Prabhas is hailed as a true-blue pan-India star.
He broke out on the national scene with SS Rajamouli's blockbuster saga, Baahubali.
As he turns 47, here's a reflection on the star's disarming sense of humour.
Prabhas commands Indian cinema as a true pan-India titan, scaling unprecedented box-office heights with global blockbusters like Baahubali and Kalki 2898 AD. He has had as many as six films that crossed the ₹100 crore mark worldwide on their opening day. These include Saaho, Adipurush, Salaar and The Raja Saab.
Yet, his true superpower off-screen is a disarming, self-deprecating wit that instantly shatters the armor of megastardom. Confronted with breathless ante about his unprecedented success or invasive media scrutiny, he casually elides corporate PR talking points with razor-sharp, deadpan humor. Prabhas pairs elite box-office dominance with an easy self-aware charm that lets him be uniquely grounded.
As Prabhas turns 47, here are few of his most winsome, witty moments off-screen.
1. Blaming SS Rajamouli For His Delayed Marriage
There were reports that Prabhas turned down as many as 6000 marriage proposals to focus entirely on SS Rajamouli's Baahubali. He stopped himself from signing for any other project during this period. During the shoot of Baahubali, he even declined a Rs 10 crore endorsement because he did not want his concentration to be deviated from the epic action drama.
When journalists continually pressed him during Baahubali 2 press meets about when he was finally getting married after delaying it for half a decade, Prabhas playfully deflected the question onto his director, S.S. Rajamouli, joking that Rajamouli took up five years of his life and left him no time to plan a wedding. The smooth scapegoating became a running gag throughout the film's promotional tours.
In 2018, SS Rajamouli also gave it back to Prabhas jestingly. Appearing on Koffee With Karan, he mentioned that Prabhas is too lazy to get married as a relationship demands effort.
2. Repartee With Akash Puri And Ketika Sharma
In 2021, a delightful promotional interview for the film Romantic went viral, flaunting a delightfully playful side of Prabhas. Having launched the film's trailer out of goodwill for producer Puri Jagannadh, Prabhas sat down with young lead actors Akash Puri and Ketika Sharma for a lighthearted chat filled with witty banter. The highlights rolled out early when Ketika introduced herself saying, "Hi sir, I am Ketika from Delhi," to which Prabhas deadpanned, "Hi madam, I am Prabhas from Mogalthuru," instantly sending the room into fits of laughter. He continued ribbing his co-hosts by gently nudging the shy actress to sing a cover song for them, displaying his trademark charm, warmth, and easygoing sense of humor.
Akash persuaded her, saying, “Please imagine this is your bathroom and no one is around. Not even Darling (Prabhas)”. Prabhas’ wittily interrupted, “Why would I be in her bathroom? So, no. I am not around. Here you go! I close my eyes, please sing”.
3. The Darling Audio Launch (2010) - When Prabhas Roasted His Own Image
Long before Baahubali brought him pan-India status, Prabhas was already winning Telugu audiences with self-deprecating wit. At the Darling audio launch, when he was still mostly regarded as a macho action hero from Billa and Chatrapathi, he walked up and said he was scared to do a love story because he didn't know how to romance without fighting. He then thanked director Karunakaran for teaching him how to smile without holding a sword. In 90 seconds, he flipped his Rebel Star image into a lover boy and the crowd went berserk. That shy, dry delivery is still why directors call him the most naturally funny star when he is not trying to be funny.
4. Turning Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali Into A Joke
Ahead of Baahubali’s grand re-release last year, Prabhas and Rana Daggubati winked at the film’s iconic Kattappa mystery with a hilarious social media exchange. When the franchise’s official X account asked what might have happened if Kattappa hadn’t killed Baahubali, Rana, who played Bhallaladeva, cheekily declared that he would have done the job himself. Prabhas then shared his co-star’s response on Instagram Stories, joking that he had let Bhallaladeva have his moment for exactly this reason. Peppering the humour, he included the poster of Baahubali: The Conclusion, celebrating its status as a blockbuster that earned over ₹1,000 crore worldwide.
Back during a 2017 Baahubali promotion in Kochi, Prabhas humorously suggested Kattappa simply mistook him for Bhallaladeva, cracking up the audience with his quick wit.
5. The Kapil Sharma Set
During their 2019 promotional blitz for Saaho on The Kapil Sharma Show, Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor shared a lively evening on set. As the comedian fired off rapid-fire jokes, it culminated in a quirky fan query that challenged Prabhas on what he would do if he held the office of Prime Minister for a single day. "I think, I will stop interviews for the industry,'' the actor suggested, eliciting a wave of laughter.
6. Unstoppable With NBK
Appearing on Nandamuri Balakrishna’s talk show Unstoppable with NBK in 2022, Prabhas effortlessly punctured a question about his global "Pan-India" stardom after Baahubali by switching to his signature self-deprecating humor. When Balakrishna teasingly asked if carrying the weight of India's biggest box-office draw made him feel like film royalty, Prabhas skipped the cliché PR response, chuckled, and shot back that the only things that surged after becoming a massive superstar were his skyrocketing personal food bills from hosting elaborate feasts for entire movie crews and the crippling anxiety of meeting cross-country expectations.
Prabhas' humor rarely emerges as aggressive punchlines or scripted stand-up comedy. Rather, they have the appearance of deadpan comebacks, self-deprecating honesty, and the refreshing ability to laugh at his own shyness.
