Rajashekhar made his acting debut in Tamil with
Pudhumai Penn (1984) and also had a character role in
Puthiya Theerpu (1985) with
Vijayakanth. His Telugu film debut was in 1985 with
Vande Mataram. Since then, he has acted in variety of films such as
Pratighatana,
Repati Pourulu,
Station Master,
Sruthilayalu,
Kashmora,
Aradhana,
Talambralu,
Aruna Kiranam,
Mamatala Kovela and
Akka Mogudu. Movies from which he rose to fame and created an image of an angry young man in Telugu cinema are
Aahuthi,
Aartanaadam Nyayam Kosam,
Ankusam,
Magaadu,
Rowdyism Nasinchali,
Papa Kosam,
Moratodu Naa Mogudu,
Anna,
Balarama Krishnulu,
Agraham,
Sivayya, and
Evadaithe Nakenti. He has acted in more than 75 movies though he is mocked for his diction. His voice for most of his Telugu movies was dubbed by Telugu actor
Saikumar till 1996 and then was taken over by Srinivasa Moorthy who started dubbing for him in 1997, when he won his first Nandi award for the movie Sivayya. Except for the 2003 film
Villain, where Sai's younger brother
P. Ravi Shankar dubbed for both Rajasekhar and
Vijayan, respectively. Later, he also gained fame for his family drama films such as
Maa Aayana Bangaram,
Suryudu,
Simharasi,
Maa Annayya,
Deergha Sumangali Bhava,
Manasunna Maaraju and
Gorintaku. He was also applauded for his performance in the romance film
Allari Priyudu. He is considered a versatile actor. His performance in
Omkaram is a classic example of that, which was directed by Kannada director Upendra. His electrifying performance in the movie
Sheshu was applauded critically. His biggest hit of the career came in the year 2007 with
Evadaithe Nakenti and his last genuine hit as a lead actor was
Gorintaku in the year 2008 until he again tasted success with
PSV Garuda Vega in 2017.
Ithu Thaanda Police, the Tamil dub of
Ankusam was a hit. His Telugu films were dubbed in Tamil such as
Magaadu as
Meesaikaran. ==Filmography==