Popularly known by his screen name Yash, Naveen Kumar Gowda is one of the highest paid and most bankable stars of the Kannada film industry. He started his career by acting in few Television serials like Gokula, Malebillu, and Preeti Illada Mele. In 2007, Yash made his on-screen debut with Jambada Hudugi. He won the Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actor for his next outing Moggina Manasu which was well received both by the audience and critics. After that, he appeared in Rocky, his first title role, but the film failed to leave an impact. The year 2010 was the turning point for Yash as the film 'Modalasala' became the first blockbuster of his career. Since then it was no looking back for him as he went on to deliver a string of hits. His back-to-back hits earned him the title of Rocking Star among his fans.
Some of his major hits are Rajadhani, Kirataka, Drama, Googly, and Gajakesari. By 2014, he cemented his position as one of the A-list actors of the industry. The same year Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari was released which became one of the all-time highest grossing Kannada films. He is one of those rare actors in Kannada, whose films are dubbed in Hindi and gets a theatrical release. His 2018 projects include KGF which is touted as the biggest film of Kannada industry with a reported budget of INR 50 Crore.