# Prabhu Deva filmography
**Prabhu Deva filmography** covers the screen credits of [Prabhu Deva](https://www.edgepedia.org/prabhu-deva) (born 1973, Mysore, Karnataka), an Indian dance choreographer, actor, film director, and producer who has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema). His career runs from background dance work in the late 1980s through a star turn as a dancer-actor in the 1990s, and from 2005 onward a second career as a director of commercially successful films in several languages.[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html) • [2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Prabhudeva)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973, Mysore, Karnataka, India[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html) |
| Entry into films | At age 14, as assistant choreographer to his father[3](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/52nd%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf) |
| First choreography credit | A dance scene in the Kamal Haasan film *Vetri Vizha* (1989); he has since choreographed over 100 movies[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva) • [1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html) |
| Lead acting debut | *Indhu* (1994), directed by Pavithran[3](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/52nd%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf) |
| National Film Awards | Best Choreography for *Minsaara Kanavu* (1997) and *Lakshya* (2004)[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva) |
| Directorial debut | *Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana* (2005, Telugu)[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Prabhudeva) |
| Civil honor | Padma Shri, 2019, for his contribution to dance[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva) |
| IMDb credit totals | 128 acting credits, 54 choreography credits, 17 directing credits[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/fullcredits) |
## Choreography beginnings
Prabhu Deva grew up in Alwarpet, Chennai, in a family of choreographers; his father Sundaram ([Mugur Sundar](https://www.edgepedia.org/mugur-sundar)) was a dance master for South Indian films, and his brothers [Raju Sundaram](https://www.edgepedia.org/raju-sundaram) and Nagendra Prasad also became choreographers.[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html) He trained in [Bharatanatyam](https://www.edgepedia.org/bharatanatyam) and Western dance styles, and entered the film industry at age 14 as an assistant choreographer to his father.[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html) • [3](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/52nd%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf) His first independent choreography assignment was a dance scene in the Kamal Haasan film *Vetri Vizha* (1989), and he went on to choreograph more than 100 films over the following decades.[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva)
He first appeared on screen as a boy playing the flute in [Mani Ratnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-ratnam)'s *Mouna Ragam* (1986), and later as a background dancer in *Agni Natchathiram* (1988).[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva) His work in Shankar's films brought wide notice: he shot to fame with the dance number "Chikku Bukku" in *[Gentleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gentleman-1993-film)* (Shankar's directorial debut), and won the Cinema Express Award for Best Dance Master for that film in 1993.[6](https://archives.christuniversity.in/disk0/00/00/59/12/01/1224049_Vivek.pdf) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/awards/)
## Acting career
Prabhu Deva's lead acting debut came in the Tamil film *Indhu* (1994), directed by Pavithran.[3](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/52nd%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf) *[Kadhalan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kadhalan)* (1994), directed by Shankar and featuring him opposite Nagma, later established him as an actor.[1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html) • [8](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva/filmography.html) The film's songs "Muqabla Muqabla" and "Urvashi Urvashi" became hits across India, and the dances defined his screen image.[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva) He has said he shot "Muqabla" with a torn ligament in his left foot, dancing the full song with his weight on his right leg and a crepe bandage on the left.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/prabhudheva-ligament-tear-left-foot-muqabla-dance-song-8504785/)
Through the 1990s and early 2000s he appeared in commercially successful Tamil films including *Minsara Kanavu* (1997), *VIP* (1997), the comedy *Kaathala Kaathala* (1998), and the family drama *Vanathai Pola* (2000).[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Prabhudeva) His Hindi-language appearances in this period include *Sapnay* (the Hindi version of *Minsara Kanavu*, released 3 May 1997), *Pukar* (11 February 2000), *Shakti - The Power* and *Agni Varsha* (both 2002), and *Aabra Ka Daabra* (24 December 2004).[10](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/) By the early 2000s his focus was shifting from acting to choreography and then direction.[11](https://tamilurl.com/filmographies/prabhu-deva-movies/)
