Mahat Raghavendra

After finishing a degree at Hindustan College of Arts and Science, Raghavendra pursued a career in films. Prior to his first full fledged acting role, Raghavendra was seen as a background artiste in Vallavan (2006) and Kaalai (2008), two films starring his childhood friend, Silambarasan.[1] He was initially set to make his debut in a Tamil remake of the successful Telugu film, Ullasamga Utsahamga (2008), though the venture never took off.[2] Raghavendra was signed to portray a role in Venkat Prabhu's action thriller Mankatha (2011) which featured an ensemble cast including Ajith Kumar, Arjun and Vaibhav. He was selected for the film as he was also a childhood friend of producer Dhayanidhi Alagiri, and in the process, replaced the original choice, Manoj Manchu, who had opted out with a shoulder injury.[3] Raghavendra appeared as a Dharavi bar owner and the film opened to critical and commercial acclaim in August 2011.[4] For his performance in the film, Raghavendra was recognised as the year's Best Male Debut Actor from the Edison Awards committee.[2]

Raghavendra played his first lead role in the Telugu film, Backbench Student (2013), where he appeared alongside Piaa Bajpai and Archana Kavi. He was cast in the film after the makers were impressed after seeing an interview of the actor during his promotions for Mankatha.[5][6][7] He then featured in the fantasy comedy Bunny n Cherry (2013) alongside Prince Cecil, though it garnered negative reviews.[8] Raghavendra made a return to Tamil films with Jilla (2013), starring alongside Mohanlal and Vijay, in a supporting role.[9] He then announced more projects in 2014 as the lead actor including the Tamil films, Badam Pistha and Simbu, but none of the films completed shoot.[10] After failing to establish himself as a bankable lead actor in Telugu films, Raghavendra continued to star in small budget ventures including Ladies & Gentlemen (2015) and Run (2016), where he made a guest appearance.[11] His other Telugu films including Panchadara Pachimirchi, Yenthapani Chesave Sirisha and She, failed to have a theatrical release. In the Tamil film industry, Raghavendra continued to appear in supporting roles, notably starring as a mute character in Chennai 600028 II (2016) and a rowdy in Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (2017).[12]

In 2018, Raghavendra appeared as a contestant in the Tamil reality television show Bigg Boss hosted by Kamal Haasan.[13]

Raghavendra was in a relationship with actress Taapsee Pannu from 2011 until 2012.[14][15] Raghavendra was assaulted by actor Manoj Manchu at the after party of the 59th Filmfare Awards South ceremony in July 2012, and subsequently filed a police complaint, alleging that he suffered eye and jaw injuries. He later stated that he believed that his relationship with Taapsee had irked Manoj Manchu, which led to the incident.[16][17][18]

Raghavendra began dating model Prachi Mishra, a former runner-up in the Miss Earth 2012 pageant, in 2017. During his participation in the Bigg Boss show, he admitted to having feelings for fellow contestant Yashika Aanand, prompting Prachi to take to social media to announce their split. Within hours, Prachi deleted the post and the pair sorted all the problems out following his exit from the show.[19] The pair became engaged in April 2019.[20] Raghavendra married Prachi Mishra on 1 February 2020. He announced his wife's pregnancy on February 2021 [21]

• 2012: Edison Award for Best Debut Actor – Mankatha[23]

• Mahat Raghavendra at IMDb