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Prayag Raj Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 13, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1935

Age88 Years

BirthplaceAllahabad (now Prayagraj), United Provinces, British India

ProfessionWriter, Director, Actor

NationalityBritish Indian (1935-1947); Indian (1947-2023)

Marital statusWidower

SpousePushpa Raaj (Rabiya Khatoon) (deceased 2008)

FamilySons: Aditya Raaj (assistant director), Rahul Raaj (dubbing artist)

Prayag Raj Biography

Prayag Raj (1935–2023) was an Indian writer, director and actor whose career spanned stage and screen. Beginning as a child actor with Prithvi Theatre, hé

Early life and background

Prayag Raj Sharma was born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in 1935. After the death of his father, he moved to Mumbai with his family and began working at a young age to support them. He completed his schooling while also building a career in theatre and film.

For much of his youth he was associated with Prithvi Theatre, where he worked as a child actor and, over a sixteen-year period, wrote and directed stage plays. His time at Prithvi allowed him to learn multiple aspects of performance and production; he formed close bonds there with contemporaries including Shashi Kapoor and spent time understudying major performers such as Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. In the evenings he trained further with filmmakers M. Sadiq and Lekh Tandon.

Career

Prayag Raj began on screen as a child actor, appearing in the film Aag (1948) and later in Awara (1951). He made early cameo appearances in several films across the 1960s and 1970s, including Professor (1962), The Guru (1969), Sachaa Jhutha (1970) and Bombay Talkie (1970), and continued to make occasional on-screen appearances later in his career.

He gravitated toward writing and filmmaking and made his debut as a dialogue writer on the 1963 film Phool Bane Angaare. He worked in various writing roles across Hindi cinema, contributing dialogues and additional screenplay material to many productions through the decades. He collaborated with international producers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, writing the Hindi dialogue for their 1963 film The Householder and contributing to Shakespeare Wallah, where he also composed and received special credit for the song "Dil Dhadke." He later worked with the duo on films including In Custody (1994) and Cotton Mary (1999), serving on the latter as second-unit director as well.

As a writer, Prayag Raj was prolific, credited on more than 100 films. Notable writing credits listed for him include Raampur Ka Lakshman (1972), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Geraftaar (1985), Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi (1988), and Hero Hindustani (1998). He also contributed to films such as Jhuk Gaya Aasman (additional dialogues, 1968), Juaari (1968), and worked as an assistant director on Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965).

He made his directorial debut with Kundan (1972). Although the film was not a mainstream success, he later gained wider recognition for directing the 1983 film Coolie. Other directorial credits include Paap Aur Punya (1974), Ponga Pandit (1975), Chor Sipahee (1977), Hifazat (1987), Gair Kaanooni (1989), and Oonch Neech Beech (1989). His last credited film work was as an additional screenplay writer on Deewana Mastana (1997).

Prayag Raj also explored music and singing on occasion. He lent his voice to songs for films such as Junglee (1961) and Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), and recorded a CD of melodies adapted from Prithvi Theatre plays, titled Memorable Songs From The Plays Of Prithvi Theatre.

Public profile

Over a long career he worked with many prominent actors and filmmakers including Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. He moved between roles onstage and behind the camera, building a reputation as a versatile contributor to Hindi cinema across decades.

Personal life

Prayag Raj was married to writer Pushpa Raaj (born Rabiya Khatoon), who predeceased him in 2008. The couple had two sons: Aditya Raaj, who worked as an assistant director, and Rahul Raaj, a dubbing artist. His father, Ram Das Azad, was a poet. At the time of his death he was widowed and living in Bandra, Mumbai.

Latest updates

Prayag Raj died at his residence in Bandra on 23 September 2023 at the age of 88. According to his family he had been suffering from age-related illnesses and other ailments including heart disease. His last rites were performed at Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar. Following his death, several peers and actors posted tributes acknowledging his long association with Indian theatre and cinema.
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Recent Work

Deewana Mastana

Additional screenplay writer

1997
Cotton Mary

Second-unit director

1999
In Custody

Worked with producers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory

1994
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Career Highlights

  1. Made screen debut as a child artist in Aag (1948)
  2. First dialogue writing credit on Phool Bane Angaare (1963)
  3. Assistant director on Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965)
  4. Directorial debut Kundan (1972)
  5. Directed Coolie (1983) and several other Hindi films
  6. Wrote for over 100 films, including Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Prayag Raj born?

1935

What is Prayag Raj known for?

Writer, Director, Actor

What is Prayag Raj’s marital status?

Widower

Who is Prayag Raj married to?

Pushpa Raaj (Rabiya Khatoon) (deceased 2008)