Mugen Rao (born on 20 October 1995) is a Malaysian singer and actor who predominately appears in Tamil films. In 2019, he participated in the reality show Bigg Boss 3 and later emerged as the winner. He is also known for playing lead roles in films such as Ghora (2018) and Velan (2021).
Mugen was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of three children. His father, Prakash Rao, died in 2020.
In 2019, Rao confirmed his relationship with Malaysian actress Yasmin Nadiah.
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 season 3, 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.
He later played the lead role in the film Jinn - The Pet (2025) which was directed by TR Bala alongside actress Bhavaya Trikha.