Talks By The Firelight 3.10: A Melange of Talents
Pragathi Guruprasad, Singer, Actress, Model and Influencer
Pragathi Guruprasad shot to fame when she was declared the runner-up in the third season of the popular reality show, Super Singer Junior. Since then, she has gone on to captivate thousands of fans with popular film songs like Osaka Osaka and Hey Piriyame, as well as her own independent music. She did not limit herself to playback singing and she went on to add multiple feathers to her cap with her modelling gigs and acting debut.
Read on to know more about Pragathi’s experiences in the entertainment industry, and how she managed to blend gracefully into all these roles even as an undergrad student at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
You’ve recently worked on the show ‘Never Have I Ever’. What was your biggest takeaway from the show?
In Hollywood, we usually are represented as that one nerdy or staple Indian character somewhere in the corner, but there’s never been a show about us, to showcase the lives of a full Indian family, that too, a South Indian family. I think the biggest takeaway is that Hollywood is moving in the right direction. It’s a great time for me to be here, to be a small part of that kind of movement, more than just a television show, and that’s something very special!
You’re an Instagram model, an actor, a singer, and an influencer and you managed all of it while doing your undergraduate work. What’s your secret recipe in managing all of it?
I don’t think there was much of a secret recipe. I was really blessed to have been so busy over the last six to seven years, ever since I was in Super Singer. When you get to do something that you love so much, but you still have to finish your studies; there’s a constant battle to push for the things that you love to do. I was only able to do them over the weekends and breaks if I stayed true to my studies. It was like a reward for me at the end of the week, and that constantly made me push harder. I enjoyed travelling and all the things that you listed so much that it felt natural to do that. It never felt time-consuming or like a job. So the real job was going to school, trying to finish my undergrad!
As an influencer, what is your take on influencer culture in LA?
Every Tom, Dick and Harry in LA think they’re an influencer! I mean that is the case, everybody’s moved here because this is where the industry is. There are pros and cons that come with it; the advantage is that there’s a very large community. Everybody specialises in something and has a niche — whether that’s fitness, makeup and beauty, working out or home decor. You meet people who’ve spent a lot of time working in that specific field and have a lot of insight. The downside is that there are a lot of people in the pool that you’re competing with. If you want to be a musician or an actress, it falls under a category where everyone is looking out for the same audience, brand deals and so on, and so it’s a very competitive industry.
You’ve been working in the entertainment industry for a very long time now. What’s one specific thing about it that someone from outside the industry is unlikely to know of?
There are so many things! TV, films and social media make it seem like our lives are wonderful, easygoing and glamorous, that nothing wrong ever happens. People don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes. It’s been especially apparent to me because I’ve always been more popular in India, especially after Super Singer, and coming back to the US was like coming back to a normal life, whatever that meant. I wouldn’t get recognised on the streets here, so it was almost like living a double life for me. The two worlds started to merge the more I’ve started working here.
There are a lot of things that you forget even exist, like stalkers; a lot of people following you so closely that it’s almost unhealthy and scary. Sitting behind a screen, people think that it’s their freedom to comment and say whatever they want, and don’t realise that it affects us the same way it affects them.
You’ve traveled around the world and performed on many prestigious stages. What is that one performance you hold close to your heart, and why?
I would have to say two. Very early on in my career, I performed in Durban, South Africa, and I never once imagined that I’d be going there to perform Tamil music to Tamil South Africans. There was about a five thousand person turnout at that concert, and that was a very special moment on stage when so many people in South Africa of all places showed up to listen to me sing. More recently, a performance and a trip that I hold very close to my heart is Malaysia. I was there to perform for an independent music festival. I’ve always known that a lot of people there have followed my journey, but I’d never visited. Being able to perform my independent music there, not film songs or covers, to tens of thousands of people was extremely special. The whole crowd was singing along, and that really opened up my eyes to how many people actually listen to my music. It’s one I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.
What’s one thing from Chennai that you’d like to see back in the US as well?
My favourite things about Chennai — I don’t think can be replicated anywhere else in the world — and I strongly believe that.
