Prasanna (actor)

Early life and background

Prasanna was born in Tiruchirappalli. His father was an employee in BHEL and his mother is a homemaker. He completed his schooling from BHEL Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirappalli. Prasanna was good at mimicry and acting, when he was in school and college. He had stated that he always wanted to become an actor. He was an EEE student in Saranathan College of Engineering, Tiruchirapalli, when he responded to an open audition for actors in Susi Ganesan's Five Star (2002), although his parents were unhappy with his decision.

Film career

2002–2009

He debut his career in Five Star, produced by Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, featured Prasanna alongside four other newcomers, most notably Kanika; it was well received by critics and performed modestly at the box office. His next two films Ragasiyamai (2003) and Kadhal Dot Com (2004), did not fare well commercially. After Five Star, his noteworthy performance came in Azhagiya Theeye (2004). He cites that the time between Five Star and Azhagiya Theeye was "a painful one", since the roles offered to him were "not the ones" he wanted to play. The film, involving an ensemble cast, was produced by Prakash Raj's Duet Movies and directed by Radha Mohan. Critics commented that he had improved in emoting, labelling his "voice modulation in the humorous scenes" as "impressive". Prakash Raj, impressed by his performance in the film, offered him the lead character in his next production Kanda Naal Mudhal, too. The triangular love story, directed by the newcomer V. Priya, costarring Laila and Karthik Kumar was a commercial success. The film ran for one-hundred days. The comedy flick Cheena Thaana 001, co-starring Sheela and Vadivelu was his only 2007 release.

In 2008, Prasanna was seen in three films. He starred in Siddique's comedy thriller Sadhu Miranda. His role of a modern-day villain was a huge hit in Mysskin's film Anjathe (2008). His negative role was critically acclaimed and fetched him a nomination at the 56th Filmfare Awards South in the Best Supporting Actor category. Later that year, he starred in G. Marimuthu's Kannum Kannum. Regarding his performance, a critic noted that "Prasanna oozes sincerity and his ability to bring the Sathya and Murthy character to life with all the nuances of love, tenderness, humour and frustrations is one of the highlights of the film". He played the lead in Arun Vaidyanathan's Achchamundu! Achchamundu! (2009) opposite Sneha that dealt with the subject of paedophiles. It received rave reviews, and was very well received internationally, but failed at the domestic box office. Manjal Veyil also failed to be successful. During the period, he also worked as a voice actor, speaking dubbing for Aryan Rajesh in Cheran's Pokkisham on the insistence of the director.

2010–2018

Then, alongside Sibiraj as antagonist, he starred in Shakthi Soundar Rajan's Naanayam as a protagonist produced by S.P.B. Charan's Capital Film Works. In Bale Pandiya, directed by Siddharth Chandrasekhar, Prasanna was replaced by Vishnu Vishal. He was seen in a supporting role as a local gangster in Baana Kaathadi. A review from Times of India wrote that "with his eyes-to-die-for and underplayed violence, Prasanna easily steals the show". In 2011, he performed a lead role alongside director-actor Cheran in the thriller film Muran. His character, a "spoiled brat" and son of a millionaire, again had negative shades. He was also approached for Lucky Jokers, which he could not take due to his busy schedule with Muran. He has been approached to play a vital role in the Malayalam Vellaripravinte Changathi, but eventually did not star in the film. In 2013, he played a doctor in the Chennaiyil Oru Naal, a remake of the Malayalam film Traffic (2011). The film featured an ensemble cast and released to positive reviews. That same year, he made his Telugu debut with Bhai and starred in the successful romantic comedy Kalyana Samayal Saadham. Regarding his performance, a critic stated that "Prasanna deserves special credit for playing a role that most actors would hesitate to take up".

2014 saw the release of Pulivaal and the long delayed Netru Indru; both films featured himself and Vimal in the lead. The former was directed by Marimuthu and was based on the Malayalam film Chaappa Kurishu (2011). While Pulivaal released to positive reviews, Netru Indru released to negative reviews. His subsequent films released to positive reviews: Pa. Pandi, Nibunan, Thupparivaalan, and Thiruttu Payale 2. His performance in Thirittu Payale 2 fetched him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil. He returned to Telugu cinema with Jawaan, which featured him as the antagonist and released to negative reviews. In 2018, he starred in Kaalakkoothu; he was cast after Shaam left the film. The film received mixed reviews upon release.

2019–present

In 2019, he marks the digital debut in the Television series Thiravam. Prasanna plays the middle-aged, socially awkward, grey-haired scientist. he then starred in the Telugu film Viswamitra and made his Malayalam debut with Brother's Day. Brothers Day released to mixed reviews. In 2020, Mafia: Chapter 1, received mixed reviews upon release followed by Naanga Romba Busy. In 2021, Prasanna is part of Project Agni from Navarasa, a science-fiction story in which he plays an ISRO scientist.In 2022, he appeared successively in television series such as Fingertip season 2, Victim and Mad Company. In 2023, he starred in Kannai Nambathey and the Malayalam film, King of Kotha. In 2024, he was seen in the Television series Cheran's Journey as well as the Hindi Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond where he plays the role of Indian Air Force Wing Commander. The next, Prasanna joins the cast of Ajith Kumar's Good Bad Ugly (2025).

