By Rishabh Naudiyal Last Updated:
The South Indian actor, Yash is undoubtedly one of the biggest celebrities in India. Post the success of his films, K.G.F: Chapter 1 and K.G.F: Chapter 2, Yash has cemented his position as one of the most-followed actors in the country. While some refer to him as Rocking Star Yash, most people prefer to call him 'Rocky Bhai' (his character in K.G.F), the madness across the nation is simply unreal.
The Kannada superstar, Yash was born on January 8, 1986, in Karnataka’s village, Boovanahalli, to his parents, Arun Kumar and Pushpa. The actor’s mother is a homemaker, while his father is a bus driver, even to this very day, despite their son’s exceptional success.
Talking about Yash’s education, he studied at Mahajana High School in Mysore, Karnataka. The actor wanted to leave school after class 10, but on his parents’ demand, he completed senior school and then pursued his dream of becoming an actor.
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The Kannada actor, Yash had made his acting debut in the South Indian film industry with the film, Jambada Hudugi (2007). The actor’s performance in a supporting role received positive response from both audiences and critics. What followed was a series of film offers; while some of them made a mark at the box office, a few bombed too. Some of Yash’s best movies are Moggina Manasu (2009), Drama (2012), Googly (2013), Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari (2014), Masterpiece (2015), Santhu Straight Forward (2016), K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018), and K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022).
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For the uninitiated, Yash and Radhika Pandit met for the first time on a show, Nanda Gokula (2004). However, it was after working on two films, Moggina Manasu (2008) and Drama (2012), that they became close friends and started spending more time with each other. After being together in each other’s company for some time, on August 12, 2016, Yash and Radhika got engaged in Goa. Soon, on December 9, 2016, the couple got married in an intimate wedding in Bengaluru.
The much-in-love couple, Yash and Radhika Pandit had welcomed their first child on December 2, 2018, when the actress gave birth to a baby girl, whom they had lovingly named Ayra. Soon, on October 30, 2019, Yash and Radhika welcomed their second child, and this time it was a baby boy, whom they named Yatharv.
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Once in an interview with The News Minute, Yash opened up about his struggle story and revealed that to become an actor, he ran off from his house as a youngster. The actor explained that his parents weren’t convinced by his decision to become an actor. This was why he had left his home, and with just 300 rupees in his pocket, he came to Bangaluru, where he had started his journey to become an actor. He had said:
"I ran off from my home. When I came to Bengaluru, I was scared the minute I reached. Such a big, intimidating city. But I was always a confident guy. I wasn’t scared to struggle. I had just 300 rupees in my pocket when I reached Bengaluru. I knew if I went back, my parents would never allow me to return here."
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Soon after coming to Bengaluru, Yash started working as an assistant director with a filmmaker at the age of 16, but after just two days of shooting, the project was shut down. It was a scary situation for the youngster, who was alone in such a massive city with zero contacts. But luckily, someone advised him to work in Karanth theatre if he wanted to learn more about acting.
Although Yash had performed as an actor on the stage during his school plays. Thus, he joined the Benaka Drama Troupe and worked as a backstage worker for a salary of Rs. 50 per day. From serving tea to doing a lot of production-related work, Yash learned so much there. However, soon, Yash became a backup actor and got his first chance on the stage in 2004, when he played Lord Balarama in a play. He said:
"They thought I’d come back. I began doing theatre. Someone luckily took me to do theatre. I knew nothing about it. I began making money backstage. Chai se lekar poora sab kuch (from bringing tea to everything). Initially, I also assisted a director to enter the Kannada film industry. While I did theatre, I travelled a lot. My first appearance on stage was noticed."
While working in theatre, Yash decided to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in order to get a deep knowledge of social sciences, languages, and different cultures. The actor took admission to Bangalore's famous K.L.E. College and had put psychology and journalism as his optional subjects. It would’ve been a difficult task for anyone to balance both studies and theatre simultaneously, but not for Yash, who left his home at the age of 16 to become an actor. In 2005, Yash made his television debut in the show, Nanda Gokula, alongside Radhika Pandit, and the rest is history.
Yash’s struggle story explains why he respects his massive fanbase more than anything. No wonder everything he has today resulted from countless nights when he had thought of giving up on his dreams. We are glad he didn’t!
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