Prakash Raj said he wants to return all the national awards he won. He said "bigger actors" including the PM deserve the honours. He took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru.

He was speaking to a public meeting in Bangalore.

"We don't know who killed my dear friend Gauri Lankesh, but we can see the people who are celebrating her murder. In my life, I have never seen so much abuse like what happens on social media. Some people followed by our Prime Minister on Twitter spew venom. And the Prime Minister turns a blind eye to this," he said.

Prakash Raj won national awards for acting for films - "Iruvar aka Iddaru", "Anthapuram", and "Kanchipuram". He also won couple of special Jury awards.