Actor Dhanush may have a net worth of over Rs 200 crore now, but there was a time in his childhood when he couldn’t afford idlis. Sharing the anecdote that inspired his upcoming film’s title – Idli Kadai, the actor said he and his cousins would wake up early in the morning to collect and sell flowers in order to buy a few idlis. However, the internet doubted the story as the actor’s father Kasturi Raja was a renowned producer and director in the Tamil film industry, and the story of his financial struggles didn’t convince many.
At the audio launch event of his upcoming film, Idli Kadai, Dhanush got nostalgic as he remembered how he couldn’t afford idlis as a child and sold flowers along with his siblings to indulge in his favourite food.
We sold flowers to buy idlis
“As a kid, I always craved idlis every single day, but I couldn’t afford them. Hence, we started collecting flowers from the neighbourhood. The money we get will be based on the amount of flowers we collect every day. My sister, cousins and I would wake up at 4 AM to do this for over two hours,” he recalled.
The actor says that though he can now afford idlis, it doesn’t feel the same.
“We’d get a little over ₹2 each for the jobs. Then, we’d head to a local pump set, bathe and walk with just a towel on the main road. For that money, we would get four to five idlis. Nothing can beat the satisfaction and taste that is gotten out of eating food from our own hard-earned money. I’m not getting the happiness and taste now in restaurants, which I had during my childhood,” added Dhanush.
What netizens thought about Dhanush’s story
Dhanush’s fans who have been following not only his movies, but his personal life, couldn’t wrap their head around Dhanush’s financial struggle story as they feel his director father Kasturi Raja was still a bigshot at the time.
A user wrote: “So he is poor in his childhood 🤣then Kasturi Raja as director never give a money to him or family is that right🤔.”
“Dhanush is the son of director. He didn’t had money is blatant lie,” another one wrote.
“When your age is 8-9 years, your father has directed 4-5 films and you are saying you don’t have money to buy idli. Don’t talk just for the sake of talking,” read an X post.
“Bro seriously why always preaching poverty story every time. You have easily 10-12 films in hand and average 50cr salary,” another comment read.
“Dhanush better not speak on stages. He is King in big screen but not in stages,” another one said.
About Idli Kadai
Idly Kadai, that translates to the Idli shop, is directed and co-produced by Dhanush and also stars Nithya Menen, Arun Vijay, Shalini Pandey, Sathyaraj, R. Parthiban, P. Samuthirakani and Rajkiran. It is set to hit the theatres on October 1, 2025.