One of the highest-paid Indian superstars, multiple National Award winner, and a titan in contemporary Tamil cinema, Dhanush amasses a gargantuan fandom in the country. If you too count yourself as a Dhanush fan, then we have got the ultimate ranking for you along with a handy guide to stream them all.
But first, read ahead if you wish to glance at his career before you start to watch his best movies.
2000s to 2010s: Rise to Tamil Stardom
You can watch Dhanush’s screen debut in the 2002 release Thulluvadho Ilamai, a coming-of-age drama directed by his father Kasthuri Raja. This lauded performance was followed by other iconic roles like a man seeking revenge for his stolen bike in the action drama Thulluvadho Ilamai, a lovesick middle-class youngster in the rom-com Yaaradi Nee Mohini, and his National Award-winning turn as a rooster fight organiser in the drama Aadukalam. Both the first and last movies mentioned were directed by Tamil auteur Vetrimaran, a crucial collaborator for several iconic projects in Dhanush’s career.
Post-2010s Dhanush: The Star Becomes More Mature
From the mid 2010s onwards, Dhanush began to display a more nuanced range in his roles and began picking up movies that were not just massy entertainers but also carried some socio-economic merit. While he continued starring in romances, crime thrillers and comedies like the acclaimed Maara series, Dhanush’s transition to more serious roles is evident in films like his later Vetrimaran collaborations: the period crime noir Vada Chennai (which still awaits a sequel) and the anti-caste action drama Asuran (that earned Dhanush another National Award for Best Actor). The 2010s also marked his directorial debut with the slice-of-life romance Power Pandi.
The ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ Effect
Apart from his acting, Dhanush is also known all over the country (and arguably even the world) for his absurdly hilarious musical debut “Why This Kolaveri Di”. A humorous heartbreak ballad recorded for his movie 3 (which was directed by then-wife Aishwarya Rajinikanth), the accompanying video for the song became an massive viral hit in 2012 and emerged as the first Indian video to cross 100 million views on YouTube. With its nonsensical lyrics and Anirudh Ravichander’s peppy production, the Dhanush song continues to dominate Indian pop culture.
Dhanush’s Bollywood Projects
Dhanush made his Hindi-language debut as an obsessive one-sided lover in the tragic romance Ranjhanaa. Dhanush’s other Hindi movies include Shamitabh, a comedy-drama that found him playing a mute actor paired alongside Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, along with the romantic comedy Atrangi Re that reunited him with Ranjhanaa director Anand L Rai.
Dhanush Goes To Hollywood
If not Indian films, you can also watch Dhanush showcase his versatility in two Hollywood movies. First up is his delightful fantasy comedy The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir that found him sharing space with talented performers like Oscar nominee Barkhad Abidi and The Boys star Erin Moriarty. Then, on a bigger scale, Dhanush joined as a morally righteous mercenary in the ambitious Netflix action thriller The Gray Man which starred Hollywood heavyweights Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.
Why Is Karnan Dhanush’s best movie?
Addressing notions of casteism and self-sovereignity, Karnan is a hard-hitting drama that channels the best out of Dhanush. You can watch the actor channel a youthful optimism and then balance it out with some gut-wrenching melancholia. If that’s not enough, Mari Selvaraj’s deft direction also turns Karnan into an effective action drama as the titular protagonist leads his oppressed community to war against their upper-caste oppressors.
Where can you stream Dhanush’s filmography?
You can watch most of Dhanush’s newer projects on Netflix and Prime Video while the others are available on Sun NXT, Lionsgate Play, Aha, Eros Now, and more.