## Direction
Prabhu Deva moved into direction with the Telugu film *Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana* (2005), which was a success and brought him further directing offers.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Prabhudeva) He followed it with the Tamil films *Pokkiri* (2007), one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of its time, and *Villu* (2009), on which he also wrote the screenplay.[11](https://tamilurl.com/filmographies/prabhu-deva-movies/) • [12](https://cinegraph.org/people/prabhu-deva)
In [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) his directed films include *[Wanted](https://www.edgepedia.org/wanted-2009-film)* (18 September 2009), *Rowdy Rathore* (1 June 2012), *R... Rajkumar* (6 December 2013), *[Action Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/action-jackson-2014-film)* (5 December 2014), *Singh Is Bliing* (2 October 2015), *Dabangg 3* (20 December 2019), and *Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai* (13 May 2021).[10](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/) • [13](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/director/) Bollywood Hungama's director filmography also lists shelved or on-hold projects, including *Rowdy Rathore 2* and a Sooraj Pancholi film.[13](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/director/)
## Awards
Prabhu Deva has won the National Film Award for Best Choreography twice: for *Minsaara Kanavu* (1997) and for the song "Main Aisa Kyu Hoon" in *Lakshya* (2005 award).[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/awards/) His other choreography honors include the Filmfare Award for Best Choreography for *Lakshya*, the Filmfare Award for Best Choreography (Telugu) for *Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana*, the Nandi Award for Best Dance Choreographer for *Varsham* (2005), the Screen Award for "Go Go Govinda" in *OMG: Oh My God!* (2013), and the Zee Cine Awards Tamil Best Choreographer for "Rowdy Baby" in *Maari 2* (2020).[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/awards/) In 2019 he received the [Padma Shri](https://www.edgepedia.org/padma-shri) for his contribution to dance.[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva)
## Recent and upcoming work
As an actor in the 2020s, his Tamil films include *Pon Manickavel* (2021), *Theal*, *Poikkal Kuthirai*, and *My Dear Bootham* (all 2022), *Bagheera* (2023), *The Greatest of All Time* (2024), *Jolly O Gymkhana* and *Petta Rap* (2024), and *Badass Ravi Kumar* and *Be Happy* (2025).[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/prabhu_deva) • [10](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/) He also worked as dance choreographer on Shankar's Telugu film *[Game Changer](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-changer-film)* (10 January 2025).[15](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva/upcoming-movies.html)
Projects listed as upcoming or in production include *Maharagni - Queen of Queens* (2026, filming), *Moonwalk* (2026), *Kathanar - The Wild Sorcerer* (Malayalam, 2026), *Bang Bang* and *Wolf* (both in post-production), and several untitled films in various stages, including projects with [Karthik Subbaraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/karthik-subbaraj) and Atharvaa.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/fullcredits) • [1](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html)
## References
1. [Prabhu Deva: Height, Age, Wife, Girlfriend, Biography, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva.html)
2. [Prabhudeva: Movies, Photos, Videos, News, Biography & Birthday, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Prabhudeva)
3. [52nd National Film Award Catalogue, National Film Archive of India](https://nfaindia.org/images/pdf/52nd%20National%20Film%20Award%20Catalogue.pdf)
4. [Prabhu Deva — Filmography & Biography, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/prabhu-deva)
5. [Prabhu Deva full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/fullcredits)
6. [A Research on Thematic Patterns Seen in Indian Film Director S Shankar's Films, Christ University](https://archives.christuniversity.in/disk0/00/00/59/12/01/1224049_Vivek.pdf)
7. [Prabhu Deva Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222150/awards/)
8. [பிரபு தேவா நடித்த படங்கள், FilmiBeat Tamil](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva/filmography.html)
9. [Prabhudheva reveals he had a torn ligament when he shot for 'Muqabla', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/prabhudheva-ligament-tear-left-foot-muqabla-dance-song-8504785/)
10. [Prabhu Dheva Movies List, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/)
11. [Prabhu Deva Movies: Complete Filmography (1994-2026), Tamil URL](https://tamilurl.com/filmographies/prabhu-deva-movies/)
12. [Prabhu Deva, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/prabhu-deva)
13. [Prabhu Dheva Director Filmography, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/prabhu-dheva/filmography/director/)
14. [Prabhu Deva Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/prabhu_deva)
15. [Prabhu Deva Upcoming Movies, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/prabhu-deva/upcoming-movies.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Tamil film actors › Surnames symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license