Mugen Rao | |
|---|---|
| Rao in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Mugen Rao 20 October 1995 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Occupations | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | www |
Mugen Rao (born in 20 October 1995) is a Malaysian singer and actor who predominately appears in Tamil films. In 2019, he participated in the reality show Bigg Boss 3 and later emerged as the winner. [1] [2] He is also known for playing lead roles in films such as Ghora (2018) and Velan (2021).
Mugen was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of three children. [1] His father, Prakash Rao, died in 2020. [3]
In 2019, Rao confirmed his relationship with Malaysian actress Yasmin Nadiah. [4] [5]
He began his singing career with his father, a stage singer, and performed in fifty stage shows. [1] [6] He made his acting debut in the Malay TV show Senandung Malam, then had small parts in films including Gerak Khas and Ghora, in shorts, TV films, and advertising. [1]
Rao's career took off in 2016, when his music video "Kayalvizhi" went viral on YouTube. [7] His later music videos include "Anbe Aruyire", "Pogiren", "Mayakkurriye", and "Oththa Thamarai", which was shot in 2022 using virtual production technology. [8]
In 2019, he was the first Malaysian contestant on Bigg Boss Tamil edition, and emerged as the winner. [7] [9] While on Bigg Boss Tamil season 3, he sang the unreleased song "Sathiyama", which was only officially released in 2020. [10] He then moved to Chennai and sought to break into Tamil cinema. [11] [12]
He signed a three-film deal in 2020, [13] and was announced at the time to have a leading role in Vettri. [14] He played the lead in Velan , directed by Kavin Moorthy and released in December 2021. [15] [16] [17] In 2022, he began filming Mathil Mel Kadhal alongside Divya Bharathi. [18]
He later played the lead role in the film Jinn - The Pet (2025) which was directed by TR Bala alongside actress Bhavaya Trikha. [19] [20]
| Year | Film | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Ghora | Adhitya | Malaysian film |
| Haran | Abdu | ||
| Hey Coffeelopher | Ram | ||
| 2019 | Venpa | Yuvaraj Balakrishnan "YB" | Malaysian film (special appearance) |
| 2021 | Velan | Velan | Also singer and lyricist |
| 2025 | Jinn - The Pet | Thomas | [21] |
| TBA | Madhil Mel Kaadhal | TBA |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | MY3 | Adhitya Chandrasekhar | OTT Release | [22] |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | I am Peter | |
| 2018 | Light Up Someone's Life |
| Year | Serial/Telemovie/Drama | Role | Channel | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Senandung Malam | Paperboy | Malay | ||
| 2010 | Da Bomba | Supporting | Malay | ||
| 2011 | Gerak Khas | Supporting | TV2 | Malay | |
| 2012 | Sindiket Fixie | Supporting | Malay | ||
| 2012 | Rumah Kecil Itu | Supporting | Malay | ||
| 2014 | Rembau Ada WiFi | Supporting | Malay | ||
| 2016 | ASTRO Sitcom: Barber | Main Cast | Tamil | ||
| 2016 | Veetuku Oru Paati | Main Cast | Tamil | ||
| 2016 | Ippadiyum Pannalama | Main Cast | Tamil | ||
| 2017 | Agam Puram | Tamil | |||
| 2018 | Sekuriti | TV2 | Tamil | ||
| 2018 | Sugamaana Sumaigal | Tamil | |||
| 2019 | Nee Yaar | Main Cast | TV2 | Tamil | Best TV Drama Actor award |
| Year | Reality Show/Fiction/Live Show | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 360 Degrees: Season 11 | Anchor | Astro Vaanavil | |
| 2017 | 360 Degrees: Season 12 | Anchor | Astro Vaanavil | |
| 2017 | Chinna Kabali | Anchor | Astro Vaanavil | |
| 2017 | Astro Ponggal | Anchor | Astro Vaanavil | |
| 2018 | Astro Ponggal | Anchor | Astro Vaanavil | |
| 2019 | KL to KK: Let's roll | Host | Astro Ulagam | |
| 2019 | Bigg Boss 3 | Contestant | Vijay TV | Winner [23] |
| 2019 | Super Singer 7 | Guest | Vijay TV | [24] |
| 2019 | The Wall | Guest | Vijay TV | [25] |
| 2020 | Dancing Super Stars | Judge | Vijay TV |
| Year | Song | Music | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Anbe Aaruyirae" | Prashan Sean | |
| 2015 | "Aayiram Sorkal" | Emzzie Boi | Also co-lyricist |
| 2016 | "Kadhal Enbathu Saabama" | Lawrence Soosai | |
| "Nanba Vaa" | Jose Franklin | ||
| 2022 | "Mayakirriye" | AniVee | |
| "Othai Thamarai" | Sandy Sandellow | ||
| 2023 | "Single Aayiten Di" | Dharan Kumar | |
| "Makka Makka" | Harris Jayaraj |
| Year | Song | Composer(s) | Co-singer(s) | Writer(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Kaadhaley Kannir" | Coruz Hooks | A'sha, Coruz Hooks | Mugen Rao | |
| 2015 | "Ring-Eh" | Razor Ray | A Sha | [26] | |
| 2016 | "Kayalvizhi" | Coruz Hooks | Solo | ||
| 2018 | "Pogiren" | Prashan Sean | Prashan Sean | ||
| "Abinaya" | Shane Extreme, Mugen Rao | Solo | |||
| "Kannu Rapulo" (Telugu) | [27] | ||||
| "Zombie Kadhal" | |||||
| 2019 | "Yenggedi" | Shane Extreme | Solo | [28] | |
| "Maya" | Mugen Rao | Solo | |||
| "Sathiyama" | Mugen Rao, Shane Extreme | Priyashankari | |||
| 2020 | "Arivum Anbum" | Ghibran | Kamal Haasan, Ghibran, Anirudh Ravichander, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Shankar Mahadevan, Bombay Jayashri, Sid Sriram, Devi Sri Prasad, Shruti Haasan, Andrea Jeremiah, Siddharth | Kamal Haasan | [29] |
| "Thedinen" | Mugen Rao, Shane Extreme | Solo | Mugen Rao | ||
| 2021 | "Sathiyama Sollurandi" | Gopi Sundar, Mugen Rao | Sivaangi Krishnakumar | ||
| "Kaanal Neer Aanathe" | Gopi Sundar | Solo | Lalithanand | ||
| 2022 | "Mudhal Kaathal" | Mugen Rao, Vivasvan | Solo | Mugen Rao, Vivasvan | |
| 2023 | "Murugan Cassette Vol.1" | Mugen Rao | Havoc Brothers | Mugen Rao |