Bharathi Raja is an Indian actor, producer, director and screenwriter, who is primarily active in the Tamil film industry. He has directed a number of films including Bollywood movies like Solva Sawan (1979), Red Rose (1980), Lovers (1983), and Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986). In 2004, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award. In 1974, he married Chandra Leela and the couple has two children Manoj Bharathiraja and Janani. He passed away on 10 June 2026 after ailing from age-related complications.