Dhananjaya

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dhananjaya

• Dhananjaya is an Indian actor, writer, producer, and lyricist, who earned fame after playing the role of antagonist ‘Daali’ in the film Tagaru.

• Dhananjaya was a brilliant student and scored 95.32% marks in the SSLC Board examination. His photo was also printed in the newspaper.

• After completing school, he got a job as a software engineer in Infosys. Following his passion for acting, he dropped the job and joined theatre GPIER.

• He had also worked in German theatres under Christian Stuckl, a German theatre artist.

• After doing theatre shows, he entered Kannada cinema, Sandalwood, when he was first recognised by a Kannada director Guruprasad, who offered him a lead role in one of his films.

• Dhananjaya is a hardworking actor. He practised very hard for his film Boxer and learnt classical dance and to play Mridanga for his role in the film Allam Prabhu.

• Although his performance and acting were appreciated by many people, he was not able to make a mark by his acting. A turning point came in his career when he was offered the role of an antagonist (Daali) in the film Tagaru. After the release of the film, he is most famous as Daali among his fans.

• After playing the character Daali, he did several negative roles in the films like Yajamana, Yuvarathna, and many more, giving back to back hits.

• Dhananjaya shared in an interview that he got the role of Daali while having a casual talk with Duniya Suri, at the gym. ^[4]Deccan Chronicle Sharing that incident he said,
  

  It all took off-note of a lighter note while I first met Suri sir at the gym. Since he was impressed with my works in the past, we started talking about films. All of it happened on the treadmill while we were sweating it out. He was curious to know what kind of role I was looking at, and my response was anything that made sense. Within minutes, he said I will be doing a role in his upcoming film. When I learnt that I will be playing a villain, I was surprised but I had confidence in him that it will be a challenging one.”

• Dhananjaya said in an interview that he loves to be called Daali by his fans and always takes it as a compliment. He added,
  

  I feel honoured that people loved me as the don Daali. At the same time, I want to be known as an actor who can do any kind of role and not be limited to one style. That is why I make it a point to choose films where I get to explore kinds of roles.”

• After the film Tagaru, his fan following increased, especially female fans. One of his female fans got his name ‘Daali’ tattooed on her collarbone. ^[5]Deccan Chronicle Overwhelmed by the sweet gesture of his fan, he said in an interview,
  

  I come across so many lovely fans and among them, a girl has got the name of my character ‘Daali’ tattooed on her collarbone. It is a painful thing to get it done. I shared it on my social platform. The other best thing is when I see my photos on the back of an auto-rickshaw, and on bikes of fans. It is these gestures that make it all worth at the end of the day.”

• After playing a number of negative roles back to back, he was usually questioned by his fans, if he will stick to negative roles only. He then said in an interview,
  

  I am trying not to repeat my characters. From my next release ‘Salaga’, you will see me in characters with unique value.”

• He again collaborated with the director Duniya Suri for the film Popcorn Monkey Tiger. He played the character of Tiger Seena in the film and considered it to be the most challenging character he had ever played. He said in an interview,
  

  Seena in PMT is my most challenging role yet. As an actor, I need fresh experiences. It was quite difficult to come out of the character,” he admits. Suri and RGV have had a huge influence on his growth. “They talk about life, philosophy and relations. Suri has reinvented himself and is always in search of something new.”

• His first film to be released on the OTT platform was Ratan Prapancha in 2021. In his opinion, OTT platforms are helping Kannada cinema to grow. He shared in an interview,
  

  Its (OTT release) is definitely beneficial. So many films have recently been released on OTT. It’s a big platform for actors and producers and at the same time OTT film has a bigger reach.”

• Dhananjaya shared in an interview that he can not stick to a particular thing and enjoys multitasking. He said,
  

  In Mysuru, after my day at the SJCE, I would head to Rangayana (theatre institute) to act. As general secretary of the Student Council, I was actively involved in college politics. If I could be satisfied doing just one thing, I would have remained an engineer.”

• He once shared in an interview that he wanted to be a performer instead of a star and said,
  

  Star status makes you extra conscious of everything. I want to be a performer who represents all sections of society. I would be a fool to miss out on interesting characters by thinking of stardom.”

• He also participated in a Kannada show No. 1 Yaari. When he was asked, with which heroine he wanted to do a liplock scene, within seconds he replied Deepika Padukone. ^[6]India Today

• In the film Ratan Prapancha, he played the role of a common man. He once said in an interview that he loved the character and shared the story that how he got the role. He said,
  

  The director came to me at a time, when I had indulged myself in playing mass characters, and I could easily connect to the role of the middle-class Insurance agent. It’s always a pleasure to play a common man’s role, and it is something legendary actors like Dr Rajkumar and Dr Vishnuvardhan have often entertained us with. A hero is not meant to just fight against villains. Even a teacher, a postman, or an insurance agent can take the lead. I was very emotional when Rohit narrated the story.”

• ‘Padaki,’ director of the film Ratan Prapancha, shared in an interview, his working experience with Dhananjaya and said,
  

  He is a very natural and genuine actor. You don’t feel like you working with an ‘actor’ who has any baggage. He works on his character before he comes for the shot. He knows his characters and he knows how to deliver them.” ^[7]Outlook

• Dhananjaya’s character Jolly Reddy in the film Pushpa received all appreciation from his fans. ^[8]Outlook Describing his character, Jolly Reddy, he said in an interview,
  

  My character’s name is Jolly Reddy. It’s definitely a good and colourful role. People will enjoy it the most. In Karnataka I am Daali, I might be now called Jolly in Telugu audience.”

• He signed most of his films during the covid -19 pandemic. He said in an interview that he loves to work and cannot sit idly. ^[9]The New Indian Express He added,
  

  When good subjects come your way, I can’t sit idle and I feel lucky to have bagged a handful of good work, especially in these times. I made sure I grabbed them all with open arms.”

• Dhananjaya has his own production house by the name Daali pictures. He had produced films Badava Rascal and Head Bush under his production house. ^[10]The New Indian Express

• He had also written songs for the films Orchestra and Badava Rascal.

• He had written columns in the Kannada newspaper on human values and social issues.