‘Ilaiyaraaja sir's achievements are a great honour for Indian cinema’: GV Prakash Kumar

He is the nephew of Oscar victor AR Rahman but he has made a nominate for himself in amerindic movie house as a astral music director and actor. GV Prakash Kumar has delivered several musical blockbusters in a row now with Amaran, Thangalaan, Lucky Bhaskar and Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam (NEEK) and seems poised for greater success. In this exclusive tete-a-tete with Hindustan Times, the actor and music composer opens up about his career, his relationship with Dhanush and more. (Also Read: Rajinikanth extends best wishes to Ilaiyaraaja ahead of Symphony debut in London)Your success has been phenomenal with albums of Amaran, Thangalaan, Lucky Bhaskar and NEEK turning hits. How does this feel?Maybe it’s because of the experience I have in the film industry for two decades that I can handle all this. After being in this industry for 20 years, with the responsibility, the tension factor and the pressure factor, we’re still able to handle it and deliver good albums. Experience has definitely helped me out. Good scripts inspire you to do good music. So, in those terms, I had very good directors like Pa Ranjith, Sudha Kongara, Rajkumar Periaswamy and Venky Atluri. They gave me the direction to go in and achieve this kind of work within a particular time span.You do soulful melodies like Hey Minnale on one hand, as well as these peppy youth numbers like Golden Sparrow on the other.My forte is not the kuthu paatu (song) but of course, I compose songs like Golden Sparrow for NEEK. When we need something quirky, I work along those lines. I basically believe in a film’s storyline and, based on that, having soulful melodies or another type of song. It’s related to the narrative. I’ve grown up listening to music by Ilaiyaraaja sir and AR Rahman sir. That’s how I’ve been inspired to compose and how I approach my work. I don’t know if I’m happy to be known more for romantic melodies but they come in a flow for me.How do you get inspired to compose for a song like Golden Sparrow, for instance?It’s completely the direction of the director. For Golden Sparrow, Dhanush sir was involved with the lyrics and how it’s going to be spoken or sung; how the attitude of the song is going to be; so he was very influential in that. But we were trying to get something a little funky and quirky with the modern touch to it; so Golden Sparrow worked like that.In 2023 and 2024, you had about eight album releases each and you also acted. How do you manage your time?I deliver at the time when you have the requirement - I don’t push my work or do last-minute work on any of my albums. I try to get things done as per the director’s timeline. In a month, I work on my music for about 15 days and shoot for my films for about 15 days. I have strict schedules. The next two months, in fact, are planned already.From 2006 when you started your career as a music director till now, have you seen a difference in the kind of films being made?Not really, there’s been a change perhaps in the genre of films coming to me. For instance, when I did Aayirathil Oruvan and Madrasapattinam, I saw historic and adventure films coming to me. Now, after Lucky Bhaskar, maybe directors doing scam or heist films will approach me. So, the genre of the film changes with time.You’ve worked with Dhanush on numerous films Aadukalam, Asuran, Mayakkam Enna, Polladhavan, Maaran, Vaathi, Captain Miller and NEEK. You’ve had issues with him; what is your relationship with him like now?There is a good friendship and there’s an understanding that we're counterparts and we've grown together in the film industry. In that way, you know, there has been some kind of a parallel layer for both of us, and we have a level of comfort with each other. So, it has been very good for us to deliver hit songs together. I’m working on his directorial Idly Kadai now.Have you ever walked out of films due to disagreements with the director on the music?Yes, I have. It happens when the film doesn’t work for you. I’ve walked out of films numerous times – see I’ve composed music for 100 films and acted in about 25 films; so around five or six times I have walked out of projects. The vision of the director and music director is 50-50 – you both share equal measure in the music. You never know if a song works or not till it is completed. This whole idea of these two minds working together and how fruitful it’s going to be, we know only when the songs are completed. Sometimes, the collaboration doesn’t work.Your recent Tamil film, Kingston, in which you starred, didn’t do well. Are you upset?No, I’m not upset. Whether a film works or not, whether my music works or not, whether my song works or not, I work hard and give it my 100 percent. I just enjoy the process of working, whether it’s acting or composing music. I am in that moment at the time and give it my all.What’s next for you?As a music director, I’m working on Ajith Kumar’s Good Bad Ugly, Dhanush’s Idly Kadai, Nithin’s Robinhood, Vikram’s Veera Dheera Sooran, then Pa Ranjith’s next, Vetrimaaran’s next and Sudha Kongara’s next. As an actor, I’m doing Selvaraghavan’s film which is a romance.Maestro Ilaiyaraaja just came back from London after presenting his symphony, Valiant.It’s a great honour for Indian cinema. We are honoured to have Ilaiyaraaja sir born on our soil and we are so proud of him. He is such an inspiration. The way he has handled western classical music or folk or any genre is laudable. He is a legend. I look up to him and I am really very happy for him.

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