Achchamundu!, in which he starred alongside Sneha and American actor John Shea, was screened at many international film festivals, such as at Shanghai and Cairo.
[3] He was an EEE student in Saranathan College of Engineering, Tiruchirapalli, when he responded to an open audition for actors in Susi Ganesan's Five Star (2002),[4] although his parents were unhappy with his decision.
[3] Five Star, produced by Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, featured Prasanna alongside four other newcomers, most notably Kanika; it was well received by critics and performed modestly at the box office.
[3] The film, involving an ensemble cast, was produced by Prakash Raj's Duet Movies and directed by Radha Mohan.
[6] Prakash Raj, impressed by his performance in the film, offered him the lead character in his next production Kanda Naal Mudhal, too.
[3] The triangular love story, directed by the newcomer V. Priya, costarring Laila and Karthik Kumar was a commercial success.
His negative role was critically acclaimed and fetched him a nomination at the 56th Filmfare Awards South in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Regarding his performance, a critic noted that "Prasanna oozes sincerity and his ability to bring the Sathya and Murthy character to life with all the nuances of love, tenderness, humour and frustrations is one of the highlights of the film".
[11] During the period, he also worked as a voice actor, speaking dubbing for Aryan Rajesh in Cheran's Pokkisham on the insistence of the director.
A review from Times of India wrote that "with his eyes-to-die-for and underplayed violence, Prasanna easily steals the show".
[17] That same year, he made his Telugu debut with Bhai and starred in the successful romantic comedy Kalyana Samayal Saadham.
[18][19] Regarding his performance, a critic stated that "Prasanna deserves special credit for playing a role that most actors would hesitate to take up".
[22][23] His subsequent films released to positive reviews: Pa Paandi,[24] Nibunan,[25] Thupparivaalan,[26] and Thiruttu Payale 2.