Prabhas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prabhas
Prabhas at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju (1979-10-23) 23 October 1979 (age 45) Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India
Education	Sri Chaitanya College, Hyderabad (BTech)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2002–present
Works	Full list
Parent(s)	Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju (father)
Relatives	Krishnam Raju (uncle)
Awards	Full list

Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju (born October 23, 1979), known simply as Prabhas, is a famous Indian actor. He mainly works in Telugu cinema, which is a big film industry in India. Prabhas is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema and has been on Forbes India magazine's list of top celebrities since 2015. People in the media sometimes call him Rebel Star. He has acted in over 20 movies and has won several awards for his performances.

Prabhas started his acting journey with the movie Eeswar in 2002. He became very popular after his action-romance film Varsham in 2004. He then starred in many successful movies like Chatrapathi (2005), Darling (2010), and Mirchi (2013). For Mirchi, he even won the Nandi Award for Best Actor.

Later, Prabhas played a double role in the huge hit movies Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). Baahubali 2 became the highest-grossing Indian film ever at that time! These movies made Prabhas a "pan-Indian" star, meaning he became famous all over India and even internationally. Since then, he has starred in other big films like Saaho (2019), Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023), and Kalki 2898 AD (2024). These movies are also among the highest-grossing Indian films.

Prabhas holds some amazing records. He is the only Indian actor to have six films that earned over ₹100 crore (about $12 million USD) worldwide on their opening day. He is also the first Indian actor to have a movie earn over ₹1000 crore (about $120 million USD) worldwide. Plus, he is the first actor from South India to have a wax sculpture at Madame Tussaud's museum.

Early Life and Education

Prabhas was born on October 23, 1979, in Chennai, India. His family is Telugu, and his father, Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju, was a film producer. Prabhas is the youngest of three children. He has an older brother named Prabodh and an older sister named Pragathi. His uncle, Krishnam Raju, is also a well-known actor in Telugu cinema. His family comes from a place called Mogalthur in Andhra Pradesh.

Prabhas went to school in Chennai and Bhimavaram. He then studied at Nalanda College in Hyderabad for his intermediate education. After that, he earned a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree from Sri Chaitanya College, also in Hyderabad. He also studied at the Satyanand Film Institute in Visakhapatnam to learn more about acting.

Career Highlights

Early Movies and Rising Popularity (2002–2014)

Prabhas started his acting career in 2002 with the action movie Eeswar. In 2003, he appeared in Raghavendra. His big breakthrough came in 2004 with the action-romance film Varsham. This movie was a huge success and one of the highest-earning Telugu films that year. It also earned him his first nomination for a Filmfare Award.

In 2005, Prabhas starred in S. S. Rajamouli's action movie Chatrapathi. He played a refugee character in this film. Chatrapathi was a blockbuster and ran for 100 days in many cinemas. Critics praised his unique style and strong screen presence. This movie earned him another Filmfare Award nomination.

He continued to act in various films. In 2008, he worked with director Puri Jagannadh on the action-comedy Bujjigadu. This movie helped him regain success at the box office, and his acting was highly praised. In 2009, Prabhas played a double role in the action thriller Billa, which was also a big hit.

In 2010, he starred in the romantic comedy Darling. This film was well-received and became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. Prabhas's performance was considered a major highlight. In 2011, he appeared in the romantic drama Mr. Perfect, which was a blockbuster and earned him another Filmfare Award nomination. This film was even re-released in Japan in 2024 and was very popular.

In 2013, Prabhas starred in Mirchi. This movie was a huge success and one of the highest-grossing Telugu films at the time. His performance in Mirchi won him the Nandi Award for Best Actor and another Filmfare Award nomination. In 2014, he made a special dance appearance in the Hindi film Action Jackson.

Becoming a Pan-India Star (2015–Present)

Prabhas on the sets of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion

In 2015, Prabhas took on a dual role as Shivudu/Mahendra Baahubali and Amarendra Baahubali in S.S. Rajamouli's epic action film Baahubali: The Beginning. This movie was made with a huge budget and became a record-breaking success. It earned over ₹600 crore (about $72 million USD) worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Telugu film and the second highest-grossing Indian film at that time. It also started a new trend of "pan-Indian" films, which are released in multiple languages across India.

