Charan Raj primarily works in Tamil and other southern languages. Charan Raj is known for his outstanding performances in films like Gentleman, Pratighaat, Indrudu Chandrudu and Kartavyam. He was also a part of Rajanikanth hits Phool Bane Angaray, Veera, Dharma Dorai and Baasha. He had also been a regular in Kannada and Malayalam films. He debuted in Kannada films as a hero. Siddalingaiah is considered to be his godfather.Charan Raj made his acting debut with Thaliya Bhagya (1984) produced by A. L. Abbaiah Naidu and went on to appear in all the films produced by him. Towards 1990's, Charan Raj started appearing in supporting roles. He made his directorial debut with Annan Thangachi playing the lead role however the film was a failure and Charan Raj incurred losses as producer. He announced another project as director titled Pudhusa Irukku in 2005 however the film was shelved.