Yash (born 8 January 1986) is an Indian actor who works mainly in Kannada cinema. The son of a bus driver, he started out in theatre and television and became a Kannada film star in the 2010s. The two K.G.F films made him a star across India. K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) grossed more than ₹1,000 crore worldwide. He is also co-producing Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, in which he plays Ravana.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Naveen Kumar Gowda |
| Nickname | Rocking Star |
| Born | 8 January 1986, Boovanahalli, Hassan district, Karnataka, India |
| Age | 40 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | Radhika Pandit (m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Known for | Moggina Manasu, Googly, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, K.G.F: Chapter 1, K.G.F: Chapter 2 |
Early Life
Yash was born Naveen Kumar Gowda in Boovanahalli, a village in Karnataka’s Hassan district, and grew up in Mysore. His father worked as a bus driver for the state transport corporation. Determined to act, he moved to Bengaluru as a teenager and joined the Benaka theatre troupe, where he started out doing backstage work for a small daily wage.
Career
Yash began on Kannada television in the mid-2000s with serials including Silli Lalli and Nanda Gokula. His first film was Jambada Hudugi (2007). He won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada for Moggina Manasu (2008), where he met his future wife, Radhika Pandit. He then established himself as a leading man with Drama (2012).
A run of hits, including Googly (2013), Raja Huli (2013) and Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari (2014), made him one of Kannada cinema’s biggest stars. Fans began calling him “Rocking Star”.
In Prashanth Neel’s period gangster film K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018) Yash played Rocky, a young man who rises to power in the Kolar Gold Fields. The film was released in several languages and became the first Kannada film to succeed across India. It won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada. K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) was an even bigger hit, grossing more than ₹1,000 crore worldwide and ranking among the highest-grossing Indian films ever.
Yash co-wrote, co-produced and starred in Geetu Mohandas’s gangster film Toxic (2026), alongside Kiara Advani. It was one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. It earned more than ₹300 crore, but critics were mostly negative, and the result was modest for its size. He plays the demon king Ravana, and is a co-producer, in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, opposite Ranbir Kapoor‘s Rama. The first part is due on 6 November 2026.
Personal Life
Yash married the Kannada actress Radhika Pandit on 9 December 2016 in Bengaluru, and they have two children. The couple founded the YashoMarga Foundation, which has worked on drought relief and water conservation in Karnataka.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Yash born?
Yash was born on 8 January 1986 in Boovanahalli, Hassan district, Karnataka, India and is 40 years old.
What is Yash known for?
Known for: Moggina Manasu, Googly, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, K.G.F: Chapter 1, K.G.F: Chapter 2.
Featured image: Yash in April 2022. Photo by Anish1121, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
