Prabhu (actor)

2021-08-30T09:56:47Z

2409:4072:505:932F:4050:C4C3:36CC:916D:

{{short description|Indian film actor and producer}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Prabhu
| image = Prabhu at Wagah Audio Launch.jpg
| birth_name = Prabhu Ganesan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1956|12|25}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan wish actor Prabhu on his 60th birthday|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rajinikanth-kamal-haasan-wish-actor-prabhu-on-his-60th-birthday/1/843108.html|author=Srivatsan|website=[[India Today]]|date=26 December 2016|access-date=11 April 2017}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Thanjavur]], [[Madras State]]<br>
(present-day [[Tamil Nadu]]), [[India]]
| occupation = Actor, film producer
| alma_mater = [[Loyola College, Chennai]]
| yearsactive = 1982–present
| parents = [[Sivaji Ganesan]] (father)<br>Kamala (mother)
| nationality = Indian
| spouse = Punitha (m.1982-present)
| children = Aishwarya Prabhu<br>[[Vikram Prabhu]]
| relatives = [[Ramkumar Ganesan]] (brother)
}}
'''Prabhu Ganesan''' (born 25 December 1956) is an Indian film actor, businessman and film producer who predominantly appears in [[Tamil cinema]]. He is the son of veteran actor [[Sivaji Ganesan]], while his son [[Vikram Prabhu]] is also a Tamil actor.

After making his debut in ''[[Sangili (1982 film)|Sangili]]'' (1982), Prabhu played various leading and supporting roles, earning the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] award recognition by the [[Tamil Nadu]] state for his portrayal in ''[[Chinna Thambi]]'' (1992). He has worked in more than 200 films in lead & supporting roles in [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Malayalam]] and [[Kannada]] languages.

==Early life==
Prabhu was born to actor [[Sivaji Ganesan]] and Kamala.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/08/09/stories/13090785.htm|title=502 Bad Gateway|website=thehindujobs.com|access-date=14 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001035616/http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/08/09/stories/13090785.htm|archive-date=1 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/chip-off-the-old-block/article28387263.ece|title=Chip off the old block|date=27 November 2002|work=The Hindu}}</ref> His elder brother [[Ramkumar Ganesan|Ramkumar]] is a film producer and he has two sisters Shanthi and Thenmozhi.

==Career==
After leaving [[Bishop Cotton Boys' School]] in [[Bangalore]], Prabhu got involved in film production as an executive producer and worked alongside his uncle and mentor V. C. Shanmugam, who insisted that Prabhu learn the film making process in a disciplined way, giving him general tasks such as pulling up chairs for artistes. Prabhu's father, actor [[Sivaji Ganesan]], had initially expressed reluctance in allowing Prabhu to pursue an acting career, but through his work in the industry, he began to receive offers from film-makers to feature in their films.<ref name=p2>[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/soc.culture.malaysia/wanted$20gangai$20amaren/soc.culture.malaysia/wChllR1Tv-g/tMZ-sqNhV_8J "A CHAT WITH TAMIL ACTOR PRABHU"]. ''Google Groups''. Retrieved 23 February 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite news|author= Sreedhar Pillai|date=16 November 2008|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/On-roll/articleshow/3716963.cms|title=On roll!|agency=TNN|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=23 February 2014}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000118225229/http://dinakaran.com/cinema/english/cinebio/08-10-99/prabu.htm "Cine Biography: Prabu (Part-1)"]. dinakaran.com. Archived from [http://dinakaran.com/cinema/english/cinebio/08-10-99/prabu.htm the original] on 18 January 2000.</ref>

He subsequently made his acting debut in [[C. V. Rajendran]]'s ''[[Sangili (1982 film)|Sangili]]'' (1982), a remake of the Hindi film ''[[Kalicharan]]'', where he was cast in a supporting role. By the time ''Sangili'' released, Prabhu was working on six films, including [[Charuhasan]]'s ''Pudhiya Sangamam'' and [[Gangai Amaren]]'s romantic film ''[[Kozhi Koovuthu (1982 film)|Kozhi Koovuthu]]'', which became his first commercially successful venture. After featuring in about thirty films, including nineteen with his father including ''[[Neethibathi]]'' (1983), ''[[Sandhippu]]'' (1983) and ''[[Miruthanga Chakravarthi]]'' (1983), Prabhu's career graph registered a drop and he began to reconsider the type of films he had signed. He opted against featuring in films co-starring his father and consciously began to choose subjects rather than accept as many offers as possible.

Among the first films he signed after taking the break included [[G. M. Kumar]]'s ''[[Aruvadai Naal]]'' (1986) and [[Manivannan]]'s ''[[Palaivana Rojakkal|Paalaivana Rojakkal]]'', alongside [[Sathyaraj]], both proving successful. Subsequently, the following period saw a series of commercial successes in 1988 for the actor, notably [[S. P. Muthuraman]]'s ''[[Guru Sishyan (1988 film)|Guru Sishyan]]'' with [[Rajinikanth]], [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Agni Natchathiram]]'' with [[Karthik (actor)|Karthik]] and [[P. Vasu]]'s family drama ''[[En Thangachi Padichava]]''.<ref name="p2"/> The success of the latter film prompted more successful collaborations in the same genre between Prabhu and Vasu with ''[[Chinna Thambi]]'' (1991) and ''[[Senthamizh Pattu]]'' (1992) also receiving a similar reception, with the actor earning the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] award recognition by the [[Tamil Nadu]] state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/feb/14/11046|title=Prabhu and Khushboo, blockbuster pair of the 1990s – Valentine's Day special|first=Manigandan|last=KR|website=Cinestaan}}</ref>