Prabhas continued his role in the sequel, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). This film was even more expensive to make. It became the first Indian film ever to earn over ₹1,000 crore (about $120 million USD) worldwide. It also set records for opening day earnings. Baahubali 2 eventually earned over ₹1,810 crore (about $217 million USD) worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing Indian film globally and the highest-grossing film in India to date.

Prabhas spent five years working on the Baahubali movies, not taking on any other projects during that time. He trained very hard for his roles. For the character of Shivudu, he became lean, weighing around 86-88 kilograms. For the role of Baahubali, he gained weight to become a bulky 105 kilograms. His dedication paid off, and he won the SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Telugu for his performance in The Conclusion. The success of the Baahubali series made Prabhas the first true "pan-Indian" star, gaining a huge fan base across the country.

Prabhas on the sets of Saaho

In 2019, Prabhas starred in the action thriller Saaho. It earned ₹130 crore (about $15.6 million USD) worldwide on its opening day. The film eventually grossed over ₹419 crore (about $50 million USD) at the box office. While the Telugu version did not perform as well, the Hindi version was a hit. In 2022, Prabhas appeared in the romantic drama Radhe Shyam, which did not do well. In 2023, he played Lord Ram in the mythological action film Adipurush, which was based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. This film received a lot of negative feedback and was also not successful at the box office.

However, Prabhas made a strong comeback with Prashanth Neel's action drama Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023). This film received positive reviews and earned ₹176 crore (about $21 million USD) worldwide on its opening day. It eventually grossed over ₹705 crore (about $84 million USD) worldwide, proving to be a big success for him. In 2024, he starred in Nag Ashwin's epic science fiction film Kalki 2898 AD. This movie was made with a budget of ₹600 crore (about $72 million USD), making it the most expensive Indian film ever. Kalki 2898 AD earned over ₹191 crore (about $22.9 million USD) worldwide on its opening day, which was the third highest first-day earning for an Indian film. This made it Prabhas's fifth and third consecutive film to earn over ₹100 crore on its opening day worldwide, which is a rare achievement in Indian cinema. The film grossed over ₹1100 crore (about $132 million USD) at the box office, making it Prabhas's second film to cross the ₹1,000 crore mark worldwide. In 2025, he had a special guest role as Rudra in the film Kannappa.

Future Projects

Prabhas has several exciting movies coming up. In December 2025, he will star in The RajaSaab, a romantic horror-comedy. In 2026, he is expected to appear in Salaar: Part 2 – Shouryaanga Parvam, which is the sequel to Salaar. He will also be in a film called Spirit, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. In 2027, he is set to return as the main character in the epic science fiction film Kalki 2898 AD - Part 2, playing dual roles of Bhairava and Karna. He will also be in Fauji, a patriotic historical action-drama film.

Prabhas has also signed a deal for three films with Hombale Films, the company behind successful movies like KGF and Kantara. This partnership will start with Salaar: Part 2 – Shouryaanga Parvam in 2026, with the other two films planned for 2027 and 2028.

Helping Others

Prabhas is also known for his charity work. He has supported the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), which is a clean India campaign. In 2020, Prabhas donated ₹4 crore (about $480,000 USD) to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. A large part of this went to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, and some went to relief funds in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

In 2020, he adopted 1,650 acres of Khazipally Reserve Forest near Hyderabad. He also donated ₹2 crore (about $240,000 USD) to develop an eco-park there, named after his late father. He also donated ₹8 lakh (about $9,600 USD) to the Lions Club of Hyderabad Sadhuram Eye Hospital.

In 2021, he donated ₹1 crore (about $120,000 USD) to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Relief Fund to help people affected by heavy rainfall. In 2023, he donated ₹10 lakh (about $12,000 USD) for the development of a temple in Bhadrachalam. In 2024, he donated ₹35 lakh (about $42,000 USD) to the Telugu Film Directors Association to support cinema workers. Prabhas also donated ₹2 crore (about $240,000 USD) to help victims of the 2024 Wayanad landslides in Kerala. He also gave ₹2 crore (about $240,000 USD) to aid flood relief efforts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations