Dhanush's birthday: Here are a few lesser-known facts about the South superstar

Dhanush is one of the most famous actors in the South Indian film industry. He has also established his name in Bollywood. Some of the most memorable performances of Dhanush came in movies like Aadukalam, Kaaka Muttai, Vada Chennai, Polladhavan, and others.

The South star turned a year older today. As Dhanush celebrates his 37th birthday, here are some of the lesser-known facts about the National-award winning actor:

Dhanush: Lesser-known facts about the actor

Many are unaware of Dhanush's real name; his real name is Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthoori Raja. When Dhanush entered the film industry, he chose to change his stage name and wanted his name to sound similar to other prominent actors like Prabhu and Prabhu Deva. 

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According to reports of a leading daily publication, Dhanush said that he never had dreams of becoming an actor. He wanted to pursue a degree in Hotel Management in order to become a chef. However, his elder brother named Selvaraghavan, who is a director and screenwriter, asked him to try and build a career in cinema. Dhanush, in a previous interview, had said that initially, he threw tantrums in order to avoid getting into the industry. He later made his debut with the film, Thulluvadho Ilamai and Kaadhal Kondein with the latter being directed by his brother. 

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Dhanush is married to Aishwarya Rajinikanth, who is the eldest daughter of South superstar Rajinikanth. Dhanush is known to be a great devotee of Lord Shiva. It is known that Dhanush has hence named his children, Yatra and Linga. 

According to reports, Dhanush met his wife Aishwarya Rajinikanth during the screening of Kaadhal Kondein, which released in the year 2003. Reportedly, Aishwarya Rajinikanth loved Dhanush's performance and asked him to stay connected. The two later tied the knot in the year 2004. 

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Dhanush gained widespread attention for his song titled Why This Kolaveri Di. The lyrics are penned by Dhanush and the song is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Reportedly, the singer penned the lyrics of the song in just six minutes and the raw version of the superhit was recorded in just 35 minutes. 

Dhanush is also quite passionate about music. The South superstar has penned and sung several Tamil songs. Some of the albums that Dhanush has penned the lyrics for include Mayakaam Enna, Maryan, Valaiila Pattadhari and others. 

Dhanush once bagged the titled of 'Hottest vegetarian of the Year'. His wife, Aishwarya R Dhanush took to twitter to appreciate the actor. She wrote, ''chosen as the PETA "hottest vegetarian of the year "is my hubby dhanush..im so glad cos im a vegan too ... :):)go veggies !!!''. Have a look:

In the year 2012, Dhanush worked with the World Wide Fund (WWF). He collaborated with the foundation in order to support the cause of Earth Hour. His collaboration garnered widespread attention. 

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