Yash (actor)
Naveen Kumar Gowda (born 8 January 1986), better known by his stage name Yash, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in the Kannada film industry. Yash started his acting career with roles in television shows such as "Nanda Gokula", "Uttarayana" and "Silli Lalli". Following his breakthrough with the film "Moggina Manasu" (2008), he starred in successful films including "Modalasala" (2010), "Rajadhani" (2011), "Kirataka" (2011), "Jaanu" (2012) and "Drama" (2012). He went on to establish himself with films including "Googly" (2013), "Raja Huli" (2013), "Gajakesari" (2014), "Mr.  and Mrs. Ramachari" (2014), "Masterpiece" (2015) and "Santhu Straight Forward" (2016). Yash attained pan-India recognition after the success of "" (2018) and "" (2022). He is married to the actress Radhika Pandit. Early life. Yash was born as Naveen Kumar Gowda on 8 January 1986 in Boovanahalli, a village in Hassan district of Karnataka. He was given two names on his birth: while his legal name was Naveen, his mother's side of the family referred to him as Yashwanth. When he entered the film industry, he shortened Yashwanth to Yash and adopted it his stage name, as he felt it  was unique for an actor in Karnataka. Yash's father Arun Kumar worked in the KSRTC transport service, and later in the BMTC transport service as a driver, and his mother, Pushpa, is a homemaker. He has a younger sister, Nandini. He spent his childhood days in Mysore, where he did his pre-university course (PUC) at Mahajana Education Society (MES). Post his studies, he joined the Benaka drama troupe which was formed by dramatist B. V. Karanth. Career. Television, debut in films and early career (2004–2012). Yash started his acting career with the teleserial "Nanda Gokula" directed by Ashok  Kashyap, which aired on ETV Kannada. He went on to appear in several other tele-serials such as "Malebillu" "Mukta" and "Preeti Illada Mele". He acted in "Moggina Manasu" directed by Shashank in 2008, where he appeared in a supporting role alongside his "Nanda Gokula" co-star Radhika Pandit. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film. He then starred as lead characters in the films "Rocky" (2008), "Kallara Santhe" (2009), "Gokula" (2009). In 2010, Yash starred in "Modalasala." His next film was "Rajadhani" in 2011. The same year, his next film "Kirataka  was a commercial success. Yash received positive reviews for his performance in the village comedy film. In 2012, he had two major releases, Lucky" (opposite Ramya) and "Jaanu", both of which met with a mixed response upon release and became average grosses at the box office. His next film of the same year, the romantic comedy "Drama" directed by Yograj Bhat was a commercial success. The film was one of the major grossers of 2012. Commercial success and establishment (2013–2017). In his first release of 2013, "Googly", a romance drama he played a young and dynamic businessman Sharat who falls  for Swati, played by Kriti Kharbanda."" Directed by Pavan Wadeyar, the film performed well and was one of the year's highest-grossing Kannada films. In 2014, he starred in Gajakesari, which was directed by Krishna, and became commercially successful at the box office. His next film "Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari" opposite Radhika Pandit had its theatrical release on 25 December 2014, and opened to positive reviews and collected an estimated 50 crore, and went on to become one of the highest grossing Kannada cinema. In 2015, he acted in "Masterpiece", which emerged as a commercial hit at the box  office. In 2016, he starred in "Santhu Straight Forward" which performed fairly well at thebox officee by collecting ₹30 crore. Section::::"KGF", pan-India acclaim, and recent work (2018–present). In 2018 he starred in "", which was released in Kannada along with dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. It emerged as the highest-grossing film in the Kannada industry, collecting over ₹250 crores. The success of the film gave him pan Indian recognition, receiving significant following in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi languages. He also appeared in "" which was released in 2022 with highly positive reviews. It  is the most expensive Kannada film with a budget of over ₹100 crore. In the media. Yash enjoys a pan-India following. He has appeared in the Bangalore Times Most Desirable Man list various times. He topped the Desirable Men list in 2020. In addition to this, he is an active celebrity endorser for several brands including Nestron, Beardo, Villian, Freedom edible oil and A1 steel. He was also featured in GQ India's in the listings of their most influential young Indians in 2019. Philanthropy. In 2017, Yash, along with his actress wife Radhika Pandit, founded an organization  and named it as Yasho Marga Foundation which marks their contribution towards the betterment of the society. As a first step, the foundation took up the water crisis issue in Koppal district of Karnataka by reportedly investing 4 crores towards the desalination of the lakes and providing pure drinking water to the drought affected areas. Personal life. It was speculated in the media that Yash had been in a relationship with actress Radhika Pandit for long, and especially after their film, "Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari", that saw them portray the lead pair for third time together in films. Before the  two disclosed it in public, their engagement took place in Goa on 12 August 2016. They married on 9 December 2016 in a private ceremony in Bangalore, while Yash had openly invited everyone from Karnataka for their reception at Bangalore Palace. They have a daughter and a son. Filmography. Films. • "All films are in Kannada."