List of Famous people born in Chennai, India
Prabhas
Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju, known mononymously as Prabhas, is an Indian film actor. One of the highest-paid actors of Indian cinema, Prabhas has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list three times since 2015 based on his income and popularity. He is the first South Indian actor to receive a wax sculpture at Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
Rashmika Mandanna
Rashmika Mandanna is an Indian film actress and model who works predominantly in Telugu and Kannada-language films. She is popularly dubbed by the media and Kannada film industry as the 'Karnataka Crush'. Mandanna is one among very few actresses to have a film gross ₹1 billion in such a short span, and among the most popular and highest-paid actresses in Telugu and Kannada cinema.
Vijay
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar is an Indian actor, dancer, playback singer and philanthropist who works in Tamil cinema. Referred to by fans and media as "Thalapathy" (commander), Vijay is the highest paid actor in Tamil cinema. Vijay has acted in 64 films as a lead actor and won numerous awards, including one United Kingdom Award, eight Vijay Awards, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and a SIIMA Award. He has been included several times in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, based on the earnings of Indian celebrities. Vijay has significant following globally.
Shyamala Gopalan
Shyamala Gopalan was an American biomedical scientist born in British India, whose work in isolating and characterizing the progesterone receptor gene stimulated advances in breast biology and oncology.
Rekhā
Bhanurekha Ganesan better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian film actress. Noted for her versatility and acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has acted in more than 180 Hindi films and won a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. She has often played strong and complicated female characters, from fictional to literary, in both mainstream and independent films. Though her career has gone through certain periods of decline, she has gained a reputation for reinventing herself numerous times and has been credited for her ability to sustain her status.
Rana Daggubati
Ramanaidu "Rana" Daggubati is an Indian actor, producer, television personality, visual effects co-ordinator, and an entrepreneur known primarily for his work in Telugu language films, in addition to Hindi and Tamil languages.
Mahesh Babu
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu is an Indian film actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist. One of the highest paid Telugu film actors, Babu has appeared in more than 25 films, and won several accolades including, eight Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards, three CineMAA Awards, three South Indian International Movie Awards, and one International Indian Film Academy Award. He also owns the production house G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment.
A. R. Rahman
Allahrakha Rahman, known professionally as A. R. Rahman, is an Indian composer, musician, singer, and music producer who works predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films. In 2010, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the nation's third-highest civilian award. Among Rahman's awards are six National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, fifteen Filmfare Awards and seventeen Filmfare Awards South.
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidynathan, known professionally as Padma Lakshmi, is an American author, activist, model, and television host.
Vanitha Vijayakumar
Vanitha Vijayakumar is an Indian film actress who has appears predominantly in Tamil Language films. She has also acted in Malayalam, Telugu and some Kannada language films. She made her cinematic acting debut in 1995, along with actor Vijay in Chandralekha, where she played the title role.