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Rajinikanth has been a superstar in the Tamil movie industry since the 70s. He is one of the highest earning actors in Asia. Primarily starring in Tamil movies, he has also worked in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Hollywood movies. He was born in Bangalore (India), and was employed as a bus conductor before he joined the Madras Film Institute. He made his debut in Katha Sangama (1976) and became a star with Apoorva Raagangal (1975) . His unique acting style is characterized by trademark gestures such as flipping a cigarette in the air and catching it with his mouth. He played varied roles successfully and is considered as an actor who can easily perform action, drama, and comedy. He is not very popular for his dancing, which is considered a crucial art for actors in Indian Movies. His performances in movies such as Mullum Malarum (1978), Aarilirunthu Arubathuvarai (1979), Johny Ustad (1980) in the 70's and 80's to movies such as Kabali (2016) recently, are considered to be examples of his acting abilities. His performances as an action-superstar overshadow his critically acclaimed performances in these movies. The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 for his contributions to the arts. At the 45th International Film Festival of India (2014), he was conferred with the "Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year".

Prakash Raj is an established actor, producer, director, and television presenter in the Indian film industry. He is known for his works in South Indian and Hindi films.

Starting in the early 90s, he went on to appear in about 400 films. He has received several awards and accolades in his career, spanning more than three decades.

Raj was born in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, to Manjunath Rai and Swarnalatha Raj. Actor Prasad Raj is his brother. His original name is Prakash Rai. He started using the surname Raj instead of Rai on the advice of director K. Balachander.

Raj studied at St. Joseph's Indian High School and St. Joseph's College of Commerce in Bengaluru. His first brush with acting was in a play he did in seventh grade. Later, when he was in college, he began acting in theatre but didn't think much about it.

His love for stage shows developed after he started going to Kalakshetra in Bengaluru and participating in theatre rehearsals. He used to perform in back-to-back stage shows for a meagre monthly payment of Rs. 300. After performing in 2,000 street theatre shows, he felt the urge to explore bigger opportunities in this field.

His journey into the acting world started with television. He also worked in the film industry as an assistant director and editor, then got the opportunity to act in films.

Raj started his acting career on television with serials like Guddada Bhootha (Kannada and Tulu) and Bisilu Kudure (Kannada) that were aired on Doordarshan. Later, he started acting in Kannada movies in supporting roles.

His performance in Harakeya Kuri (1992) caught the attention of the movie's lead actress Geetha. She introduced Raj to director K. Balachander, who gave him the scope to play a major role in his Tamil film Duet (1994).

After appearing in a few more Tamil and Kannada movies, he made his debut in Telugu cinema in 1995 with Sankalpam (1995). The same year, he appeared in Mani Ratnam's Tamil romantic drama Bombay (1995). It featured among the top 20 Indian movies in the rankings of the British Film Institute.

Raj ventured into Malayalam cinema in 1996 with The Prince (1996), helmed by Suresh Krishna. He played an antagonist in K. Balachander's Kalki (1996), for which he won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award 1996 for Best Villain.

After acting in a few more movies, such as Priyam (1996), Pavitra Bandham (1996), Alexander (1996), Suswagatham (1998), and Hitler (1997), he appeared in Mani Ratnam's political drama Iruvar (1997). The film revolves around the relationship between two politicians. Raj received the National Film Award 1997 for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

He then appeared in a prominent role in T.S. Nagabharana's film Nagamandala (1997), which was among the selected movies for the International Film Festival of India in 1997 under the Indian Panorama.

He continued to appear in several other movies before playing a pivotal role in Anthahpuram (1998). The film revolves around a feudal society. Raj won the National Film Award 1998 for Best Actor (Special Jury) for his performance.

In Vaanavil (2000), Raj played the role of an antagonist, which earned him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award 2000 for Best Villain.

He essayed the role of Kaala Bhairavan in the Indian fantasy drama Little John (2001). He was seen in a supporting role in the war film A Peck on the Cheek (2002). He won the ITFA Best Supporting Actor Award in 2003 for portraying the character of Dr Herold Vikramesinghe in the film.

In 2004, he acted in Rajkumar Santoshi's Hindi thriller action movie Khakee (2004), starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Atul Kulkarni, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The film revolved around an Indian police team and its assignment involving an accused terrorist. Raj played the role of a corrupt ACP in the movie.

He essayed the character of DCP Prabhakar in Anniyan (2005), a psychological thriller helmed by S. Shankar. The story revolved around a disillusioned common man and his multiple personality disorder. He received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award 2005 for Best Villain for his performance in this movie.

Raj was then seen in the role of a silk weaver in Priyadarshan's period drama film Kanchivaram (2008), starring opposite Shreya Reddy. The film highlighted the miserable condition of silk weavers as they struggled through life in Kanchipuram. It was screened at the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival held in 2008. He won the National Film Award 2007 for Best Actor and the Filmfare Award 2009 for Best Actor in Tamil for his acting in the movie.

