Bus Driver's Son Becomes Superstar Of South: Leaving Home at 16 Age, Earning Rs 50 Every Day Yash's Film Earns More Than Rs 1200 Crore

South superstar Yash has earned a special place in Indian cinema through his struggles, hard work and powerful acting. Films like 'KGF' and 'KGF 2' not only set new box office records but also won the hearts of millions of viewers. However, Yash's journey to such a big success was not easy. Coming from a family other than a film family, Yash's father was a driver and his path to films was through theatre. During the days of struggle, he also worked as a tea seller. On the special occasion of Yash's birthday today, let's take a closer look at his life. Early life and family Born in Hassan, Karnataka, Yash's real name is Naveen Kumar Gowda. He was given two names by his family. His legal name was Naveen while his mother's family named him Yashwant. The name was chosen because of the tradition of naming with the letter 'Y' for astrological reasons. He later changed his name to 'Yash' to make it different and easier to remember. Yash's father Arun Kumar was a driver with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and later the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation. His mother, Pushpa, was a homemaker. Yash has a younger sister, Nandini, who is married to a computer engineer. As a child, Yash also ran a small grocery store with his family. Yash was interested in acting since childhood. She participated in theatre and dance competitions during her school days. He completed his schooling from the Mahajana Education Society in Mysore. After 10th standard, Yash wanted to leave his studies and pursue acting, but on the insistence of his parents, he had to complete his studies till 12th standard. Then, in 2003, at the age of 16, Yash came to Bengaluru. At that time, he had only 300 rupees. He came to work as an assistant director in a film but the project was dropped within two days. However, he stayed back in Bengaluru and joined the theatre industry, where he did various odd jobs ranging from serving tea to serving food. He B.V. He started working with the Benca Theatre Group founded by Karanth. He worked as a backstage worker and earned Rs 50 a day. Gradually, he started acting in theatre. During this time, he played for KLE in Bangalore. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from college. In an interview with Anupama Chopra in 2022, Yash said that theatre broke his ego and gave him the wisdom to look at life from the right perspective. Yash reveals that he was very careless and irresponsible during his college days. He had a lot of energy at that age. He wanted to look different everywhere. Be it in class or outside college, he always tried to do something different. Looking back, he realizes that he was trying to be a great person. The actor revealed that during his college days he was a good dancer, famous and felt like a star. He felt that everyone was watching him, the girls were watching him, and he had a strong gang that no one could face. But when he joined theatre, his life changed and it was this turn that completely destroyed his ego. In theatre he found not only acting but also the discipline of life. Experiences like cleaning floors, building sets and doing small tasks kept him grounded. Theatre connected him with literature and gave him a vision for life. Yash started his acting career with television serials. She made her debut in 2004 with the TV serial 'Uttarayan'. He then appeared in serials such as 'Nanda Gokula', 'Maale Billu' and 'Preeti Illada Mele'. During the Nanda Gokula show, he met actress Radhika Pandit, who later became his life partner. As Yash started getting recognition in television, he started getting film offers, but he wanted to read the scripts of the films that were offered to him. This did not go down well with some people in the industry, who saw it as a trend of a new actor, due to which he had to lose seven films. Yash made his film debut in 2007 with the film 'Jambada Hudugi', in which he played a supporting role. She then got a big break with the 2008 film 'Moggina Manasu'. His performance in the film was highly appreciated, and he received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor (Kannada). Meanwhile, Yash's first major film 'Rocky' (2008), did not do well at the box office. Subsequent films like 'Kallara Santhe' and 'Gokula' also flopped. However, her performance in these films was highly appreciated. Yash's first solo hit film was the 2010 film 'Modelsala'. Subsequent films like 'Kiratka', 'Lucky', 'Jaanu' and 'Drama' established him as a strong actor in Kannada cinema. Between 2013 and 2017, Yash starred in hits such as Googly, Raja Huli, Gajkesari, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, Masterpiece and Santhu Straight Forward. During this period, he established his image as a mass hero. Mr and Mrs Ramchari in particular proved to be a big hit at the box office. Released in 2014, the film grossed over ₹50 crore (about $500 million). The 2018 film 'KGF: Chapter 1' brought Yash recognition across the country. The audience loved the role played by Yash as Rocky. The film directed by Prashanth Neel opened up new avenues for Kannada cinema. The film was released in multiple languages and earned tremendous money. The film grossed around ₹250 crore worldwide. It also grossed around ₹25 crores worldwide on its opening day, which was a record for Kannada cinema at that time. Yash's 2022 film KGF: Chapter 2 was also a superhit and broke many records. