At the pre-release event of Youth, actor Dhanush delivered an emotional and candid speech praising debut director Ken Karunaas, while also acknowledging the people who supported the young filmmaker’s journey.

Dhanush began by appreciating producer Karuppaiah C Ram for trusting a 23-year-old with a film. He said that believing in and backing such a young director is not easy and added that Ken should always remain grateful to the producer and prioritise him in the future.

The actor also praised Ken’s parents, Karunas and Grace, saying it is not easy to raise a child with strong character and values. He noted that they had brought up Ken well and deserved credit for the person he has become.

Dhanush went on to thank composer G. V. Prakash Kumar for working on the film without remuneration, saying such gestures show true friendship through actions rather than words.

Recalling his first meeting with Ken during the photoshoot of Asuran, Dhanush admitted he was initially unconvinced about casting him and had even suggested to director Vetrimaaran that someone else be considered. However, on the first day of shoot, he noticed Ken’s confidence in front of a large crew and realised the director’s faith in him was justified.

Dhanush also shared that Ken later approached him saying he wanted to direct a film. The actor said he was surprised and advised him to gain a few more years of experience as an assistant director before taking up direction. However, Ken remained confident that he could pull it off.

The actor added that after watching the trailers and songs of Youth, he was impressed by the quality of the film. “I said no to casting him in Asuran and asked him to wait before directing Youth. Ken, you proved me wrong again,” he said.

Dhanush further noted that there is much to learn from the Gen Z generation, pointing out that Ken had sacrificed many distractions at a young age to pursue filmmaking. He also jokingly mentioned that Ken is his PUBG partner and often becomes the “most valuable player” in their games.

Concluding his speech, Dhanush said Ken is like a son to him and expressed confidence that the young filmmaker would achieve greater success in the future.