Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known mononymously as Prashanth, is an Indian actor, businessman, playback singer and film producer who has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has also appeared in a few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. At the peak of his career in the late 1990s, he was among the popular actors in South India, and is a recipient of the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
| Full name | Prashanth Thiagarajan |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 April 1973 |
| Occupations | Actor, businessman, playback singer, film producer |
| Primary industry | Tamil cinema |
| Other languages worked in | Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam |
| Father | Thiagarajan (actor-director) |
| Debut film | Vaigasi Poranthachu (1990) |
| Notable honour | Kalaimamani Award, Government of Tamil Nadu |
Prashanth is the son of the Tamil actor and director Thiagarajan. He entered the film industry at the age of 17, beginning his career with the Tamil film Vaigasi Poranthachu (1990).
Following his debut, Prashanth appeared in a series of films that established him in Tamil cinema, including Balu Mahendra's Vanna Vanna Pookkal (1992), R. K. Selvamani's Chembaruthi (1992) and Mani Ratnam's Thiruda Thiruda (1993).
Prashanth rose to stardom with Shankar's romantic comedy Jeans (1998), in which he played a dual role alongside Aishwarya Rai. The success of Jeans opened the door to larger projects, and in the late 1990s he featured in a string of breakthrough films, including Kannedhirey Thondrinal (1998), Kaadhal Kavithai (1998), Jodi (1999) and Parthen Rasithen (2000).
He continued in lead roles through the early 2000s with films such as Chocklet (2001), Majunu (2001), Thamizh (2002), Virumbukiren (2002), Winner (2003), Shock (2004) and London (2005).
After a prolonged career setback, Prashanth made a comeback with Andhagan (2024), and also appeared in The Greatest of All Time (2024) alongside Vijay.
Prashanth was one of the recognisable faces of Tamil cinema in the late 1990s, with Jeans in particular widely regarded as a turning point in his career. His association with directors such as Mani Ratnam, Balu Mahendra and Shankar placed him in several of the era's prominent Tamil productions, and the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu recognised his contribution to the arts.