The reason I love Chennai is how deep-rooted the city is in its culture. You know when you’re driving around, and you hear the kovil, the bustle around the temple, you see people selling flowers on the street, there’s street food — there’s just such a chatter and the hustle and bustle in Chennai, that I don’t think you can find even in New York City.
So, even if you try to plant the culture there in LA or anywhere in the US, it’s never going to be the same. But something that I would maybe like to replicate is the sense of community. Not that it’s specific to Chennai, but I’ve specifically seen it there, so I’d like to see that here.
Over the course of your career, what was the most difficult song for you to record?
I think it was my first song under G V Prakash, for the film Paradesi. I had no recording experience before as it was the day right after the finale of Super Singer and I was put in front of some greats, like Bala sir, the director, Vairamuthu sir, who had penned the lyrics, and GV Prakash, the music director. So, it wasn’t like any small-timers where I had the time to adjust. I just had to and was forced to be the best I could.
We recorded the song for ten days! Every morning, I would wake up, go to the studio, sing the song a hundred times, return home, sleep and repeat. I had to do it until we had what we wanted. It was very difficult, very intimidating and honestly very scary.
Right from your Super Singer days, your relationship with your mom has been rock solid. How has she influenced your career?
She’s the biggest reason that my career even exists. She recognised the spark in me much before anybody else did, before I even knew I had it in myself. She was the reason we dropped everything and came to Super Singer, the reason that I moved to LA and pursued a career as a musician and an actress. The days when I have breakdowns, I’m like ‘why did I ever get into this, why are people telling me right from wrong, why are people commenting about me’ –she’s been that person who’s always made me feel better. The reason I could even get through Super Singer and emerge successfully was very much attributed to her. She’s one of the most incredible women I’ve ever known and will ever know in my life.
As someone who has just finished their undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), what are your fondest memories of college?
College was fantastic! Since I was in Super Singer during my high school days, I wasn’t around a lot, and couldn’t do many things that high school kids did, and me going into college, especially to an institution as big as UCLA, was me wanting the ‘authentic college life’. Everyone always told me “You should cherish these four years, you’re never going to get them back”, but I never really thought that I’d miss it so much.
Those friendships, late-nights, the crazy little things you do with your friends that are borderline illegal, are the memories that you should cherish the most. Everyone goes their separate way after, with a life to lead, and suddenly now you’re an adult — making money, having responsibilities that you never even knew existed.
College was the time you could be carefree, obviously focusing on your studies, but also really figuring out who you are as a person, who your closest circle is and what really matters to you. I think the people I met, both classmates and the ones outside of it, really shaped who I am and who I hope to become one day.
You’d given a TED talk about following one’s passion over opting for a conventional path, a concept that engineering students in India really resonate with. What gave you the strength to follow through with this and put it to practice?
I think a part of it is just that I’ve been very lucky. The opportunities that came my way, the people that I met, the things that have happened have really led me to believe that this is what I really should do.
The funniest thing is that, after I gave that TED talk, I had to come back and choose my undergrad, and I didn’t want to study either music or acting, thinking that I should have a really strong Plan B, in case things don’t work out. Wanting to come to Hollywood and be an actress, it’s all something that no one thinks they can achieve, simply due to the sheer competition. So, I studied Political Sciences and Music Business at UCLA with hopes of going to law school, my Plan B. But at the end of my fourth year, I wondered, ‘why on Earth would I go to law school, that makes no sense at all, I should just follow what I’m doing’, and that realisation was what pushed me forward, to do so much more than what I could be doing. To be honest, I’m glad I didn’t spend any time putting in an effort to take the bar exam.
I’m glad that you brought that up, ’cause it serves as a reminder that ‘Hey, you were the one that told thousands of people that they should go follow their passion while you were thinking of a Plan B.’
The conversation we had with Pragathi opened our eyes to the hardships that an artist in the entertainment industry has to go through, and why the glamour associated with the spotlight is not their only defining feature. Her efforts to juggle multiple roles even amidst a busy college schedule are extremely relatable to us, and her success in those roles amidst the uncertainty that surrounded her when she pursued them, truly inspirational.
This interview was taken in collaboration with Surya Sridhar
