New Delhi: As a child, GV Prakash was fascinated with microphones. His favourite was the AKG C414. Today, after a career spanning over two decades and more than 125 films, the 39-year-old has become one of Tamil cinema’s most celebrated composers. In 2026, he won his third National Award for Best Music Direction for the biographical war drama Amaran.
He started his career in 1993 at the age of six, appearing as a vocalist in his uncle AR Rahman’s Chikku Bukku Rayile for the film Gentleman. He doesn’t remember much from those days, but he told ThePrint he still “remembers working on those microphones.”
“As a child, I sang without fear. Growing up in the studios and working with Rahman sir was a huge learning experience,” he said.
Growing up in a musical family
Prakash was born into a musical family. Apart from his uncle, his mother was also an influence.
AR Reihana is a playback singer and composer who started her career with Malai Malai from the 2001 film Chocklet.
Prakash said he never saw Rahman merely as a relative, but as a guru. It was the guru-shishya bond that defined their relationship.
“For me, Rahman sir has always been a guru. I worked under him as a musician, and that’s where I learned the craft,” he said.
Prakash said that music had always been around him from childhood. He also learned it formally, from Carnatic music to Western classical piano and music theory.
“I also assisted composers like Rahman sir, Harris Jayaraj, Bharadwaj and Vidyasagar,” he said.
Early in his career, he assisted music directors such as Jayaraj on films including Aparichitudu (2005) and Hello Miss in 2006.
Jayaraj has praised Prakash’s work in Mayakkam Enna (2011) and said he watched the film because of its music.
“I watched that movie specifically for the song ‘Kadhai En Kadhai‘,” Jayaraj said.
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Becoming a composer
He became a full-time composer with the critically acclaimed film Veyil, released in 2006.
Directed by Vasanthabalan, the film became the first Tamil film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 in the Tous les Cinémas du Monde section. When the film was released, veteran critic Shyam Balasubramanian wrote that it was an “impressive debut from Rahman’s nephew”.
“It is to Prakash Kumar’s credit that he manages to have something to show for himself beyond his uncle’s colossal shadow,” he wrote.
Prakash’s work bridges the traditional music world with Western structures, creating a sound that is theatrical yet rooted. He lists Ilaiyaraaja, Rahman, MS Viswanathan and Michael Jackson as inspirations. He also loves the scores of James Horner, Hans Zimmer and Thomas Newman. Recently, he started listening to The Weeknd and Billie Eilish.
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From composer to producer and actor
After establishing himself as a composer and playback singer in the Tamil industry, he entered film production in 2013 by launching his own production house, GV Prakash Kumar Productions. Madha Yaanai Koottam, directed by Vikram Sugumaran, was its first venture.
He then took to acting in 2015 with the horror-comedy Darling, directed by Sam Anton. It was a hit at the Tamil box office. The film also marked producer Allu Aravind’s return to Tamil cinema after nearly 25 years. Prakash also composed the film’s music.
Since then, he has acted in more than 40 films, including American independent film Trap City.
“Being from a film family gave me an understanding of cinema,” he said.
Prakash said acting and composing are completely different disciplines, while singing and acting are similar in many ways—the artist is performing a script in both.
“I enjoy both, because both are very, very different situations from each other, and are very inspiring,” he added.
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Gangs of Wasseypur
Prakash debuted in Bollywood in 2012 with Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur. Widely praised for its gritty and raw background score, Prakash said his aim was to give the film a sound that matched its world. He drew inspiration from The Godfather (1972).
He first met Kashyap in an interview with film critic Bharadwaj Rangan. Prakash told Film Companion that the director had called him to Mumbai. Kashyap, dressed in a full suit, took him to a roadside stall in an auto-rickshaw where they shared a meal.
Kashyap approached him after listening to Celebration of Life from Aayirathil Oruvan (2010). Although he did not offer him a film then, he promised they would work together in the future.
Prakash described Kashyap as “a different kind of mad, bizarre and nomadic.”
“A year later, when I thought he’d forgotten about me, he told me he’d finished a movie (Gangs of Wasseypur) and asked if I could score it,” he told Film Companion.
“After we finished the score, he called to say he’s flying down to Chennai for some corrections. He just told me to change the fade-ins and fade-outs, which could have been done over the phone. He slept in the studio that night and flew back,” he recalled.
Prakash is currently working on Yami Gautam’s Nayi Naveli, a horror comedy produced by Anand L Rai. He is also working with actors such as Dulquer Salmaan, Ravi Teja and Suriya, and has projects across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu cinema.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)