As Prabhudeva celebrates his birthday today, and it’s the perfect time to revisit some lesser-known facets of the multi-talented star. Often hailed as the “Indian Michael Jackson” for his unmatched dance moves and global appeal, he has seamlessly balanced roles as a choreographer, actor, and director. With a career spanning over three decades, his journey reflects constant reinvention.
Updated On: 2026-04-03 04:04 PM IST
Compiled by : Aakruti Bagla
Prabhudeva was born on 3 April 1973 in Mysore in a Kannadiga family to Mugur Sundar and Mahadevamma Sundar.
His father Mugur Sundar was a renowned South Indian choreographer, and his brothers Raju Sundaram and Nagendra Prasad are also accomplished choreographers/actors.
Inspired by his father Mugur Sundar, a choreographer for South Indian films, he took up dancing, learning Indian classical forms such as Bharatanatyam from Dharmaraj and Udupi Lakshminarayanan, as well as Western styles.
Despite his fame, he is known to lead a very simple, non-partying life in Mumbai, with friends calling him the "male Rekha" due to his quiet nature.
In 1999, Deva, Shobhana and A. R. Rahman performed with a Tamil cinema dancing troupe at the "MJ & Friends" Michael Jackson tribute concert in Munich, Germany. He founded his own dance academy, Prabhu Deva Dance Academy PTE LTD in Singapore in 2009.
Deva first appeared as a boy playing a flute in the song “Panivizhum Iravu” from the Tamil film Mouna Ragam (1986). He later featured as a background dancer in a song in the 1988 film Agni Natchathiram. His first venture as a choreographer came with the Kamal Haasan-starrer Vetri Vizha (1989).
Prabhu’s idols are Michael Jackson and Rajnikanth. For his swift dance moves and style, he is known as Micheal Jackson of India.
Prabhudeva married Ramlath in 1995. They have 3 kids. However, tragedy struck and the couple lost their elder son at age of 13 due to cancer. They parted ways in 2011 after actor's alleged affair with Nayanthara.
In 2010, during Villu release, reports were rife that he is dating Nayanthara. Prabhu Deva was married to Latha, who initiated legal action against their "live-in relationship" and protested against it, leading to public outcry and protests against Nayanthara.
Furthermore, Ramlath threatened to go on a hunger strike if Prabhu Deva married Nayanthara. Several women's organisations conducted protests against Nayanthara for bringing disrepute to Tamil culture, burning an effigy of her.
Nayanthara and Prabhudeva parted ways in 2012. Nayanthara, who was prepared to convert and settle down, refused to leave her career. This led to differences between them after which they separated.
In May 2020, amid the COVID-19 lockdown in India, Deva married Himani, a Mumbai based physiotherapist at age 47. He had a fourth child, a girl, on 13 June 2023.