Personal life

During the filming of Achchamundu! Achchamundu! it was reported that he fell in love with Sneha, but he denied the idea of marrying an actress.

Prasanna eventually married Sneha on 11 May 2012. The couple have two children.

Filmography

As actor

• Note: all films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.

As voice over artist

Television series

Television

References

References

1. "Prasanna, happy birthday!".
2. "Prasanna".
3. "Achchamundu Achchamundu screened at International film festivals". Jointscene.
4. "Sneha-Prasanna's Vanitha photoshoot: actor speaking in Malayalam will blow your mind!".
5. Prasanna. "Meet Prasanna of Tamil films". Rediff.com.
6. Prasanna. "I want to do meaningful films: Prasanna". IndiaGlitz.
7. "Movie Review:Azhagiya Theeye".
8. (6 August 2004). "Azhagiya Theeyae ...". [[The Hindu]].
9. S, Srivatsan. (19 February 2020). "I was devastated when Mysskin called me a 'sidekick': Prasanna on playing 'second-hero' roles, and his upcoming 'Mafia'". The Hindu.
10. "Kannum Kannum".
11. "Achchamundu Achchamundu movie review".
12. "Achchamundu Achchamundu".
13. "Actor Prasanna has been ridden with bad luck!". Joint Scene.
14. (28 September 2011). "I felt Muran was like my own production".
15. "Prasanna joins Siddharth – Behindwoods.com – Bale Pandiya Prasanna Siddharth Chandrasekhar".
16. (7 August 2010). "Baana Kaathadi". The Times of India.
17. "How Prasanna became Arjun in 'Muran' – Tamil Movie News".
18. "Prasanna in Malayalam?". [[The Times of India]].
19. (30 March 2013). "Tamil review: 'Chennaiyil Oru Naal' is a gripping thriller".
20. "Prasanna excited about Telugu debut".
21. (2013-12-07). "Kalayana Samayal Saadham movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at". The Times of India.
22. (2013-12-07). "Review: Kalyana Samayal Saadham is funny and thought provoking". Rediff.
23. "'Puli Vaal' not exactly a remake".
24. (8 February 2014). "Pulivaal: Tiger by the tail". The Hindu.
25. "Netru Indru Movie Review {1.5/5}: Critic Review of Netru Indru by Times of India". The Times of India.
26. "Pa. Paandi Review {3.5/5}: Power Paandi is a heartwarming film that, despite its conventional storytelling, packs in a huge emotional wallop". The Times of India.
27. Subramanian, Anupama. (28 July 2017). "Nibunan review: A fast-paced thriller that will keep you engrossed!".
28. Menon, Vishal. (14 September 2017). "'Thupparivaalan' review: The adventure of an eccentric bachelor". The Hindu.
29. "'Thiruttu Payale 2' review: A decent, even if not darker, follow-up".
30. Saravanan, T.. (6 October 2017). "Actor of many parts". The Hindu.
31. "Jawaan Review {2.2/5}: You can go watch this movie if you're a Sai Dharam Tej fan. Steer clear of it otherwise!". The Times of India.
32. "Prasanna replaces Shaam in 'Kaala Koothu'".
33. Subramanian, Anupama. (26 May 2018). "Kaalakkoothu movie review: Mismatch of worthy performers against clichéd script".
34. "Thiravam Review: Prasanna fuels this middling retelling of the Ramar Pillai story".
35. (24 August 2019). "Actor Prasanna reveals why his Mollywood debut was delayed".
36. "Brother's Day Movie Review: Too many twists in Prithviraj's suspense thriller". The Times of India.
37. "Mafia Review {3/5}: The way 'Mafia: Chapter 1' ends makes us eagerly wait for the next chapter". The Times of India.
38. "Naanga Romba Busy Movie Review: This demonetisation comedy often lacks spunk".
39. "Prasanna On Playing The Villain In Big Hero Films".
40. "Well Researched Binge Worthy Thriller".
41. "Victim: Who Is Next? Season 1".
42. "Exclusive! Prasanna: As relationships disintegrate, we might end up hiring people for companionship, just like in Mad Company".
43. "King of Kotha review: Dulquer and Shabeer shine in an exhausting gangster saga".
44. "Cheran's Journey Review: An Extremely Sentimental Road Leads To A Warm Destination".
45. "Prasanna to play the wing commander Abhinandan in the documentary 'Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond's".
46. "Prasanna joins the cast of Ajith Kumar's 'Good Bad Ugly'".
47. (14 August 2013). "Sneha and Prasanna First Film together after Marriage". kollywoodtoday.net.
48. "Sneha to wed actor Prasanna!".
49. "Prasanna out public about his relationship with Sneha!".
50. "Sneha to marry Prasanna!".
51. subramanian, anupama. (12 August 2015). "Baby boy for Sneha, Prasanna".
52. "Sneha reveals her baby girl's pictures for the first time".
53. "Kannai Nambathey Movie Review: Kannai Nambathey falters despite a thrilling setup". [[The Times of India]].
54. "Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha to see Prasanna playing a powerful cop | Exclusive".