Prakash Raj

Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for Prakash Raj works in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, Prakash Raj is recipient of several accolades, including five National Film Awards, eight Nandi Awards, eight Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards South, four SIIMA Awards, three CineMAA Awards, and three Vijay Awards.

After working in stage shows and television in Kannada for a few years, Raj ventured into films. Prakash Raj made Prakash Raj debut in Tamil cinema through Duet (1994), by K. Balachander, and has since been a commercially successful film star in Tamil. In remembrance, Prakash Raj named Prakash Raj production company Duet Movies. Apart from Prakash Raj mother tongue Kannada, Prakash Raj's fluency in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, English, and Marathi and has placed him among the most sought after actors in Indian cinema.

A polyglot, Prakash Raj played a variety of roles, most notably as the antagonist and, of late, as a character actor. Prakash, as an actor has won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998 for Mani Ratnam's Iruvar, a National Film Award – Special Mention for the Telugu film Antahpuram, directed by Krishna Vamsi in 1998 and a National Film Award for Best Actor in 2007 for Prakash Raj role in Kanchivaram, a Tamil film directed by Priyadarshan,

As a producer, Prakash Raj has won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada for Puttakkana Highway, directed by Prakash Raj long-time theatre friend B. Suresh in 2011. Prakash was also the host of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi during the show's second season.