Yash

Yash Biography

Yash, born Naveen Kumar, is an Indian actor and producer who works in Kannada cinema. He was born on 8 January in Boovanahalli, a village in the Hassan district of Karnataka; published sources disagree on the year, with English Wikipedia giving 1985 and Wikidata giving 1986. His father, Arun Kumar, drove buses for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and later the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, and his mother, Pushpa, is a homemaker. He has a younger sister, Nandini. His parents initially opposed his acting ambitions.

He joined the Benaka drama troupe founded by dramatist B. V. Karanth, working backstage for ₹50 a day before moving to acting roles. He made his television debut in 2004 with the serial Uttarayana, and in 2005 was cast in Nanda Gokula opposite Radhika Pandit. His film debut came in 2007 with a supporting role in Priya Hassan’s Jambada Hudugi, followed by his breakthrough in Shashank’s Moggina Manasu (2008), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada.

He established himself as a leading man through Drama (2012), Googly (2013), Raja Huli (2013), Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari (2014), Masterpiece (2015) and Santhu Straight Forward (2016), before KGF: Chapter 1 (2018) and KGF: Chapter 2 (2022) gave him a nationwide audience. He is a recipient of three Filmfare Awards South from eight nominations. Yash married Radhika Pandit on 9 December 2016 in Bengaluru, and the couple have two children.

Basic Details

• Full Name: Naveen Kumar, known professionally as Yash
• Profession: Actor, Producer
• Date of Birth: 8 January — year reported variously as 1985 and 1986
• Birthplace: Boovanahalli, Hassan district, Karnataka, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Industry: Kannada cinema
• Years Active: 2004 – present
• Spouse: Radhika Pandit (married 9 December 2016)
• Children: Two
• Current Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Career Highlights