Rocking Star
RITZ|December 2019
A self-made actor, he worked his way up through hard work, conviction and acting prowess. Naveen Kumar Gowda popularly known as Yash, carved his name in the South Indian film industry with his talent, grit and determination. Over a decade old in the industry, this Sandalwood's highest-paid actor has earned "Yash" that many can only dream of. The Rocking Star who is raring to go and is touted to break box office records again in 2020 with K.G.F: Chapter 2, speaks to NAMITA GUPTA in an exclusive interview.
Namita Gupta
Rocking Star
How has the journey been since you first entered the industry around 12 years back? How challenging was it initially? How did you overcome them?

I grew up wanting to be an actor. Didn’t know how but just knew that’s what was meant for me. Found myself in Bangalore soon enough looking out for opportunities. Something to get me into the door. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m not a person either who would crib about doing something. We all need to put in the hard work and do things wholeheartedly to succeed. We’ve all seen struggles and surely nothing comes easy. So was the case with me. There have been times when I didn’t have a place to stay – I’ve spent it on the footpath in Majestic (in Bengaluru). Been days, where I didn’t get enough food. Days where I’ve been on set as an AD trying to learn whatever I could but also did put on multiple hats to serve tea/coffee & food. It was hard. I wasn’t away from my family for this. I had to do something and the craze I had to stick and prove to myself is what got me out there.

Being a part of the Rangabhoomi (theatre) initially taught me a lot – of course to hone my skills, but also showed us that we had to wear different hats to manage it all. You do every job on set being in theatre – that somewhere grounds you. Next came the breaks I got for serials – the multiple roles, the format itself was a lesson. I wouldn’t be wrong if I say somewhere that it became by research ground. Gave me perspective on what I knew and what I needed to learn.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of RITZ.

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This story is from the December 2019 edition of RITZ.

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