Prashant Pillai
Encyclopedia
Prashant Pillai is a music producer and composer from India. His music style has diverse influences and elements of jazz
, electronica
, funk
, world music
and more. Pillai is active in promoting new artists and musicians through all his productions for films, documentaries and commercial jingles.
In early 2004, Pillai got his first break to compose a radio jingle and then went on to compose jingles, for both radio and television consumption.
In the year 2007, Prashant scored music for Bejoy Nambiar's, critically acclaimed short film Rahu where he teamed with singer K. S. Krishnan. Bejoy's uncanny knack of selecting unusual and experimental sounds, resulted in Prashant working on a soundtrack, which he still claims to be his best. Rahu soundtrack features Murtaza and Qadir Khan, sons of the Ustaad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. They feature in the soundtrack for the Sufi song
, "Betaabi". This song was later used in a Malayalam film City of God
.
, Thilakan
, Siddique
and Jagathy Sreekumar
in pivotal roles.
Prashant's mentor A.R.Rahman released the soundtrack of Nayakan on March 16, 2010, at Rahman's Panchathan Studios in Chennai. The Nayakan soundtrack features, 6 songs, one of which is sung by Indrajith (the lead of the film) himself. Prashant worked on this project for over one and a half years, and has fused in elements that is new to the Malayali audience.
Together, director Lijo and Prashant worked on the soundscape for the film, which was designed and composed with a raw and rustic feel to it. The whole array of instruments used in the film's background score is a first for Malayalam cinema. The song, "Lolalolamay" from the soundtrack, rendered by Preeti Pillai, was the highest played out song on television channels. The title track of the film, "Ranadheera" rendered by Indrajith, and its Club Mix rendered by Preeti Pillai remains a chartbuster in the radio playouts.
In 2011, Prashant collaborated with Lijo once again for City of God
which opened to mixed reviews. The movie stars Prithviraj
and Indrajith as pivotal characters, along with Parvathi
, Rima Kallingal
and Shwetha Menon. The film featured the most unusual songs and score, which was well received by the urban audience.
2011 will also see the release of his debut Bollywood film Shaitan
, directed by his now close friend, mentor and director Bejoy Nambiar, for which Pillai has scored majority of the songs. The film is being produced by Anurag Kashyap
and is scheduled for a 10 June 2011 release. The soundtrack of Shaitan has been in production for almost 2 years and has a unique soundscape to it.
Currently Prashant is working on an international production, a few Malayalam films, and he will also mark his debut in the Tamil Film industry by the end of this year.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and more. Pillai is active in promoting new artists and musicians through all his productions for films, documentaries and commercial jingles.
Early career
After completing his Sound engineering in Chennai, he went on to work with A.R.Rahman and his associate studios. After a short stint with him, he moved on and settled in Pune, where he started scoring for ad jingles, web sonics, and short films. Pillai considers A.R.Rahman to be his professional guide and mentor.In early 2004, Pillai got his first break to compose a radio jingle and then went on to compose jingles, for both radio and television consumption.
In the year 2007, Prashant scored music for Bejoy Nambiar's, critically acclaimed short film Rahu where he teamed with singer K. S. Krishnan. Bejoy's uncanny knack of selecting unusual and experimental sounds, resulted in Prashant working on a soundtrack, which he still claims to be his best. Rahu soundtrack features Murtaza and Qadir Khan, sons of the Ustaad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. They feature in the soundtrack for the Sufi song
Sufi music
Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan...
, "Betaabi". This song was later used in a Malayalam film City of God
City of God (2011 film)
City of God is a 2011 Indian thriller film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by Babu Janardhanan. The film tells the story of Tamil migrant workers and a team of land mafia criminals in the city of Kochi. It stars Indrajith, Prithviraj, Rajeev Pillai, Rohini, Parvathi, Rima Kallingal...
.
Film scoring and soundtracks
Prashant's first commercial film score was for a regional film in March 2010, a Malayalam movie titled, Nayakan, an art and action film. Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, Nayakan featured actors like IndrajithIndrajith
Indrajith is an Indian film actor. He is the elder son of late Malayalam actor Sukumaran and actress Mallika. His brother Prithviraj is also an actor...
, Thilakan
Thilakan
Surendranatha Thilakan , known mononymously as Thilakan, is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam cinema and theatre. He was awarded Padma Shri on 25 January 2009.- Theatre:...
, Siddique
Siddique (actor)
Siddique is a Malayalam film actor, producer, and television compere. He started his film career doing comedy roles and later performed in a variety of roles.-Early career:...
and Jagathy Sreekumar
Jagathy Sreekumar
Sreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar, is an Indian film actor who has performed in more than 1,000 Malayalam films. He has also directed two films and has written screenplays for two films...
in pivotal roles.