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of Kannada cinema. The film grossed between Rs 1,215 crore and Rs 1,250 crore worldwide. The film is one of the few films to gross ₹1,000 crore (US$1.2 billion) in India. The Hindi version alone grossed over ₹434 crore (US$1.2 billion). The film became the first Kannada film to enter the ₹1,000 crore (US$1.2 billion) club. The success of the series made him a star all over India. Yash's love story The love story of Yash and his wife Radhika Pandit is about a relationship that slowly blossomed and deepened over time. The story begins in 2004, when the two first met on the sets of the TV show Nanda Gokula. In their first meeting, Radhika felt that Yash was a little serious and arrogant as he spoke less and did not socialize. However, they slowly started communicating and their friendship grew stronger. They worked together in several projects like Moggina's Manasu, Drama, Shri and Smt. Ramachari and Santhu Straight Forward, due to which they understood each other better. This friendship at work slowly blossomed into love. Yash's revelation of love was no less than a film film. On Valentine's Day, Yash expressed his feelings through gifts, flowers and cards left in the car. Words were spoken, but the response was not immediate. Radhika took her time. It took almost six months to finally accept Yash's proposal. The relationship grew stronger, the trust grew and they got engaged on August 12, 2016 in Goa. They got married on 9 December 2016 in a private ceremony in Bengaluru. There was a small crowd at the wedding. However, after the wedding, Yash and Radhika hosted a grand reception at the Bengaluru Palace, which was attended by their fans and many people from the industry world. Yash and Radhika Pandit have two children, a daughter and a son. Their daughter Ayra was born on December 2, 2018, and their son Yatharva was born on October 30, 2019. The couple often shares glimpses of their family time on social media. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Yash described his wife Radhika Pandit as his strength. He said that Radhika never questioned his decisions but always asked if he was happy. In the 2023 Instagram Question and Answer session, Radhika revealed that the secret to the success of their marriage was friendship, as Yash and she were first best friends and then partners. Their relationship is characterized by equality, support, and love, which remains strong even today. Yash's father continued to work as a bus driver even after acting in many films and achieving success. Even when Yash's film Mr and Mrs Ramachari became a huge hit, his father worked as a driver. In an interview with India Today, Yash revealed that his father believed that the recognition he got in the film industry was temporary and superficial. That's why he wanted to stay away from the glamour of the industry so that he wouldn't get addicted. Yash also said that his parents don't usually attend film events or shoots. He has attended his shoots or events only once or twice. Yash has said that even after the tremendous success of his film Mr and Mrs Ramachari, there has not been much change in his family. According to him, his father taught him that no matter how big the success is, he should not let it dominate his head. Yash is also very active in social work. He and his wife, Radhika Pandit, work together to provide social work. The Yasho Marg Foundation, run by the couple, focuses on addressing water scarcity and farmers' problems in rural Karnataka. The foundation spent about ₹4 crore (about $40 million) to restore the Tallur lake in Koppal district, which benefited the groundwater level and agriculture in several villages. During the drought, drinking water was provided to the villages of North Karnataka. It also provided financial assistance, tree plantation drives and relief work to farmers and labourers during the 2018 Madikeri floods. Yash's next films will be released in 2026. The first film is Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, directed by Geetu Mohandas. It is a period gangster drama and is slated to release on March 19, 2026. The actor's second film is "Ramayan: Part 1", in which Yash will play the role of Ravana. The film is slated to release on Diwali in 2026. Ranbir Kapoor will also star alongside Yash. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ravi Dubey as Laxman, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi and Sunny Deol as Hanuman.