Prakash Raj Movies

A principled policeman goes toe-to-toe with a corrupt politician in director Rohit Shetty's hyper-stylized action thriller. Inspector Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) presides over the remote village of Shivgad, which is situated on the border of Maharashtra and Goa. His nemesis is a devious criminal named Jaykant Shikre (Prakash Raj), who has recently expanded his lawless influence by going into politics. Later, when Shikre makes life in Goa unbearable for Inspector Singham, the detective experiences a startling epiphany about the role of law enforcement in eradicating crime. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

South Indian directorial mainstay Priyadarshan (Malamal Weekly) helms this arthouse-style drama, made after the filmmaker's temporary sojourn into Bollywood material. Vengadam (Prakash Raj of Mayajalam) is a village weaver, clinging to the traditional hierarchical way of life despite the radical sociopolitical shifts sweeping through India. His dream involves weaving together a silk sari for his infant daughter's eventual wedding day, but alas, he could never afford buying such an expensive item - so he pilfers threads from the shop, one by one, and weaves them together, as the years pass, only producing the garment gradually. Meanwhile, broader changes unfurl in the community and the nation at large, and those changes eventually touch Vengadam's life in such a profound way that he cannot possibly ignore it. From a social activist friend, he learns of the Russian Revolution and suddenly attains awareness of the social injustice plaguing his own life, realizing that he can no longer tolerate or accept it. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Director of the controversial blockbuster Bombay (1995), Mani Rathnam has come up with another entertaining film which threads between high art and soft soap opera. Struggling actor Anandan (Mohanlal) meets poet, screenwriter, and active politician Selvam (Prakash Raj), and a long friendship develops despite the constant shadow of rivalry. This Tamil-language film contains most of Rathnam's constant themes -- power, politics, love, and betrayal -- in the context of Indian politics which have been notoriously linked to cinema. The rise to fame of actor and cult-figure Anandan is loosely based on the life of legendary movie star M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the 1970's and stayed in power for ten years. Rathnam parodies Indian politics as well as popular Bollywood cinema. In one particularly daring musical sequence, viewers are given traditional Indian song and dance as part of a film-within-a-film, then see it being shot on set and later fragmented into the real story. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi