Thulluvadho Ilamai wouldn't be called the ideal debut. Playing a scrawny high school kid, Dhanush wasn't considered hero material. And with Kadhal Konden, Dhanush made everyone sit up.
Just when we thought he would stick to offbeat roles, Dhanush gave us the very entertaining Thiruda Thirudi. Not to mention, he quite literally kicked up a storm with his dancing.
The commercial streak continued, but without success. It was time to experiment again, and who better than Selvaraghavan to do it? Pudupettai redefined commercial cinema in many ways.
Dhanush followed it with Thiruvilayadal Arrambam, a BO success that reiterated his strength in comedy. But he knew he had to experiment again, and he found a voice in Vetrimaaran.
Polladhavan, like Pudupettai, changed what commercial cinema meant. Can a man in pursuit of his lost bike be engrossing enough? Dhanush and Vetrimaaran made it work, effectively so.
It is unique that Dhanush's films with newer directors have worked more that his projects with established ones. Probably why he constantly figures out of newer collaborations.
The next in this list would be Mithran Jawahar who again tapped Dhanush's formidable sense of humour in Yaradi Nee Mohini, Kutty, and Uthamaputhiran. The 'commercial' Dhanush was back.
But just as that vibe was becoming too familiar, Dhanush and Vetrimaaran come back with Aadukalam, a hard-hitting rural drama also fetching the National Award for both Dhanush and Vetri
The pattern continues with Dhanush dabbling in lighter projects with Mapillai and Venghai. The actor also did an extended cameo in Seedan, playing a 'blessed' cook.
The end to this stretch was brought by Selvaraghavan's haunting drama Mayakkam Enna, that poignantly dwells on the life of a struggling photographer, played by Dhanush.
Dhanush continued to explore new areas. He became a producer and crossed over to Bollywood successfully with Raanjhanaa. In Tamil, there was the mesmerizing Maryan, quite an ambitious film.
However, Velai Illa Pattadhari brought Dhanush back into the main arena in royal fashion. But he was still experimenting in Hindi with Shamitabh, where he plays a mute aspiring actor.
The VIP hangover proved quite hard to beat as Anegan didn't hit the bulls eye. But like in the past, a newer voice (Balaji Mohan) again provided him a new identity, and Maari was born.
Despite misses, Dhanush continued to try new things. Thodari was the first Indian film to be completely shot on a train. He also played dual roles for the first time in Kodi.
Around this time, Dhanush also made his Hollywood debut with The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir, a film that was mostly mounted on Dhanush’s charm.
On the home front, Dhanush's love for experimentation was rewarded with Vetri Maaran's magnum opus Vada Chennai. It went to rake in the moolah, surpassing VIP's BO record.
Of course Dhanush had to balance it with a Maari 2. But he couldn't resist playing a much-older character in Asuran. His portrayal of Sivasamy found much acclaim, and so did the film.
The actor also has an impressive line-up of films with Anand L Rai, Mari Selvaraj, Arun Matheswaran, and Shekhar Kammula, continuing to balance the 'mass' with the 'class'.
