Never Have I Ever was monumental for Indian Americans; we felt represented: Pragathi Guruprasad

Time of India

6 hours ago

These days, with social media, everybody gets a platform, but that wasn't the case a decade ago. The first platform where you get to showcase your talent is important, and that was reality TV for me, says Pragathi.
I want to constantly reinvent myself as a creator. I would love to explore other forms of creativity. You don't have to be boxed into just being a singer,' says Pragathi Guruprasad, who rose to fame by becoming the runner-up in the TV show, Super Singer Junior season 3, back in 2012.
Thirteen years and numerous playback songs later, the Indian American has made her debut as a composer with the indie song, Adada. In a chat with us, she opens up about starting young, making her acting debut and more.
'Maitreyi & Mindy made me feel comfortable on the NHIE set'
'Most of the roles I've auditioned for in Hollywood are for South Asian Indian characters. I don't think Hollywood is quite there yet where an Indian looking girl can fare well in a general audition call. That's still reserved for white people, but we're slowly getting there.
Never Have I Ever (NHIE) was my first acting gig, and I hold it close to my heart. The show was monumental for Indian Americans like me, as we felt represented.
Working with Mindy Kaling (creator of Never Have I Ever ) was a dream come true. Maitreyi (Ramakrishnan) is a good friend of mine. During my first scene, I was nervous because it was my first time in front of the camera, and I didn't want to mess up. But Maitreyi and Mindy made me feel comfortable,' she says.
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'REALITY TV WAS MY BIGGEST STEPPING STONE'
These days, with social media, everybody gets a platform, but that wasn't the case a decade ago. The first platform where you get to showcase your talent is important, and that was reality TV for me. It was my biggest stepping stone. Everyone kept asking me, 'What's next?' The pressure got to me, and nothing felt enough. There was a period when I wasn't happy while singing. It took a process of healing to realise that happiness comes from within, and that happiness came with Adada.
'FOR YEARS, YOU WERE CONSIDERED A SINGER ONLY IF YOU WERE A PLAYBACK SINGER'
It's important for more musicians to come up and for more collaborations to happen. Earlier, two or three female singers were singing for all the heroines. Now, there's more space for diversity. These days, when you find a song interesting, you tend to find out who the singers are. The process of discovery leads listeners to more music. Previously, when people heard SPB sir or Chithra amma 's songs, they thought about how well they had rendered the song, and the process ended there.
But now, there's a musical search. That process is important to have an industry beyond film music. For years, you were only considered a singer if you were a playback singer, but that's not the case anymore.
'IT'S HARD WHEN YOU SING YOUR OWN COMPOSITIONS'
It's quite hard when you sing your own compositions. I recorded Adada a hundred times. It's funny because the final version of Adada is the first version we recorded.
'I want to collaborate with Dhibu Ninan Thomas & Sean Roldan'
'Dhibu Ninan Thomas and Sean Roldan are at the top of my list. There is a soul in their music that connects with me. Sean is a good friend, but I haven't had the chance to work with him yet, and friendly collaborations are always great,' she says.