Prakash Raj

Prakash Raj Bio

Prakash Raj, is an Indian actor who has featured in South Indian films. He began his acting career with Kannada Doordarshan serials like Bisilu Kudure and Guddada Bhootha. He later took up small supporting roles in Kannada films like Raamachari, Nishkarsha, Lockup Death and etc and was noticed for his dialogue delivery and histrionics. His breakthrough role came in form of Harakeya Kuri starring Vishnuvardhan and Geetha, directed by K S L Swamy. Prakash Rai re-entered Kannada films with a bang through Nagamandala in 1997, directed by T.S Naghabarana. Prakash Raj, as an actor has performed variety of roles most notably as a villain and of late, as a character artiste, in Tamil and Telugu. He is considered to be one of the most natural actors in the film industry, and has a good reputation for his acting skills. He is also the highest paid villain in Indian cinema. He was also a part of Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai. One of Prakash Rai's greatest hits was the Telugu film Okkadu, where he plays the role of a gangster, who is in love with Bhoomika Chawla. His frequent uttering of the word "I love you" became a popular line. After Okkadu, Prakash Raj was flooded with offers. The versatile actor then co-starred with major stars and also acted in movies with newcomers. His 2007 production Mozhi, where he played an important role, was a box office hit and was unanimously praised by critics for his comedy performance. Mozhi, was directed by Radhamohan and featured himself, Jyothika, Prithviraj and Swarnamalya. Recently he took on the mantle of producer and has produced several movies in Tamil. Most of the movies that he has produced are box-office hits and are also critically acclaimed. He has won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998 for Mani Ratnam's Iruvar and a National Film Award for Best Actor in 2009 for his role in Kanchivaram, a Tamil film directed by Priyadarshan.