When Dhanush was told he looked like an “auto rickshaw driver” on Kaadhal Kondein sets: 'I cried'

Actor Dhanush, who is currently on a roll with nearly eight films with top filmmakers in his lineup, is currently awaiting the release of Shekhar Kammula’s Kuberaa, which is slated for June 20. At the film’s audio launch, which took place on Sunday, Dhanush sported a traditional Tamil look with a veshti and shirt and confidently spoke about negativity and trolls on stage. However, during the initial stages of his career, the actor has opened up about being laughed at and teased for his appearance.

Dhanush has previously opened up about being teased by fellow actors and technicians on the sets of Kaadhal Kondein. During a 2015 interaction with Vijay Sethupathi, Anirudh Ravichander and Sathish, Dhanush spoke about the times when he was called an ‘auto rickshaw driver’ and wondered why someone like him could not be a hero. “While shooting for Kaadhal Kondein, I was asked who the hero was. I pointed at someone else from the cast, as I was not ready to face any more insults. However, later when they came to know that I was the hero, everyone on the sets laughed at me. They said, ‘Hey, look at the auto driver; he is the hero,’ and so on. I went to my car and cried out loud, as I was a young boy and did not have composure back then. There is not even one person who has not trolled and body shamed me. Why can't an auto driver be a hero?”

Directed by Dhanush’s brother Selvaraghavan, Kaadhal Kondein, which hit theatres in 2003, also stars Sonia Aggarwal, Sudeep, Nagesh and more. The film marked Dhanush’s sophomore after Thulluvadho Illamai, helmed by his father, Kasthuri Raja. Having steadily built his career, Dhanush has starred in more than 50 films, including some in Hindi, as well as two films in Hollywood, namely The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir and The Gray Man.

Apart from Kuberaa, Dhanush has his fourth directorial, Idly Kadai; Aannand L Rai’s Tere Ishk Mein; D55 with Rajkumar Periyasamy; D56 with Mari Selvaraj; the Ilaiyaraaja biopic with Arun Matheswaran; a film with Vetrimaaran; and Kalam: The Missile Man of India in the pipeline.