Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai on 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, director, producer, and politician who works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam cinema. He made his film debut in the Kannada film Mithileya Seetheyaru (1988). He later worked in the Tamil and Telugu film industries.
Raj won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as politician Tamizhselvan in Mani Ratnam's Tamil political drama Iruvar (1997). He appeared in character and antagonist roles in films including Antahpuram (1998), Badri (2000), Ghilli (2004), and Pokiri (2006). He also played patriarchs in the family dramas Bommarillu (2006) and Abhiyum Naanum (2008). In 2008, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role as a silk weaver in Priyadarshan's Tamil drama Kanchivaram.
Raj also appeared in Hindi films, including Wanted (2009), Singham (2011), and Dabangg 2 (2012). As a producer, he received a National Film Award for the Kannada film Puttakkana Highway (2011). His later film roles include appearances in O Kadhal Kanmani (2015) and Rangasthalam (2018).
His recent film credits include Trivikram's Guntur Kaaram, Dhanush's Raayan, Koratala Siva's Devara: Part 1, Suriya's Kanguva, and Sukumar's Pushpa 2: The Rule. His other credits include S. Shankar's Game Changer, They Call Him OG, Daaku Maharaaj, Dhanush's Idli Kadai, Dacoit: A Love Story, and the Hindi thriller Drishyam - The Conclusion. He has received five National Film Awards.
