Prasanna studied Medicine at New College between 1999-2005, during which time he was an undergraduate scholar. He won a Wronker Grant for performance in Physiological Sciences Finals and was a Radcliffe Prize recipient following Clinical Finals. Whilst a student, he directed and performed in a number of theatre productions, including the Medical School Pantomime Tingewick. 

Following four years of clinical medical practice in hospitals in Oxford, London and the South of England, he took time out from clinical work, moved to London, and began writing and making films, and acting in London fringe theatres. 

Since then, he has performed at the National Theatre (where he also premiered his debut play), the Royal Shakespeare Company (where he has also worked as a director), the Donmar Warehouse, Young Vic, and in the West End. On screen, he has been seen in the BBC's Doctor Foster, the award-winning Patrick Melrose, and most recently in Netflix's The Crown. 

As well as directing numerous plays and writing a graphic novel, Prasanna has made films that have screened at festivals worldwide and at the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, and the world premiere of his directorial debut feature film, Ballywalter, opened the Belfast Film Festival in 2022. He is developing numerous theatre and television projects, including a series with Dr Rachel Clarke (whom he taught at the John Radcliffe) and Jed Mercurio. 

He has worked in charity governance for 10 years and is the current Vice Chair of the National Youth Theatre, and he appears on podcasts on which he discusses - among other things - the complexities of being a diversity hire and the frameworks from which such hiring practices take place. 

The Dummett Visiting Fellowship

Prasanna is an inaugural Dummett Visiting Fellow at New College. Over three years, he hopes to connect with the students in areas that relate to their onward journey from university and the navigation of the first half of a career in a world that increasingly requires (without necessarily embracing) fluidity in the workplace. Prasanna teaches and directs regularly at drama schools and universities across the UK in the areas of acting, directing, and career-building in the creative arts.