Happy Birthday Prakash Raj: 10 Lesser-Known Facts About The Multi-Talented Actor

Prakash Raj is undoubtedly one of the finest actors of all time in Indian cinema. From a lovable hero to an outright villain, he has taken on and surprised us all with his acting prowess. The actor has placed himself among the many legends of Indian cinema and we can’t praise his journey enough. As the actor, who is a prominent face of the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi industries, turns a year older, let’s have a look at some of the lesser-known facts about him.

Missed out on Prakash Raj’s performance in Ko 2? Watch it here:

#1 Humble Beginnings

Prakash Raj started off his acting journey as a theatre artist. The actor’s first salary of just Rs 300 every month. The actor, who had his fair share of struggles, joined the renowned Kalakshetra and did back-to-back stage shows in Bengaluru until he made his big break into the silver screen.

#2 The Street’s Actor

Prakash Raj is multitalented and has even done a whole street play on his own. He started off with small plays at the age of 7. The actor was extensively involved in street plays during his early days and has admitted in several interviews that he has done over 2000 street plays across south India.

#3 The Debut Mark

Movies were always his aim and he slowly worked his way up. Prakash Raj started off his illustrious career with roles in Kannada soap-operas before appearing as supporting characters in several Kannada films. The actor’s big break came with the Kannada film, Harakeya Kuri. Later, he was introduced to Kollywood with his role in Duet. The actor hasn’t looked back ever since.

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#4 Changed Surname

It was the late Tamil film director K Balachander, who gave him his break in the Tamil film industry with the film Duet. The director advised Prakash Raj to change his surname from Rai to Raj. The actor believes that the name change helped him with his career growth.

#5 Recognized Villain

Prakash Raj’s versatility landed him in multiple roles from hero to supporting character, to even father characters. However, it was the villainous roles that defined the actor best. Even recognized by multiple award juries, he is held highly as a villain. Interestingly, the actor also featured in a calendar which celebrated the best villains of the time. The actor was featured alongside Amrish Puri, Nassar and many other celebrated actors.

#6 A Farmer’s Taste

Apart from his acting, Prakash Raj also carries a passion for good food. The actor owns a zero-pesticide organic farm in Hyderabad and is known to be vocal about healthy eating habits.

#7 On Political Front

Prakash Raj, who has always been local regarding politics, tried his hand in politics as he contested as an independent candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Although he lost the contest bagging 28831 votes, the actor remains a critical voice about the running governments.

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#8 Well-versed in Languages

Thanks to his diverse upbringing and constant move between cities, the actor is well-versed in most major languages across the country. It is believed that the actor has mastered seven languages namely, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and English and is known for having the ability to dub for himself in any language he works with.

#9 Strong Voice Actor

Prakash Raj’s voice and vocal skills have a different fanbase on their own. The actor is known for his powerful speeches and dialogue delivery, which people first noticed in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar where he played a politician. It is interesting that many Malayalam movies have featured him as a voice actor for a Malayali character, even though he is not from Kerala.

#10 The Accomplished One

Prakash Raj has had an illustrious career with over 200 movies and counting. The actor known for his stellar performances in several languages across the country has won the three National Awards and eight Tamil Nadu State Awards including four for ‘best villain’.

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