He appeared in the role of a villain in several Bollywood films as well, including Wanted (2009), Singham (2011), Dabangg 2 (2012), and Mumbai Mirror (2013).

In Singham, he played the role of a powerful politician cum criminal who creates problems for the protagonist police officer. He won the Zee Cine Award 2012 for Best Actor in a Negative Role for this movie.

In 2015, he starred with Kamal Hassan in the pacy action thriller Thoongaa Vanam (2015). He then appeared in T.J. Gnanavel's legal drama Jai Bhim (2021). He went on to feature in films like Sita Ramam (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (2022).

Raj was previously married to actress Lalitha Kumari. The couple legally separated in 2009. They have two daughters, Pooja and Meghna. They also had a son named Sidhu, who passed away in 2004. Raj married Pony Prakash Raj Verma, a choreographer, in 2010. Their son Vedhanth was born in 2015.

K. S. Sowmya, better known by her screen name Soundarya, was a yesteryear superstar. She worked in more than 100 films over 12 years in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam cinema.

She worked with top directors and the best actors in the industry and is considered one of the most successful actresses in Telugu cinema after Savitri.

Soundarya began pursuing her M.B.B.S. in Bangalore but discontinued her studies in 1992 after the first year to make a career in the South Indian film industry.

Her first movie was the Kannada film Baa Nanna Preethisu (1992), followed by Gandharva (1992). Her first film in Tamil was Ponnumani (1993), in which she played the role of a mentally disabled person. She also did a Telugu movie Raithu Bharatam (1994) in 1994.

Starting with lead roles in Kannada films, she gradually became one of the most popular actresses in the Telugu industry after successful movies such as Hello Brother (1994), in which she starred with Nagarjuna Akkineni and Ramya Krishnan. She appeared in 11 films in 1995 and was appreciated for her role as Bhavani, a devotee of Goddess Ammoru in the movie Ammoru (1995).

In the late 90s, she delivered box-office hits like Arunachalam (1997) with Rajinikanth, which was the highest-grossing movie of the year, and Choodalani Vundi (1998), starring opposite Chiranjeevi, which took her to the peak of her career. Her movie Kaathala Kaathala (1998) in Tamil featuring Kamal Haasan and Prabhu Deva was later dubbed in Telugu as Navvandi Lavvandi.

Her other hits included Pavitra Bandham (1996), Aaro Pranam (1997), and Maa Ayana Bangaram (2014).

Soundarya's movies in different languages garnered love and appreciation from audiences and critics from different regions of the country. Some of her most well-received films include Pelli Peetalu (1998), Ninne Premistha (2000) in Telugu, and Anthahpuram (1998), which was directed by Krishna Vamsi. Anthahpuram won her a State Nandi Award and her second consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

In 1999, her top releases were Raja (1999), opposite Venkatesh Daggubati, and the Hindi movie Sooryavansham (1999), opposite Amitabh Bachchan. In 2000, she starred in blockbusters like Annayya (2000) and Ninne Premistha (2000).

In 2002, she received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film for Dweepa (2002). Over the years, she won three Nandi Awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards, and six Filmfare Awards South for her work.

Soundarya was interested in making her TV debut, but she had already committed to a two-month contract with the Bharatiya Janata Party to support them during their election campaign. She passed away in a plane crash during one of the campaign visits to Andhra Pradesh.

In 2004, she was signed to star in Nartanasala, which was to be produced/directed by Nandamuri Balakrishna, in which she would essay the role of Draupadi. However, the film could not be made due to her untimely demise.

Murali was born on 19 May 1964 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. He was an actor and producer, known for Vetri kodi kattu (2000), Ajeya (1985) and Namma Veetu Kalyanam (2002). He died on 8 September 2010 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Akbar Khan was born on 7 July 1949 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. He is a director and actor, known for Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), Haadsaa (1983) and Apradh (1972).

Ravi Prakash was born on 28 June 1958 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. He is an actor, known for Guru (2007), Naan Mahaan Alla (2010) and Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal (2012). He has been married to Bharathi Ravi Prakash since 17 January 1985. They have two children.

T.S. Nagabharana was born on 23 January 1953 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. He is a director and actor, known for Janumada Jodi (1996), K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018) and Allama (2017).

K. Shivaram was born on 6 April 1953 in Uragahalli, Bangalore Rural district, Mysore State, India. He was an actor, known for Sangliyana Part- 3 (1997), Tiger (2017) and Vasantha Kavya (1996). He was married to Vani and Vani Shivram. He died on 29 February 2024 in Bangalore, India.

