Prakash Raj, born on March 26 1965, is an Indian actor, film-director, producer, television presenter, and politician. He has received five National Film Awards, eight Nandi Awards, eight Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards South among many other accolades for his performances.
Prakash Raj was born in Bengaluru to Prasad Raj, who is also an actor. His mother is a Kannadiga. Prakash Raj was married to actress Lalitha Kumari in 1994. They had two daughters, Meghana and Pooja, and a son, Sidhu, who died in 2004. The two got divorced in 2009.
Prakash Raj then married choreographer Pony Verma in 2010. They have a son, Vedhanth, who was born in 2015.
Prakash Raj's acting career began as a street artist when he joined Kalakshetra, Bengaluru. He then managed to get roles in TV serials and supporting roles in Kannada films. His performance in one of his films was noticed by actress Geetha Kadambee, who introduced Prakash to her mentor Tamil director K Balachander. Prakash changed his surname from Rai to Raj upon the director’s advice.
In 1997, he acted in Mani Ratnam's biopic Iruvar, which dealt with the relationship between MG Ramachandran and M Karunanidhi. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He played an important role in Venkat Prabhu's Saroja. In 2008, he produced a film titled Abhiyum Naanum and played an important character in it. Since then, he has been part of various commercial hits along side actors like Suriya, Ajit, Vijay and Vikram in a variety of roles. He is popular for portraying villains in Tamil and Hindi cinema.
In 2022, he played the role of Sundara Chola in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan. He started a political movement after the assassination of his friend, Gauri Lankesh. Prakash Raj identifies himself as an atheist.
This India Today special show provides Axis My India exit poll numbers for the just-concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and its in-depth analysis.
In this Special Report, Rajdeep Sardesai, Consulting Editor at India Today, analyses the Axis My India exit poll results for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections held on 15th January 2026. Sardesai notes that the 'BJP has a clear edge as per the projected vote share in terms of gender, 40% among males, but it goes up to 44% among women.' The discussion highlights a significant lead for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance among younger voters aged 18-25, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) maintains a slight lead among voters over 60. Sardesai and co-anchor Maria Shakil explore the impact of the 'Ladki Behin' scheme and the consolidation of the BJP vote against a fractured Shiv Sena. The report also addresses the persistent issue of voter apathy in Mumbai, with Sardesai pointing to a 'disconnect' between citizens and corporators amidst concerns over urban decay and infrastructure despite major projects like the coastal road and metro.
In this news segment, the focus is on the chaotic political landscape in Maharashtra as nominations for local corporation elections conclude. The report highlights a surprising development where Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, despite their national rivalry, have reportedly united for the Pune Municipal Elections. It also details the Congress party's contradictory strategies: allying with the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray in Pune while fighting independently with Prakash Ambedkar in Mumbai. The segment questions whether these moves signal a family reunion for the Pawars in the Pimpri Chinchwad area.
In this Special Report, India Today’s Maria Shakil discusses the shifting political landscape ahead of the BMC elections with senior journalist Jayant Mainkar and political analyst Sanjay Jha. The conversation highlights the significant development of Congress joining hands with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) after deciding to go alone. Mainkar notes that the ‘Thackerays have come together’ to consolidate the Marathi vote, a move he attributes partly to the backlash against the alleged imposition of Hindi on Maharashtra. Sanjay Jha describes the Thackeray reunion as a ‘definite X factor’ but warns that the ‘subterranean is extremely turbulent’ despite surface-level alliances. The panel also debates the impact of the 35-36% Marathi-speaking demographic versus the immigrant vote bank in Mumbai.
In a major setback for the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, the Karnataka High Court's Dharwad Bench has quashed the May 14 order directing the closure of Jan Aushadhi Kendras in government hospitals. Speaking to India Today, BJP Spokesperson S Prakash welcomes the verdict, terming the state's move as 'vengeance' against popular central schemes. He states, 'The Karnataka government, only with an intention of vengeance... ordered the shutdown.' India Today's Sagay Raj reports on the court's decision, which followed a petition by Rakesh Mahalingappa.
