Actor Prakash Raj is all set to ring in his 57th birthday on Saturday.
Born on March 26, 1965, in Bengaluru, Prakash is one of the prominent actors in Indian cinema. He has also donned the hats of a director and producer for several 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.
Prakash marked his debut in the year 1994 with the Tamil film 'Duet'. In remembrance, he even named his production company as Duet Movies.
The actor has earned a name for himself not only in the south film industry, but in Bollywood too. He had starred in the film 'Khakhee' (2004) alongside Amithabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Tushar Kapoor.
When it comes to playing villains in Bollywood, Prakash is a fan-favourite. His negative roles in 'Wanted', 'Singham', 'Dabangg 2' and 'Policegiri' are loved by the massses.
On Prakash Raj's birthday, here's a look at some lesser-known facts about the Indian star:
- Prakash Raj's real name is Prakash Rai. He changed his surname to 'Raj' upon prominent Tamil film director K Balachander's advice.
- The actor is a polyglot. He is fluent in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi and English.
- Prakash Raj started participating in street plays at the age of 7. He has done over 2,000 street plays across south India.
- In his initial days, Prakash used to do stage shows for a meagre Rs 300 a month.
- Prakash Raj owns a zero-pesticide organic farm in Hyderabad and is quite vocal about leading a healthy lifestyle.
