Indian Composer-Actor G.V. Prakash Kumar Channels Harry Potter and Indiana Jones f

 Posted on October 1, 2024  |  6 minutes  |  1261 words  |  Larita Shotwell

Multihyphenate G.V. Prakash Kumar is expanding his reach in Indian cinema, with several high-profile projects as both composer and actor on the horizon.

Kumar, who made his debut as a film composer age 19 with Vasanthabalan’s 2006 Tamil-language movie “Veyil,” entered Hindi-language cinema with Anurag Kashyap’s “Gangs of Wasseypur,” for which he composed the background score, in 2012.

His journey in the film industry began even earlier, when he debuted as a singer as a child, in his maternal uncle A.R. Rahman‘s “Gentleman” (1993). Kumar’s recent Hindi composing efforts “Sarfira” and upcoming “Emergency” mark his continued expansion in Bollywood. Kumar notes that while core emotions in film music are universal, incorporating regional flavors is crucial when scoring.

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“Sarfira,” for example, is Sudha Kongara’s remake of her own Tamil Nadu-set “Soorarai Pottru.” “If the film is placed in a particular region or state, we need to study and translate the folk elements into the film,” Kumar told Variety. For “Sarfira,” set in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, he incorporated Marathi and lavani musical elements.

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With Kangana Ranaut’s “Emergency,” set during India’s 1975 political crisis, Kumar focused on capturing the essence of political power struggles. “It’s about power and the trip for power. That’s the basic thought process in the music,” he says. To evoke the period, he’s utilizing live brass, trumpets and band instruments to create a vintage sound.

Kumar is particularly excited about his score for Pa. Ranjith’s highly anticipated “Thangalaan,” starring Vikram. “It’s a rooted film. The roots of ‘Thangalaan’ are tribal, so I’ve tried to bring in the sound of the tribes as genuinely as possible,” Kumar reveals. The composer incorporated deep tribal voices, woodwinds, and shout calls. “Those things that I brought into the film to give it a flavor, and with an international touch to it, like in a soundscape trying to make it theatrical, and yet sound different from my contemporaries,” Kumar said.

The composer-actor credits his mother, a singer, and his uncle, the Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, as major influences. Kumar began his career working closely with Rahman, contributing to soundtracks like “Rang De Basanti,” “Swades” and “Kisna.” This experience under Rahman’s tutelage provided Kumar with invaluable insights into film scoring and music production at the highest level. “Rahman-sir is a huge inspiration. So most of the songs, how he produces how he mixes and how he programs it’s like a huge inspiration and you have grown up listening to his stuff.”

However, Kumar emphasizes developing his own identity. “After a point, I wanted to branch out and have my own sound,” Kumar explains. “That’s when I got films like ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ and ‘Madrasapattinam’ where I could inspire and give my own sound, where it will stand out separately as G.V. Prakash sound.”

On the acting front, Kumar has become one of India’s most prolific performers since his 2015 debut in “Darling,” which won him the Filmfare award for best acting debut. He has three releases in 2024 alone. Kumar says he chooses roles based on unique plots and characters that drive the script. “I want to be placed in different films with different characters or genres,” he said.

Kumar cites films like Bala’s “Naachiyaar,” Rajiv Menon’s “Sarvam Thaala Mayam,” Sasi’s “Sivappu Manjal Pachai” and Sathish Selvakumar “Bachelor” as highlights of his acting career, noting the diverse character portrayals they offered.

Currently, Kumar is juggling multiple roles on the adventure film “Kingston,” which he compares to the magical world of Harry Potter. “It’s something like a Harry Potter kind of film where a lot of supernatural things happen,” Kumar said. “It’s about a journey of a boy, it moves into a Harry Potter or Indiana Jones kind of an adventure with a visually stunning backdrop and a new world we’re trying to show with that film.”

Kumar is producing “Kingston” via his Parallel Universe Pictures outfit alongside Zee Studios. He also stars in it and composes the music. “I’ll have to separate time for each aspect,” Kumar said of balancing his responsibilities. “When I do the acting portion, I work only on that. For production, I have my team. Music was done much before, during pre-production.”

Kumar aims for an October or November release for “Kingston” and is eyeing a pan-Indian release. “We do have dreams over it. And we have a good distribution company to get it throughout the world,” he shares.

Looking ahead, Kumar is open to international projects as both composer and actor. “Any new language is something interesting for me because I get to try something different,” he says.

Kumar is also exploring live performances. Following a successful concert in Coimbatore, southern India, last year that drew a crowd of 75,000, he is currently in talks for shows in Malaysia and the U.K.

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