In a significant legislative move, the Karnataka government has tabled a stringent Hate Speech Bill in the Belagavi assembly session, proposing severe penalties for offenders. Introduced by Home Minister G. Parameshwara, the bill mandates imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of ₹50,000 for a first offence, escalating to 10 years in jail and a ₹1 lakh fine for repeat offenders. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly opposed the move, terming it a tool to suppress dissent. Speaking to India Today, BJP spokesperson S. Prakash stated, ‘It is a very dangerous bill... This will open a can of worms to seek vengeance against the opposition parties.’ While the Congress government maintains the bill fulfills their manifesto promise to curb communal instigation, critics argue the definition of hate speech remains subjective and prone to misuse by the ruling dispensation.
Actor Rana Daggubati has been questioned for nearly five hours by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Hyderabad in connection with an illegal betting app case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda and Lakshmi Manchu for questioning in a money laundering case linked to illegal online betting and gambling by certain platforms.
The Enforcement Directorate has registered a case against 29 celebrities, including prominent actors Vijay Devarakonda, Rana Daggupati, and Prakash Raj, for their alleged involvement in a betting app scam. The case is based on an FIR filed by the Hyderabad Saifabad police following a complaint by a businessman. The actors and influencers are accused of promoting illegal betting apps through advertisements and social media endorsements, misleading users into believing the platforms were legal and secure. The ED investigation suggests that proceeds from these illegal betting apps were transferred to the accounts of these celebrities. The agency is likely to summon the accused for questioning in the coming days, with the possibility of arrests if evidence of money laundering is found.
Cyberabad police have booked 25 individuals, including prominent Tollywood stars, for promoting betting apps. Rana Daggubati, Vijay Devrakonda, Prakash Raj, and Lakshmi Manchu are among those named.
Chief Minister-designate Rekha Gupta met Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Wednesday evening and staked claim to form the government in the national capital.
Actor Vishnu Manchu has responded to his social media exchange with actor Prakash Raj on platform X concerning the Tirupati laddu adulteration controversy in an exclusive chat with India Today TV. The dispute emerged following allegations of adulteration in the ghee used for offerings at the Tirumala temple. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan called for an investigation, prompting a response from Prakash Raj, who criticized Kalyan for allegedly spreading fear rather than addressing the issue. Vishnu reacted to Prakash Raj's comments in his post.
A controversy has emerged between Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and actor Prakash Raj over the Tirupati prasadam issue. The situation escalated as Prakash Raj urged Kalyan to focus on the investigation, while Kalyan accused Raj of mocking Hindu sentiments.
A police complaint was filed against actor Prakash Raj for his tweet on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Leaders of Hindu organisations filed a complaint against the 58-year-old actor in Karnataka's Bagalkote district and demanded action against him. On August 20, the actor had shared a cartoon of a man wearing a vest and a lungi and pouring tea and had captioned it "First picture coming from the Moon by #VikramLander (sic)". Several users accused him of 'mocking' India's ambitious Moon mission.
Prakash Raj took a dig at the Indian Moon Mission in a new tweet. On August 20, he took to Twitter to share a cartoon of a man in a vest and lungi pouring tea. Soon, the controversial tweet was called out by users in the comment section. Many slammed him for his blind hatred and mocking India's scientific mission. A user also taught him the difference between political and national trolling. On August 20, the actor took to Twitter to take a direct jibe at the Vikram Lander and the cartoon sketch he shared with it. Many felt that he shared the post for his 'blind hatred for BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi'.
Actor Prakash Raj on Wednesday cast his vote for the Karnataka assembly election and said it is time to vote against “communal politics” in the state. The actor cast his vote early in the morning in Bengaluru. Voting in the 224 assembly seats of Karnataka is underway with as many as 2,615 candidates in the fray.
Voting in the 224 assembly seats of Karnataka is underway with as many as 2,615 candidates in the fray. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor Prakash Raj, and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy were among the early voters. Karnataka CM Bommai and Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and Jagadish Shettar also among the early voters. Over 5 crore people will vote to elect a new government in the state.
Four men unabatedly thrashed a restaurant waiter allegedly after being asked for a bill in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol on April 16. Prakash Raj, who works at Raza Hyderabadi Hotel in Shahdol, was beaten by four men, identified as Ankit, Anurag, Babu and Yash. When Prakash approached the accused for the bill of the biryani he served, they began hitting him, saying, “They don’t give money but instead take it”. In the video, the four can be seen smacking the waiter with anything they could lay their hands on, including chairs and a stick. The entire episode was captured on a CCTV camera installed in the hotel. Later, the waiter filed a complaint with a police station, and the four accused were arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (With input from Ravendra Shukla)
