Dhanush turns 41: The story behind his stage name to why he’s a vegetarian, lesser-known facts about the Raayan star

Dhanush turns 41! The actor is currently basking in the success of his last release Raayan, which after multiple delays finally managed to hit screens on July 26, a mere 2 days ahead of his birthday. The film appears to have largely accrued a positive response from the audience, serving as quite the birthday gift for the multi-faceted actor. Happy Birthday Dhanush: Lesser-known facts about the Raayan star(Photo: X) From how Dhanush zeroed-in on his now voraciously famous stage name to his spiritually-rooted dietary preferences, here’s taking a look at a few lesser-known facts about the birthday boy. Dhanush never wanted to be an actorWhile many would give an arm and a leg for a chance to be on screen and taste fame, Dhanush never really cared much for it despite coming from a family with a strong background in films. As a matter of fact, his heart was pretty set on getting a Hotel Management degree and pursuing the culinary arts as a chef. However, destiny clearly had other plans as Dhanush is now a four-time National Award winning actor and producer, successfully pursuing parallel careers across Kollywood, Bollywood as well as Hollywood. Who changed his mind?Dhanush may have missed the boat to his grand life had it not been for his elder brother Selvaraghavan. A director and screenwriter, it was Selvaraghavan who pressurised Dhanush into trying his hand at being an actor. Dhanush was so averse to the idea that in a previous interview he recalled having thrown fits and tantrums to get himself out of the situation. All of this however, was to no avail, and thankfully so. Dhanush made his acting debut in Thulluvado Ilamai (2002) directed his own father Kasthuri Raja. Dhanush isn’t the actor’s real nameDhanush’s real name — Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, is wildly different from the name that the world now knows him . Why did he change it you ask? So that he could have an identity separate from other industry players like actor-director-choreographer Prabhu Deva and actor Ilaya Thilagam Prabhu. The story of how he zeroed in on the name ‘Dhanush’ is also an interesting one. The actor was reportedly greatly inspired the mission name in the film Kuruthipunal (1995) which had Kamal Haasan in the lead. He thus chose to chren himself accordingly, a personal branding decision that has clearly worked wonders for him. Kamal Haasan in a still from Kuruthipunal (1995)(Photo: IMDb) No meat for DhanushNot only is Dhanush a vegetarian but also makes the cut for the ‘Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity’. Before you think we are being partial to the birthday boy, the title was awarded to him PETA back in 2011. Dhanush is a vegetarian choice(Photo: X) Dhanush’s choice to be vegetarian however, moves way beyond dietary preferences. It is reportedly rooted in the fact that the actor is an ardent Shiv bhakt. Dhanush’s devotion is evident from the fact that both his children have religiously-rooted names. His elder son, born in 2006 is named Yatra while his younger son, born in 2010 is named Linga. Remember Kolaveri Di?Even if you only know Dhanush from his treads in Bollywood and Hollywood, hit song Kolaveri Di is an unmissable part of the actor’s on screen legacy. While the song from the 2012 Shruti Haasan-starrer 3 infamously lives on in pop culture references, not many know that all it took was 6 minutes to come up with the whacky lyrics to the Anirudh Ravichander composition. Today seems the like the perfect day to pay a revisit to this one-of-a-kind song.  We wish Dhanush a very Happy Birthday!