Anil Kumble was born on 17 October 1970 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. He has been married to Chethana Ramatheertha since 1999. They have three children.

Manoranjan Prabhakar comes from a family of artists. His parents' influence in music (Father: Pandit. B. N. Parthasarathy Naidu and Mother: Smt. Govindamma) made Prabhakar start training in music in his early years. After training from Lt. David, Lt. K. Eshwar, Lt. Stephen Chacha and Music Director, M. S. Vishwanathan, Prabhakar started his career in the early 70's.

Prabhakar started his early journey with Manoranjan and Party, a very well known band during the 1980's and performed in many shows. As a lead guitarist in his band he was quite popular for his charming looks and the kind of songs he chose to perform on stage. He then started composing for Albums and very soon came to be popular for his tracks in devotional, folk, light and patriotic genre. He is known by his original name in the Telugu Industry - Prabhakar Naidu.

Prabhakar recorded over 800 albums. He worked with some of the largest recording companies including Ashwini Audio, Tips Industries, T-Series, Saregama, Aarti Live Cassettes, Anand Audio, Lahari Recording Company, Ragam Audio, Jhankar Music, Manoranjan Audio,, Manjula Live Cassettes, MCV Live Cassettes, Rainbow Audio, Revathi Devi Audio, Sri Balaji Audio, Taranga Live Cassettes, Ammu Audio, Kaveri Audio, Varsha Creations, Magnum Audio, AN Audio, Shruthi Tracks, Maheshwara Live Cassettes, Atthikatte Jagdish Audio etc.. Some of his well known albums are Sri Ganesha Bhakti Pushpanjali , Shiva Charanamrutha, Jaganmaathe Kolluru Mookaambike, Jaya Jaya Sri Veerabhadra, ShivaSthuthi, Lokadodeya Sri Ajjaiah, Karunisu Koodala Sangamanaatha, Irumudi Priya Ayyappa, Sathyam Shivam Sundaram, Sri Shivaaparadha Kshamapana Sthothiram, Loka Palaka Mailaralingayya, Aliya Alri Magal Ganda, Nanmaath Sullalla Kelranna, Atthe Kannu Mavun Myale, Maduveya Sambrama, Mallige Sampige, Rangoli, Baarammi Maavana Magale, Karulina Kudi Neenavva, Brahma Ninge Jodistheeni, Jaatrige Baa Paataragitthi, Aluratthemagale, Ravepilla Jatraki, Piilante Pillakadu, Oase Na Maradala Pilla, Vizag Pilla, etc..

In the early 90s, Prabhakr served as a part-time music teacher at Adarsha Film and TV Institute for over 8 years. He made time in his busy schedule to teach and train passionate individuals in music. In 2003 Prabhakar founded Shruthilaya Cultural Academy (R) through which he staged many music shows. He then started Shruthilaya Institute of Music, a division of Shruthilaya Cultural Academy (R). This music school offers professional training in Guitar, Keyboard, Vocal etc.. Prabhakar also has qualified professionals appointed to train and manage his school currently offering classes at Banashankari 3rd stage and Whitefield, Bangalore.

He got his first break to compose for Prajegalu Prabhugalu, a Kannada movie in 1990. The movie was starred by Devaraj, Sundar Raj, Lokanath, Doddanna, Mysore Lokesh and directed by Bi Ma Nagaraj and Smt Vijayalakshmi Vishukumar. Although this was his first movie, Neene Nanna Jeeva was his first officially released movie in 1990. He then worked with many other directors such as B Ramamurthy, T Janardhan, Rajavardhan, Ramanna, Vijaya Shetty, Vemagal Jagannath Rao, Beema Nagaraj, S. Mahendar, B D Sheshu, Suresh Heblikar, Vasantha Kunigal, Tiger Prabhakar, Vemagal Jagannath Rao on movies like Nanagu Hendthi Beku, Kiladi Gandu, Hosamane Aliya, Ashoka Chakra, Nanagu Hendthi Beku, Shwethagni, Adjustment, Pranayada Pakshigalu, Gili Bete, Nyayakkagi Saval, Bhale Keshava, Jana Mecchida Maga , Mahendra Varma, Shakthi Yukthi, Mecchida Madumaga, Chamathkara, Thooguve Krishnana, Dourjanya, Amrutha Vani, Taaliya Bele, Hridayam, Idayatthin Oviyam, Then Sindum Thendral, etc.

