Exclusive: GV Prakash joins Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, reveals call from AR Rahman

Sometimes, one phone call is all it takes to turn an already special day into something even more memorable. For composer, singer and actor GV Prakash Kumar, a visit to Ayodhya to launch Nayyi Navelli song Awadhiya Ke Raja for Lord Rama was followed by an unexpected call asking him to sing for Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. He hadn't seen it coming, and the timing made the experience all the more surreal.In an exclusive conversation with India Today Digital, GV opened up about the call from AR Rahman, how he landed the opportunity and what it meant to be part of one of Indian cinema's most ambitious projects."The moment I came back from Ayodhya, I sang a song for Ramayana. It was surreal. I never expected that," he said, with enthusiasm in his voice. In fact, GV didn't even know he was going to be part of the film until the opportunity came knocking. "I didn't know beforehand. While I was coming back from the airport, I got a call from AR Rahman asking me to come and sing," he recalled.And that's not even the big reveal. the Bachelor actor mentioned that he has lent his voice to Yash’s Ravana in Ramayana, adding an interesting twist to his surprise entry into the much-awaited epic. Interestingly, GV’s tryst with Hindi cinema isn’t entirely new. At 22, he was associated with Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur and then with Akshay Kumar's Sarfira before making a more full-fledged Hindi film entry with Yami Gautam's newly released film Nayyi Navelli, and now Ramayana.For someone who has spent years working across films as a composer and singer, the opportunity was still a big deal. GV was quick to clarify that his contribution to Ramayana was just as a singer, but that didn't make the experience any less meaningful. "The world of the film is what drives us to it. I'm happy to have done a small part in the film. I'm a singer; I was called to sing for Ramayana. It was a huge thing for me to be part of this film,” he said.During the same interview, when asked which composer he dreams of collaborating with, GV Prakash Kumar named Hans Zimmer. Interestingly, with Ramayana, he seems to have manifested that dream, even if the collaboration was indirect.GV Prakash Kumar on his first visit to AyodhyaThe timing of the call was particularly striking because GV had just returned from Ayodhya, where Nayyi Navelli team launched the song Awadhiya Ke Raja. It was his first visit to the city, making the trip special even before Ramayana entered the picture."We launched the song in Ayodhya, so we thought it would be special to go there and launch it. It was my first time in Ayodhya, and it was very special for me to be there," he said.From a first visit to a city closely associated with Lord Rama to receiving a call to sing for a film based on the Ramayana, it was quite a turn of events for the musician.Watch the song video here: While the Ramayana opportunity came as a surprise, GV also spoke about how he approaches music for a film. For him, the process begins with understanding the story and the world the filmmaker wants to create, rather than deciding on a sound in isolation."First, it's the genre, then the story, and then the sound. The sound is derived from the script. The first narration is very important because that's where we decide the sound, its structure and the sound world of the film," he explained.About RamayanaMeanwhile, the second trailer for Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1 was unveiled in Bengaluru on October 15. The promo features Ranbir Kapoor as Rama vowing to destroy evil, while Yash's Ravana declares himself ruler of the three realms. It also offers glimpses of Sai Pallavi as Sita and Jatayu's attempt to stop Ravana.Produced by Namit Malhotra, the two-part epic is based on Valmiki's Ramayana and features music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. The cast also includes Sunny Deol, Arun Govil, Ravi Dubey, Rakul Preet Singh and Lara Dutta, among others.Ramayana: Part 1 will have a grand theatrical debut on November 5, coinciding with the Diwali holiday.- Ends