Hollywood 

2016 began with a bang for him as Dhanush had signed Marjane Satrapi's film The Fakir. Satrapi, in fact, had told Huffington Post that she had watched 17 films of Dhanush's, including Raanjhanaa, before she decided he was the one to play the role of Ajatshatru Oghash Rathod. She even stated that he was her dream actor and was made for the role. She called him "an excellent actor who commits fully to his character". The actor will be shooting for the film between June and August 2016 across Paris, Rome, Morocco and Jodhpur.

In January, he posted on his Facebook page about working on the film, "I am very excited by this opportunity to work in a full-length Hollywood film - The Extraordinary Journey Of the Fakir Who Got Trapped In The Ikea Cupboard for the first time. The director Marjane Satrapi felt I would be apt for this role and I feel there are many facets I can explore for this character. I thank my fans and media for constantly standing by me and pushing me to explore new endeavors and challenges all the time."

As of now Dhanush is exploring new territories and new roles and this is what will keep him evolving as an actor. As for the Tamil audience and the film industry, having seen Dhanush successful in different hats, they are waiting to see when he will turn director and what magic he will weave on screen.