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and Mano (Nagoor Babu) sang the most number of Prabhakar's tracks. The list also includes vibrant names such as K. J. Yesudas, Vijay Yesudas, Madhu Balakrishnan, Hariharan, Shaan, Harish Raghavendra, Kunal Ganjawala, Rajesh Krishnan, Rajkumar Bharathi, Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram, Puttur Narasimha Nayak, P. Jayachandran, Mysore Ananthaswamy, Raju Ananthaswamy, C. Aswath, Karthik, K. Yuvaraj, Y. K. Muddukrishna, Hemanth, Alur Nagappa, Ravi Gowda, Gururaj Hoskote, Mahadevappa, Vishnu, Sundar, Ajay Warrier, D. A. Mitra, Kongalli Shankara, M. Mahadevaswamy, Jaipal. S. Janaki, P. Susheela, K.S. Chithra, Vani Jayaram, B. R. Chaya, Manjula Gururaj, Ratnamala Prakash, Chaitra H. G, Supriya Acharya, Nanditha, Malathi Lakshman, B K Sumitra, M. D. Pallavi, Chaitra H. G., Sangeetha Katti, Shamitha Malnad, Kasthuri Shankar.

Prabhakar worked with Mahadev and Ramesh Bhatt on his first TV serial , Conductor Kariyappa in the early 90's followed by his success in over 50 TV shows. He also Produced, Directed and Composed Music for Raagamaalika, a Kannada musical in 1994. The 13 episode bagged 4 Aryabhata Awards - Best Serial, Best Direction, Best Actor and Best Music.

He worked with some renowned Directors - Ravi Kiran, Rajavardhan, Lingaraju, S. S. Rajesh, Arunachalam, Nandha Kishore, T. Nagendrappa, Gurudutt, K. M. Krishna, Mysore Lokesh, Sirigandha Srinivas, Srikanth Kulkarni, Sunil Puranik, R. C. Mapakshi, Veerappa Maralawadi, T. N. Nagesh, Sri Charan, Hiriyur Raghavendra, Vishwa Prasad, R. Srinivas Graph, Joseph, Ashok Naidu, Mysore Lokesh, K. V. Raju. He worked on serials like Aasegalu Nooraaru, Amma Rajamma, Aparanji, Anuraaga, Badhukinallondu Thiru, Bilisu Kudhure, Chandrachakori, Chikka Chikki, Chitravasantha, Ee Baduku, Eleyara Geluvu, Eleya Manasina Elegalu, Etthangadi Enkatappa, Haasyagalu Nooraaru, Hrudayasaakshi, Jilla Panchayat, Karthika Deepa, Katte, Krishi Pete, Krishi Sourabha, Kunti, Katheyaadavaru, Magic Mama, Magic Ramesh, Mamatheya Madilu, Mechanic Muddha, Mucchida Baagilu, Nata Sarvabhouma - Dr.Rajkumar, Neenelliruve, Niranthara, No. 55, Namma Naayakaru, Olume, Onde Ondu Seatu, Premada Kaaranji, Putta Putti, Saaludeepa, Sanjeevini, Sangharsha, SatyaHarishchandra, Shiva, Vachana Vaibhava, Vaidyo Nrayano Hari, Veda Sulladaru Gaade Sullagadu, etc..

Prabhakar worked on over 15 documentaries for The Films Division of India under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. He also directed a film, "Gaali Maathu" in the year 2000. Gaali Maathu is based on Ruskin Bond's short story, "The Boy Who Broke the Bank". It is about a boy who was working at a bank by sweeping up. The bank manager was way overdue in paying him for the job. Soon that bank collapsed and rumor had it that it was because of the unpaid boy. Because word got around that the boy didn't get paid, people assumed that the bank had no money. The people who dealt with the bank were worried about their money. This story is basically about how rumors and lack of communication can cause many problems and be destructive.

Some of his noticeable collection are Melu Keelu, Bhandavya, Chaitrodaya, Kaayakave Kailasa, Kakarana Yugadi, Kanaka Jyothi, Marichike, Negila Yogi, Kadalatheeram (Malayalam), Jai Jawan (Hindi) etc.. He worked with most popular directors such as Veerappa Maralavadi , K. S Basavaraj, Rajavardhan, Gowthaman, A. S Nagaraj and Tiptur Raghu.

Prabhakar started the (KCSS) Kannada Chalanachitra Sangeetagarara Sangha [Regd] on 19th December, 2011. As the Founder and President of KCSS, Prabhakar felt it is really important to have an union that helps and supports all the musicians of the Kannada film industry. KCSS is recognized by the Deputy Registrar of the Trade Union and Assistant Labor Commisioner under the Government of Karnataka.

B.V. Radha was born on 15 August 1948 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. She was an actress and producer, known for Yaar Nee? (1966), Partha (2003) and Churi Chikanna (1969). She was married to K.S.L. Swamy. She died on 10 September 2017 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Roger Binny was born on 19 July 1955 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India. He is an actor, known for Kabhi Ajnabi Thé (1985), Mazhavillinattam Vare (2012) and World Championship of Cricket (1985).

Sunitha Krishnan was born in 1972 in Bangalore, Mysore State, India.