Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja, known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.

According to reports, when Dhanush entered the South film industry at the age of 16, he had to change his name because he shared it with famous Tamil actors, Ilaya Thilagam Prabhu and Prabhu Deva. To create an unique identity for himself, Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja became Dhanush