Kannada film *Mithileya Seetheyaru* (1988). He later worked in the Tamil and Telugu film industries.

Raj won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as politician Tamizhselvan in Mani Ratnam's Tamil political drama *Iruvar* (1997). He appeared in character and antagonist roles in films including *Antahpuram* (1998), *Badri* (2000), *Ghilli* (2004), and *Pokiri* (2006). He also played patriarchs in the family dramas *Bommarillu* (2006) and *Abhiyum Naanum* (2008). In 2008, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role as a silk weaver in Priyadarshan's Tamil drama *Kanchivaram*.

Raj also appeared in Hindi films, including *Wanted* (2009), *Singham* (2011), and *Dabangg 2* (2012). As a producer, he received a National Film Award for the Kannada film *Puttakkana Highway* (2011). His later film roles include appearances in *O Kadhal Kanmani* (2015) and *Rangasthalam* (2018).

His recent film credits include Trivikram's *Guntur Kaaram*, Dhanush's *Raayan*, Koratala Siva's *Devara: Part 1*, Suriya's *Kanguva*, and Sukumar's *Pushpa 2: The Rule*. His other credits include S. Shankar's *Game Changer*, *They Call Him OG*, *Daaku Maharaaj*, Dhanush's *Idli Kadai*, *Dacoit: A Love Story*, and the Hindi thriller *Drishyam - The Conclusion*. He has received five National Film Awards.