Yash, who? This is the question that had kept actor Sanjay Dutt from acting in KGF 1. (He plays the villain in the second part.) After the enormous success of the film, Yash has become a household name. If you don’t know him, that reflects more on you than on him.
Like his KGF character Rocky, Yash, too, has a rags-to-riches story. Born to a bus driver and a homemaker, Naveen Kumar Gowda alias Yash had nothing to recommend him, save for his chiselled looks and acting chops. Yash and his younger sister, Nandini, spent their childhood in Mysuru. After completing his PU course from Mahajana Education Society, Yash came to Bengaluru to pursue acting. He joined Benaka, a theatre group founded by noted dramatist B.V. Karanth. Soon, opportunity came calling. He was picked for the Kannada television soap, Nanda Gokula (2004), where he met his future wife, Radhika Pandit.
He debuted in films with Jambada Hudugi (2007), but it was his second film, Moggina Manasu (2008), that brought him recognition. It got him the Filmfare award for best supporting actor. His first commercial solo hit was Modalasala (2010).
In 2012, after a couple of average grossers, Drama—a romantic comedy directed by Yograj Bhat—was a super hit and earned him his first Filmfare award for best actor. Googly (2013), Raja Huli (2013) and Gajakesari (2014) cemented his stardom. His next flicks—Masterpiece (2015) and Santu Straight Forward (2016)—were commercial hits, too. Yash the superstar had arrived. Yash and Radhika got married in 2016 and have two children—daughter Ayra and son Yatharv.
It is not just on celluloid that Yash has made a mark. His involvement in the rejuvenation of Tallur tank that provides drinking water to 20 villages in the drought-hit Koppal district has won him many hearts. He also ensured the supply of free drinking water to drought-hit villages in Kalaburagi and Vijayapura districts through his NGO, Yasho Marga Foundation (YMF).
Yash has had his share of controversies, too. In January 2019, Yash’s name figured on the list of Kannada film stars and producers whose residences were raided by the income tax department for “suppression of income from the sale of audio, digital and satellite rights and unaccounted cash receipts from distributors”.
Yash’s hard work and involvement in every facet of film-making—from script writing, directing and acting to hunting for new markets and larger audiences— sets him apart as a fine actor and entertainer, say colleagues. He has won several prestigious awards including the Dadasaheb Phalke Award South (outstanding performance of the year) and Filmfare Awards South (best actor—Kannada) for KGF 1.
Today, one might not recognise the small-town boy who perhaps learnt to dream while riding a rented bicycle in his hometown. The world is now his canvas.