Aishwarya Rajinikanth
Aishwarya in 2012
Born1 January 1982 (1982-01) (age 42)
Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India
Occupations
  • Film director
  • playback singer
Years active2003–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2004; sep. 2022)​
Children2
Parents
RelativesSoundarya Rajinikanth (sister)
see Rajinikanth family

Aishwarya Rajinikanth[1] (born 1 January 1982[2][3]) is an Indian film director and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. She is the elder daughter of actor Rajinikanth and Latha Rajinikanth and also the former wife of actor Dhanush. She made her feature film directorial debut with 3 (2012).

Early life

Aishwarya was born to actor Rajinikanth and Latha Rangachari.[4][5] She has a younger sister, Soundarya, who works in the Tamil film industry as well.[6]

Career

Aishwarya began her career in the Tamil film industry as a playback singer in the unreleased film Ramanaa, directed by Parthy Bhaskar. The song was composed by Deva in November 2000.[7] Her first song to be released was "Natpe Natpe" from D. Imman's soundtrack for Whistle (2003), which she sung alongside the composer and actor Silambarasan.[8][9]

In August 2011, she announced that she would direct her husband, Dhanush, and Shruti Haasan in her first feature film titled 3. The film was highly anticipated prior to its release, after the song "Why This Kolaveri Di" from its soundtrack went viral and became an internet phenomenon. The song was composed by her cousin Anirudh Ravichander. She appeared alongside the lead cast and composer in the making of the video. In July 2015, Aishwarya announced she will soon launch a YouTube channel under the banner of "Ten Entertainment" to exclusively promote original content and short films by aspiring filmmakers.[10]

She was a judge on STAR Vijay's dance competition Jodi Number One in its third season alongside actors Sangeetha and Jeeva.[11] She became a playback singer with the film Whistle alongside Silambarasan, which was then followed by the song "Un Mela Aasadhan" in the film Aayirathil Oruvan, for which she also worked as an assistant director.

In August 2016, Aishwarya was selected as India's goodwill ambassador for the UN Women organization.[12]

Criticism

In March 2017, Aishwarya performed Bharatanatyam at the UN headquarters on International Women's Day. However, her performance was criticised on social media by professional Bharatanatyam dancers.[13][14][15] Popular Indian dancer Anita Ratnam wrote on Aishwarya's Facebook, "This is what Bharatanatyam becomes... A caricature and a farce!".[16]

Personal life

Aishwarya was married to actor Dhanush[17] with whom she has two sons, Yatra Raja, their elder son, was born on 10 October 2006, while their younger son, Linga Raja, was born on 21 June 2010.[18][19] The couple announced their separation through their respective social media handles on 17 January 2022.[20]

In December 2016, Aishwarya Rajinikanth released her own memoir Standing on An Apple Box: The Story of A Girl Among the Stars.[21] With this book, she has revealed her own story of being a celebrity kid, making her career choices, her marriage and her life as Rajinikanth’s daughter.

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

As director

Year Title Notes
20123
2015Vai Raja Vai
2017Cinema VeeranDocumentary film[22]
2024Lal Salaam †Completed

As singer

Year Song(s) Title Co-singers
2003"Natpae Natpae"WhistleSilambarasan, D. Imman, Uma Mahesh, Roopa Venkat
2010"Un Mela Aasadhan"Aayirathil OruvanDhanush, Andrea Jeremiah

As dubbing artist

Year Artist Movie
2010Reema Sen Aayirathil Oruvan[23]

References

  1. ↑ "In Credits of Her Latest Song, Aishwarya Rajinikanth Doesn't Have Dhanush in Her Name". 17 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "Aishwarya is my lucky charm: Dhanush". The Times of India. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Aishwarya R. Dhanush to Release Autobiography 'Standing on an Apple Box'". India West. Press Trust of India. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016. The 34-year-old daughter of Rajinikanth
  4. ↑ "70 persons get Kalaimamani awards". The Hindu. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  5. ↑ "Rajinikanth turns grandpa". The Hindu. 12 October 2006. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  6. ↑ Muthalaly, Susan (1 July 2005). "Silken choices to color your hair". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 July 2005. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  7. ↑ "dinakaran". 9 February 2005. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005.
  8. ↑ "28-12-02". 6 March 2005. Archived from the original on 6 March 2005.
  9. ↑ "Hotnews - Rajini - K.S.Ravikumar together?, Rajini's daughter debuts as a singer with Silambarasan !, Vizil, Aditya, Sherin, Gayathri Raghuram, Music Director Imaan, Visil, Prashanth hunts for soulmate online!, Sridevi is all set to return!". 13 December 2003. Archived from the original on 13 December 2003.
  10. ↑ "Aishwarya Dhanush to launch YouTube channel". Archived from the original on 1 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Serials". The Hindu. 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  12. ↑ "Aishwaryaa R Dhanush appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador". Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Aishwaryaa Dhanush's 'pathetic' Bharatnatyam performance at UN draws criticism". The Indian Express. 11 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "Rajinikanth's Daughter Aishwaryaa Dhanush's Bharatanatyam Performance At UN Criticized". NDTV.
  15. ↑ "Aishwarya Dhanush performed "Bharatanatyam" at the UN, but not all were impressed". Hindustan Times. 11 March 2017.
  16. ↑ "Anita Ratnam slams Aishwaryaa Dhanush's Bharatnatyam!". The Times of India.
  17. ↑ "It is an all women drive". The Hindu. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 August 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  18. ↑ Aishwarya Rajinikanth Wiki – entertainpulse. entertainpulse.com (26 October 2023). Retrieved (28 October 2023).
  19. ↑ Dhanush's son named Linga – Tamil Movie News. Indiaglitz.com (2 July 2010). Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  20. ↑ "Dhanush and his wife Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth part ways after 18 years of togetherness". The Times of India. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  21. ↑ "Standing on An Apple Box: The Story of A Girl Among the Stars" by Aishwarya R. Dhanush
  22. ↑ "Cinema Veeran: Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Dhanush and AR Rahman join hands for a documentary". India Today. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  23. ↑ "Aishwarya Dhanush does dubbing for Reema". The Times of India.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aishwarya R. Dhanush.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.