Got to know how it feels to be an overnight star with KGF, says Yash

Prashanth Neel-directed period action film KGF: Chapter One changed the course of Yash's career as he found a wider acceptance from the audiences beyond the Kannada film industry for his role of Rocky. Yash said that he got to know how it feels to be an overnight star with KGF success.

New Delhi: KGF star Yash says an actor either works his way up the ladder in cinema or becomes an overnight star but he has experienced both sides of the phenomenon in his career. Yash, whose real name is Naveen Kumar Gowda, made his debut in Kannada industry with Moggina Manasu in 2008 and later delivered many commercial hits, including Modalasala, Rajadhani, Kirataka, Drama, Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari, Masterpiece and Santhu Straight Forward.

But the Prashanth Neel-directed period action film KGF: Chapter One changed the course of the 36-year-old actor's career as he found a wider acceptance from the audiences beyond the Kannada film industry for his role of Rocky, a high-ranking assassin in Mumbai who works his way to the throne of Kolar Gold Fields. The actor, who was born in Boovanahalli, a village in Hassan district of Karnataka, said he always wanted to showcase the treasure trove of stories that his native film industry has to offer to the rest of the country and the world.

READ |Yash apologies to journo at KGF: Chapter 2 promotional event. Read why

"Generally, an actor gets the opportunity to be an overnight star or he would have earned it gradually, going step by step. So if it doesn't happen in your debut, then eventually you get it but it takes time. I took a lot of time to establish myself and then got the success. After becoming successful in the Kannada industry, I got to know how it feels to be an overnight star with K.G.F. Outside of Karnataka, not many people would have heard about me before KGF. But they accepted me. So KGF brought that change in my life, Yash said in an interview.

Yash is now back as Rocky for K.G.F: Chapter Two, in which he will go up against Sanjay Dutt's Adheera. In the second installment, the character of Rocky has a different dimension, the actor said. With the sequel, Yash said the responsibility was to provide an even better experience to the audiences because people wholeheartedly liked K.G.F. The sequel also features Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon and Prakash Raj. The film will release on Thursday.

(With agency inputs)