Prashant's mentor A.R.Rahman released the soundtrack of Nayakan on March 16, 2010, at Rahman's Panchathan Studios in Chennai. The Nayakan soundtrack features, 6 songs, one of which is sung by Indrajith (the lead of the film) himself. Prashant worked on this project for over one and a half years, and has fused in elements that is new to the Malayali audience.
Together, director Lijo and Prashant worked on the soundscape for the film, which was designed and composed with a raw and rustic feel to it. The whole array of instruments used in the film's background score is a first for Malayalam cinema. The song, "Lolalolamay" from the soundtrack, rendered by Preeti Pillai, was the highest played out song on television channels. The title track of the film, "Ranadheera" rendered by Indrajith, and its Club Mix rendered by Preeti Pillai remains a chartbuster in the radio playouts.
In 2011, Prashant collaborated with Lijo once again for City of God
City of God (2011 film)
City of God is a 2011 Indian thriller film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by Babu Janardhanan. The film tells the story of Tamil migrant workers and a team of land mafia criminals in the city of Kochi. It stars Indrajith, Prithviraj, Rajeev Pillai, Rohini, Parvathi, Rima Kallingal...
which opened to mixed reviews. The movie stars Prithviraj
Prithviraj Sukumaran
Prithviraj Sukumaran credited mononymously as Prithviraj, is an Indian film actor and producer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema....
and Indrajith as pivotal characters, along with Parvathi
Parvathi Menon
Parvathi Menon is an Indian film actress who hails from Kerala. She made her debut in the Malayalam film Out of Syllabus in 2006.- Early life :...
, Rima Kallingal
Rima Kallingal
Rima Kallingal is an Indian model and film actress, predominantly appearing Malayalam films. After being named First Runner Up in the Miss Kerala 2008 contest, she went to pursue a career in acting...
and Shwetha Menon. The film featured the most unusual songs and score, which was well received by the urban audience.
2011 will also see the release of his debut Bollywood film Shaitan
Shaitan (film)
Shaitan is a 2011 Hindi thriller film, directed by Bejoy Nambiar starring Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiya, Shiv Pandit, Neil Bhoopalam, Kirti Kulhari, Rajit Kapoor, Pawan Malhotra and Raj Kumar Yadav. The film was released on June 10, 2011...
, directed by his now close friend, mentor and director Bejoy Nambiar, for which Pillai has scored majority of the songs. The film is being produced by Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (director)
Anurag Singh Kashyap is an Indian film director and screenwriter. As a director, he is known for Black Friday , a controversial and award-winning Hindi film about the 1993 Bombay bombings, followed by No Smoking , Dev D and Gulaal...
and is scheduled for a 10 June 2011 release. The soundtrack of Shaitan has been in production for almost 2 years and has a unique soundscape to it.
Currently Prashant is working on an international production, a few Malayalam films, and he will also mark his debut in the Tamil Film industry by the end of this year.
Discography
A selected discography of Prashant's music albums| Year | Title | Genre | Group | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Om Ganeshaya Namaha (as Prashant Pillai) | Devotional | - | Independent |
| 2005 | Amhi Puneri (as Prashant Pillai) | Pop | - | Independent |
| 2011 | debut (as Prashant Pillai) | World/Fusion/Lounge | Groove Loves Company | Madras Blues Rechords |
Filmography
Original Film Score.| Year | Title | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Rahu (as Prashant-Krishnan) | OST | Independent |
| 2010 | Nayakan Nayakan Nayakan is a 2010 Malayalam film directed by Lijo Jose Pellisery and written by P. S. Rafeeq. It stars Indrajith, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Dhanya Mary Varghese and Siddique.... (as Prashant Pillai) |
Songs | Manorama Music |
| 2011 | City of God City of God (2011 film) City of God is a 2011 Indian thriller film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by Babu Janardhanan. The film tells the story of Tamil migrant workers and a team of land mafia criminals in the city of Kochi. It stars Indrajith, Prithviraj, Rajeev Pillai, Rohini, Parvathi, Rima Kallingal... (as Prashant Pillai) |
Songs | Satyam Audio |
| 2011 | Shaitan Shaitan (film) Shaitan is a 2011 Hindi thriller film, directed by Bejoy Nambiar starring Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiya, Shiv Pandit, Neil Bhoopalam, Kirti Kulhari, Rajit Kapoor, Pawan Malhotra and Raj Kumar Yadav. The film was released on June 10, 2011... (as Prashant Pillai) |
Songs | T-Series |
| 2011 | 1993 Bombay, March 12 1993 Bombay, March 12 -Critical reception:The film received positive reviews upon release.But did not make a big move in box office.Paresh C. Palicha of Rediff.com said, "Bombay March 12 is a promising debut for scriptwriter Babu Janardhanan as a director." He rated the film three in a scale of five . Mammootty's... (as Prashant Pillai) |
Background Score | Manorama Music |