Sathyaraj

Rangaraj had a botany degree from Government Arts College, Coimbatore, when he moved to Chennai in 1976 to try his luck in films and joined Komal Swamynathan's drama troupe. Born in Coimbatore on 3 October 1954, he would work under the screen name Sathyaraj. His first credited role was a henchman in Sattam En Kaiyil (1978), and early on he also worked as a production manager. For years he mostly played villains, about 75 films between 1978 and 1985, until his college friend Manivannan gave him notable parts in Nooravathu Naal, 24 Mani Neram and January 1 (all 1984). Saavi (1985) was his first film as lead, and lead roles in Vedham Pudhithu, Nadigan, Amaidhipadai, Periyar and Onbadhu Roobai Nottu followed. He directed Villadhi Villain (1995), playing three roles in it. Later supporting work in Nanban, Raja Rani and Kanaa was well received, and as Kattappa in Baahubali (2015) and Baahubali 2 (2017) he reached audiences across India. An actor, producer and media personality, he has Tamil cinema as his main base and has also appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has acted in more than 260 films and holds three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He hosted the game show Home Sweet Home in 2011, and the 2026 Tamil film Mandaadi is among his latest.