Impressed by Pratap’s talent in one of Ponnatshah’s plays, director Bharathan introduced him in the Malayalam film Aravam (1978). Pratap bagged the ‘Philimbo’ award for the best actor in his first film. Prathap Bothan has acted in hundreds of films in Tamil and Malayalam, Hindi and Telugu cinema as well. Balumakendra introduced Pratap in Tamil through the movie ‘Azhiyada Golamangal’. Pratap appeared in a small scene as he was about to marry Shobha.
Pratap’s role in both ‘Mist’ and ‘The Color of Poverty is Red’ is different. In ‘Mudupani’, he played a brutal role of hunting and killing sex workers. But in another scene of the same film, when he picks up the guitar and sings ‘En Iniya Ponnilawe’ in a soft voice, he has turned into a sweet young man without the murderous streak. Similarly, in the movie ‘Poverty’s Color Red’, he played the role of a ‘drama director’ who lavishes love on Sridevi. But Sridevi prefers Kamal. Pratap’s anger in the scenes where he gets irritated and angry on seeing this is original.
A very positive character in the movie ‘Panneer Pushpamangal’. He has played such a sweet role that we feel that we will never get such a teacher. “What would you do if you were beaten by four people and hanged the girl?” The scene of him gently questioning the student is wonderful. It was Pratap’s role that removed the fascination with Vidal’s romances and raised a voice closer to reality in Tamil cinema, which had been romanticizing Vidal’s love stories till then.