Prakash Raj, who began his career in Kannada films but has acted in Tamil and Malayalam movies too said, "I am not such a fool to give back the National Awards which has been given to me for my body of work and which I am very proud of." Prakash Raj says his five National Awards are deserved by "bigger actors" including the PM.

"Some people who are followed by our Prime Minister on Twitter are so brutal, and we have a PM who has closed his eyes to it. If you see videos today from Uttar Pradesh, you will be confused if he (Yogi Adityanath) is the Chief Minister or the pujari (priest) of some temple. We have people doing such double roles," Prakash Raj said angrily. "They have given me five National Awards. I feel like giving it to them. These are bigger actors than me." 

Prakash Raj was a close friend of the journalist Gauri Lankesh who was shot as she returned home early in September from her office in Bengaluru . He also lashed on the PM Narendra Modi for his silence over the Gauri Lankesh murder.

After her murder, some Twitter users abused her for her leftist ideals and celebrated her killing. PM Modi follows some of those accounts. He also said, "I am disturbed, hurt, I am afraid of the silence of my Prime Minister".