Mumbai: National Award-winning composer, singer and actor GV Prakash has revealed that he has joined Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1 as the voice of Yash’s Ravana — an opportunity that arrived through an unexpected call from AR Rahman.
The call came after Ayodhya
Speaking to India Today Digital, GV Prakash said he had just returned from his first visit to Ayodhya, where the Nayyi Navelli team had launched the song Awadhiya Ke Raja. As he was leaving the airport, AR Rahman telephoned and asked him to come and sing. “The moment I came back from Ayodhya, I sang a song for Ramayana,” he told the publication. “It was surreal. I never expected that.”
The musician added that he had no advance notice of the offer. GV Prakash is AR Rahman’s maternal nephew and started out as a child singer in his uncle’s compositions, which made the invitation personal as well as professional.
A singer’s credit, not a composer’s
GV Prakash was careful to define the scope of the work: he has sung for Ravana, played by Yash, but has not composed for the film. “I’m happy to have done a small part in the film,” he said. “I’m a singer; I was called to sing for Ramayana.”
The credit extends a slow-burning Hindi cinema association. At 22, he was associated with Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, then with Akshay Kumar’s Sarfira, before the newly released Nayyi Navelli with Yami Gautam. Ramayana: Part 1 now places him inside one of the most closely watched Indian productions of the year.
Where the project stands
- Voice: GV Prakash sings for Yash’s Ravana.
- Invitation: AR Rahman called him as he returned from Ayodhya.
- Music: AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer are sharing the score.
- Release: November 5, coinciding with Diwali.
The second trailer for the two-part Valmiki adaptation was shown in Bengaluru on October 15. It features Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Yash’s Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Sita and a sequence in which Jatayu tries to stop Ravana. Producer Namit Malhotra’s cast also includes Sunny Deol, Arun Govil, Ravi Dubey, Rakul Preet Singh and Lara Dutta.
Sound before formula
Asked how he approaches a film score, GV Prakash said the story and genre come before the sound. The first narration is where the sound, structure and “sound world” of a film are decided for him. He also named Hans Zimmer as a collaborator he has long wanted to work with — and since Zimmer is part of the Ramayana music team alongside Rahman, the singing stint carries an extra personal resonance.
For followers of Hindi cinema, the news is a telling example of how major Indian projects are drawing vocal talent from across language industries rather than limiting themselves to a single film music circle. The record of the film will become clearer on November 5.
Source: India Today
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