He subsequently worked in his hundredth film [[R. V. Udayakumar]]'s ''[[Rajakumaran (film)|Rajakumaran]]'', before portraying well received roles in [[K. Balachander]]'s romantic film ''[[Duet (1994 film)|Duet]]'' (1994) and [[Priyadarshan]]'s Malayalam period film ''[[Kaalapani (1996 film)|Kaalapani]]'' (1996) alongside [[Mohanlal]]. Prabhu went through another barren spell in the late 1990s, when several films after the success of ''[[Panchalankurichi (film)|Panchalankurichi]]'' failed to do well, prompting another image change away from his village do-gooder roles.<ref name="p2"/> Moving away from action films, Prabhu selected scripts which would appeal to family audiences in the early 2000s and collaborated with film-makers including [[Rama Narayanan]] and [[T. P. Gajendran]], working in a series of "minimum guarantee" return films.<ref>A swamy. [http://cinematoday2.itgo.com/Interviews%20-%20Prabhu%20The%20comeback%20story.htm "Prabhu: The comeback story"]. cinematoday2.itgo.com. Retrieved 23 February 2014.</ref>

Prabhu then made another career change and began accepting film offers in which he would play a supporting rather than the leading role and featured alongside [[Kamal Haasan]] and then [[Rajinikanth]] in two big budget ventures ''[[Vasool Raja MBBS]]'' (2004) and his home production ''[[Chandramukhi]]'' (2005).<ref>[http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-articles/movies-08/actor-conundrum-02-09-09.html "Change and equilibrium: Actor's conundrum"]. Behindwoods.</ref> Since then, he has gained acclaim portraying characters including a caring guardian in ''[[Something Something... Unakkum Enakkum|Unakkum Enakkum]]'', ''[[Thaamirabharani]]'' and ''[[Ayan (film)|Ayan]]'', while he has also been seen in detective roles in action films, notably ''[[Billa (2007 film)|Billa]]'' (2007) and then ''[[Kanthaswamy (film)|Kanthaswamy]]'' (2009). He has also played other acclaimed supporting roles in [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Raavanan]]'' (2010) and [[Aishwarya Dhanush]]'s ''[[3 (2012 Indian film)|3]]'' (2012), while he has ventured into playing similar roles in Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/yesteryear-heroes-struggle-for-survival-tamil-news-44583.html|title=Yesteryear heroes: Struggle for survival|publisher=IndiaGlitz|date=27 January 2009|access-date=3 April 2016}}</ref> In 2016, Prabhu featured in his 200th film, the romantic comedy ''[[Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum]]'' produced by his nephew, [[Dushyanth Ramkumar]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nettv4u.com/latest-tamil-celebrity-news/prabhu-s-200th-film-is-getting-ready|title=Prabhu’s 200th Film Is Getting Ready!|website=nettv4u}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Prabhu is married to Punitha in 1982 and has two children Aishwarya Prabhu (born 1984) and [[Vikram Prabhu]] (born 1986), who made his acting debut in the 2012 film ''[[Kumki (film)|Kumki]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131119/entertainment-kollywood/article/appa-taught-me-everything-prabhu-ganesan|author=Gautam Sunder|title=Appa taught me everything: Prabhu Ganesan|work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]|date=23 February 2016|access-date=3 April 2016}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{Main|Prabhu filmography}}

==Awards==

=== Cinema Express Awards ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|-
! width=5%| Year
! style="width:40%;"| Film(s)
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:15%;"| Outcome
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |1988
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Manasukkul Mathappu]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Cinema Express Award for Best Actor – Tamil|Best Actor]]
| {{won}}
|-
|}
=== Filmfare Awards South ===

Prabhu was nominated six times at the [[Filmfare Awards South]]
{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|-
! width=5%| Year
! style="width:40%;"| Film(s)
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:15%;"| Outcome
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |1986
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Aruvadai Naal]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil|Best Actor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |1988
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Agni Natchathiram]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil|Best Actor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |1991
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Chinna Thambi]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil|Best Actor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |1994
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Duet (1994 film)|Duet]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil|Best Actor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |2002
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Charlie Chaplin (2002 film)|Charlie Chaplin]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Tamil|Best Actor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |2005
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Chandramukhi]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil|Best Film]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |2009
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Ayan (film)|Ayan]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor - Tamil|Best Supporting Actor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

=== Tamil Nadu State Film Awards ===

{| class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
|-
! width=5%| Year
! style="width:40%;"| Film(s)
! style="width:40%;"| Category
! style="width:15%;"| Outcome
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |1991
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Chinna Thambi]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |2002
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Charlie Chaplin (2002 film)|Charlie Chaplin]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize|Special Prize]]
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" |2005
| style="text-align:center;" |''[[Chandramukhi]]''
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ilaiyathilagamprabhu.com Official website]
*{{IMDb name|0694893}}

{{TamilNaduStateAwardForBestActor}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prabhu}}
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Tamil male actors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Male actors from Chennai]]
[[Category:Film producers from Chennai]]
[[Category:Tamil film producers]]
[[Category:Loyola College, Chennai alumni]]
[[Category:Bishop Cotton Boys' School alumni]]
[[Category:Male actors in Tamil cinema]]
[[Category:Male actors in Telugu cinema]]
[[Category:Male actors in Kannada cinema]]
[[Category:Male actors in Malayalam cinema]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian male actors]]

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Prabhu (actor)