- GV Prakash Kumar has composed music for 125 films and acted in 23 films
- He won his third National Award for Best Background Score for Amaran
- The Telugu film Irumudi, scored by him, became a blockbuster hit
Having worked as a music director for 125 films and as an actor in 23 films, GV Prakash Kumar, also known as GV Prakash, is happy that he has been able to pursue both his passions successfully. The musician, who made his debut in 2006 with the Tamil film Veyil at the age of 19, recently won his third National Award for Best Background Score for Amaran.
The nephew of music maestro AR Rahman also began building his acting career in parallel from 2015, when he made his debut as a hero in the Tamil film Darling, which became a blockbuster. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In this exclusive chat with NDTV, the music director-singer-actor talks about his journey in cinema and what he is looking forward to next.
Currently shooting for a film in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, GV Prakash begins by saying that winning another National Award is an achievement particularly special for him. "I was very happy because there were some films for which I was not recognised at important times. I missed out on awards for Aayirathil Oruvan, Aadukalam and some other films. For Aadukalam, I missed the award by one vote. So now, I'm really happy that I'm getting it for Amaran, which is my third one," says the 39-year-old music director, who has seen tremendous success in Tamil and Telugu cinema.
The recent Ravi Teja film, Irumudi, for which he scored the music and songs, has turned out to be a blockbuster, and GV Prakash is chuffed. "This is a straight Telugu film which is a superhit. After Lucky Baskhar, and then Prabhas' film Darling and Ullasanga Utsahanga, this is my fourth straight Telugu film. It's an industry hit and the numbers it's doing are phenomenal. Mythri Movies is also very happy and Ravi Teja, after so many years, has had a big blockbuster. I'm happy with everything that has happened to Irumudi thanks to Shiva Nirvana's good script and direction. All the Irumudi songs are doing extremely well and audiences are asking for songs to be repeated in theatres," explains the Vishwanath and Sons music director.
Does he never think about pursuing more Hindi film projects or going to Hollywood like his uncle AR Rahman? "I go with the flow - I take up projects that come to me. I don't do PR or lobby for work. I've not thought about going to Hollywood but if something comes my way, I'll definitely do it," he smiles. He clearly says he doesn't chase opportunities - whether in Bollywood, Hollywood or any industry - but believes the work (acting roles or as music director) that comes to him should be pursued seriously.
Despite having films that have worked and others that have not, he sees no reason to stop pursuing acting to focus only on music. "If something doesn't work, is there a reason that we should stop doing it?" he asks. "My first film Darling was a blockbuster. In the same year, Trisha Illana Nayanthara released and was a big hit. Then I did Naachiyaar, where my acting was spoken about under Bala sir's direction. I did Rajiv Menon's Sarvam Thaala Mayam, which was musically and critically acclaimed. Sasi's Sivappu Manjal Pachai did very well theatrically and my recent film Happy Raj did well too. So why do you think I should stop acting?" he smiles.
Right now, he is looking forward to the release of his film Immortal, which he describes as a vampire survival thriller. This movie also features Kayadu Lohar and is directed by Mariyappan Chinna, with music by Sam CS.
"Immortal is a vampire film and it's a completely new genre for Tamil cinema. It's about someone who lives for 4,000 years and it's like a fantasy survival thriller. The CG has come out really well - especially the monster. I hope people who like different cinema and who want quality CG will come to watch this film. It's different," explains the Vaathi music director.
For someone juggling two successful careers - music and acting - how does he manage to deliver on both counts? GV Prakash says, "I plan my professional commitments two months in advance. For the next 60 days I have my plan. We deliver on time and scheduling is very important for this. If you ask me what I'm doing on 22 September, I know I'll be in Gujarat for the National Award function. We work ahead of time."
GV Prakash also received recommendations for roles from South stars for their films, but they didn't pan out for various reasons. "Vijay Sethupathi wanted me to play a character in Pocket Novel but director Thiagarajan Kumararaja felt the role was too small for me. I'd have done it happily as a cameo!" he gushes.
Dhanush, with whom he shares a close friendship, also wanted him for Sundeep Kishan's role in Raayan.
"That role had too much betrayal and negativity and I didn't want to do such a role with Dhanush also in the film. We share a good rapport. If somebody else had been acting in the film, I'd have taken up that role. I am okay with multi-stars as long as the protagonist or the character is able to drive the script. There should be importance and the arc should be there," he explains. He has several acting projects lined up, including a Selvaraghavan film. "This movie is something like Tamasha, or on the lines of Imtiaz Ali meets Selvaraghavan. We've completed 90 per cent of the film," he adds.
On the music front, Prakash has several projects lined up, including Anil Ravipudi's film with Venkatesh, Mandaadi with Suri, and two Telugu films with Dulquer Salmaan - Aakasamlo Okkatara from Geetha Arts and Sri Sri. "In Hindi, I'm working on Nayyi Naveli, a Yami Gautam Dhar film directed by Balaji Mohan and produced by Aanand L Rai and Amazon," signs off the Parasakthi music director.