Ashwin Kakumanu is an accomplished Indian actor, widely recognized for his portrayal of Ganeshan in Venkat Prabhu’s film Mankatha. His journey in the entertainment industry began with an audition for a part in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. The director, Gautham Vasudev Menon, nearly cast him, but it was the assistant directors who saw potential in him, ultimately suggesting him for the role of Arjun, the partner of Sameera Reddy’s character in Nadunisi Naaygal.
Following this, Ashwin joined the ensemble cast of Mankatha, sharing the screen with Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, and Vaibhav Reddy. In this film, he took on the character of a local police officer from Dharavi, stepping in for Ganesh Venkatraman, who had to withdraw from the project.
Ashwin’s next notable appearance was as a young scientist in A. R. Murugadoss’s 7aum Arivu, where he acted alongside Suriya and Shruti Haasan. He also contributed to Gautham Menon’s Ekk Deewana Tha in a supporting role alongside Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson. His first leading role came in the 2013 comedy Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara, followed by a significant part in the Ilaiyaraaja musical Megha.
Among his upcoming projects are Zero, a supernatural thriller featuring Ashwin as a social worker, Thiri, directed by Ashok Amritraj, and Thollaikatchi, described as a romantic comedy with a social message helmed by M. Sadiq Khan. Additionally, he will portray Senthan Amuthan in Mani Ratnam’s ambitious film Ponniyin Selvan.
