Mugen Rao

Mugen Rao (born in 1995) is a Malaysian singer and film actor in Tamil films. In 2019, he won Season 3 of Bigg Boss Tamil. He is sometimes known as MGR.

Personal life
Mugen was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of three children. His father, Prakash Rao, died in 2020.

Career
He began his singing career with his father, a stage singer, and performed in fifty stage shows. 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.

Rao's career took off in 2016, when his music video "Kayalvizhi" went viral on YouTube. His later music videos include "Anbe Aruyire", "Pogiren", "Mayakkurriye", and "Oththa Thamarai", which was shot in 2022 using virtual production technology.

In 2019, he was the first Malaysian contestant on Bigg Boss Tamil edition, and emerged as the winner. While on Bigg Boss Tamil, he sang the unreleased song "Sathiyama", which was only officially released in 2020. He then moved to Chennai and sought to break into Tamil cinema.

He signed a three-film deal in 2020, and was announced at the time to have a leading role in Vettri. He played the lead in Velan, directed by Kavin Moorthy and released in December 2021. In 2022, he began filming Mathil Mel Kadhal alongside Divya Bharathi.

Singer

 * Note: When he is credited as the composer, he is credited as Mugen Rao MGR.