Meet man who drove auto, earned Rs 50 per day, then worked in Rs 1200-crore film, he is married to...

From Shah Rukh Khan to Rajinikanth, there have been a few outsiders who entered the Indian film industry and became superstars due to their sheer hard work and passion. One such rising star in Indian cinema is Yash, who came to Bangalore with just Rs 300 in his pocket when he was 16 and has now become one of India's highest-paid actors.

Born in 1986 in Karnataka to a bus driver Arun Kumar J and a homemaker Pushpa, Yash's legal name is Naveen. His mother's family named him Yashwanth, which he shortened to Yash as he entered the film industry. always wanted to become an actor in his early days as he started winning theatre and dance competitions in Mysore. The actor wanted to quit studying after class 10 to pursue acting, but his parents insisted he complete his schooling first.

At 16, with just Rs 300 in his pocket, Yash came to Bengaluru in 2003 for his first stint as an assistant director for a film, which was eventually shelved within two days. The actor then joined a theatre group as a backstage worker, where he was paid Rs 50 per day. Soon, he impressed the director of the group with his acting skills and became a backup actor in the troupe.

Yash's efforts finally paid off when he bagged the lead role as Balaram in a play called Gokul Nilkamala in 2004. While still working in the theatre, he completed his Bachelor of Arts from Bangalore's KLE College. In 2004 itself, Yash made his television debut in the TV serial Uttarayana. In 2005, he starred in the serial Nanda Gokula, where he met his future wife Radhika Pandit. Yash led another couple of TV shows namely Malebillu and Preeti Illada Mele.

In 2007, Yash made his film debut in a supporting role in Jambada Hudugi. Next year, the actor impressed the audiences with another supporting act in Moggina Manasu in 2008. Yash starred in his first lead role in the same year in Rocky, which turned out to be a flop at the box office. 

In 2009, Yash bounced back with Kallara Santhe, in which his character Somu played an auto-rickshaw driver. For the promotions of the film, he actually became an auto-rickshaw driver for a single day. As part of a contest on a popular radio station, the actor was supposed to pick the winning girl for an auto ride around the city of Bengaluru. However, he decided not to disappoint the other two ladies and made all the three girls sit behind him for an auto ride in Karnataka's capital.

Yash then starred in multiple hits such as Lucky, Jaanu, Google, and Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari in the next few years and became a leading man in the Kannada film industry. In 2018, Yash collaborated with Prashanth Neel for KGF Chapter 1, which went on to earn Rs 250 crore globally. The actor achieved pan-India fame with its sequel KGF Chapter 2 in 2022, which became a monstrous blockbuster grossing Rs 1215 crore at the box office worldwide and became the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

The actor will reportedly make his Bollywood debut in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, in which he will be seen playing Ravana while Lord Rama and Sita will be played by Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi. The mythological epic hasn't been officially announced yet. As per reports, Yash is charging Rs 150 crore for the film, which makes him one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema.

Yash's wife Radhika Pandit is also famous actress, who has worked mainly in Kannada films. Some of her famous movies are Krishnan Love Story, Breaking News, Sagar, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, and My Santa amongst others. Yash and Radhika share two children, a daughter named Ayra and a son named Yatharv. She took a break from acting after their marriage.

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