Chennai, Oct 17 (PTI) Noted music composer Deva, the self-made architect of Tamil ‘gana’ style rhythms and one who gave innumerable, striking hits for top heroes, including Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in a career spanning 400 films, died here on Saturday.
He was 75 and breathed his last at a private hospital here.
“All of a sudden our father left us, his death was following a cardiac arrest,” the renowned musician’s son Shrikanth Deva told reporters here.
‘Gana’ songs, Deva’s gift to the Tamil speaking people, may be described as a kind of music composition, which, in a way brought to mainstream the subaltern world; its likes and dislikes and the rough and tumble of the youth community as well. ‘Gana,’ in Tamil usage, denotes the rustic, indigenous, working-class origins of the songs, and the harmonising music that accompanies it. The form of music is unique to Chennai.
Deva’s bold use of colloquial Tamil words, and influences from the lives of the working classes made him hugely popular as the godfather of Tamil ‘gana’ variety of songs.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, CM Vijay and various political leaders expressed profound grief over the demise of Deva.
Vijay, DMK President MK Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi Stalin, AIADMK leader D Jayakumar, PMK leader Sowmya Anbumani, top stars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and hordes of celebrities from the film industry visited Deva’s residence and paid floral tributes.
The chief minister announced State honours for the funeral of the musician, also known by his monicker ‘Thenisai Thendral.’
CM Vijay said that Deva, who received numerous awards including Kalaimamani, captivated the hearts of the common people with his Gana songs and composed music for over 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages, and has also written and sung many songs himself.
Deva’s musical journey and songs will forever endure in the history of film music. His demise is an irreplaceable loss to Tamil cinema. “I convey my deepest condolences and sympathies to the family members grieving the loss of music composer Deva, as well as to his relatives, friends, film industry colleagues, and music lovers,” the CM said.
AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami said: “Coming from a humble background, Deva is someone who reflected the lives of ordinary people through his music. He has left his unique stamp across all genres of songs; mass, melody, and devotion… Deva’s Gana songs have won a place in everyone’s hearts to the extent that there could be no feet that did not dance to his tunes and such is the pervasive reach of his music.”
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan praised him as a musician who took music to the common man adding, “his music was booster dose for the ordinary people.”
Remarkably, Deva fought hard to secure a unique place for himself among stronger peers and went on to give catchy, and memorable, all time hits for top stars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay and Ajith Kumar. Rajinikanth praised Deva as “pure gold” and generous and recalled that Deva’s music in his mega hits ‘Annamalai,’ ‘Baasha,’ and ‘Arunachalam,’ turned out to be phenomenal hits.
Notably, it was Deva who scored music for the popular Rajinikanth’s signature title-card-credit that appears in all his films.
Although, many have composed music for Rajinikanth’s films, the title-card score remains Deva’s for over three-decades, and it began with the smash hit Annamalai (1992).
Beginning with the early 1990s, Deva began carving a niche for himself amidst the towering presence of Ilaiyaraja and also at a time when A R Rahman’s new brand of music began making waves.
Rajinikanth recalled that Deva tasted success after enduring a string of challenges and trying times in his life as he was the eldest of five siblings.
In his about four decade career, Deva composed music for over 400 films, which includes runaway hits. Music for Kamal Haasan’s chartbusters, Avvai Shanmugi (1996) Pammal K Sambandam (2002) and Panchathanthiram was scored by him. Deva’s music for Ajith Kumar-starrer films like Kadhal Kottai (1996), Vaali (1999) and Aasai (1995), undoubtedly provided an emotional depth for the romantic content.
For the films of Vijay, now the chief minister, Deva’s music did undoubtedly did sheer magic and it includes ‘Kushi’ which released in 2000 and is counted among one of the biggest hits of the actor-turned-politician. Rasigan (1994), Deva (1995), Vishnu (1995), Maanbumigu Maanavan (1996), Ninaithen Vandhai (1998) and Priyamudan (1998) were among the Vijay films for which Deva scored music that went to become pretty popular.
Devout, Deva’s stentorian voice is very popular and he has himself sung a variety of songs including ‘Salomia’.
Besides his hit songs, some of Deva’s background scores are still a hit with the moviegoers. These include the pulsating “Baasha, Baasha” score from the Rajinikanth-starrer blockbuster.
But more importantly, it was his score to veteran comedian Goundamani’s antics in the Tamil film ‘Sooriyan’ (1992) that is still vividly remembered by movie lovers.
So much so that it was played even in Deva’s recent music concerts, leaving the music-lovers in splits and making many to break into a gig like Goundamani did on screen nearly 30 years ago that saw peels of laughter in the theatres then.
Deva was a recipient of several honours including a Filmfare Award and the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani award.
He has also sung for young composers including G V Prakash Kumar and Anirudh Ravichander.
Noted for his smiling face, a streak of sacred ash and kumkum on his forehead, he always appeared in public in his trademark white pyjama-kurta and white sandals, with his choice of footwear reportedly inspired by Rajinikanth. Tamilisai Soundararajan said Deva had always been deeply spiritual and could be often spotted at the Melmaruvathur Adi Paraskthi Temple near Chennai.
His son Shrikanth Deva is also a well-known music director.
DMK chief Stalin hailed Deva as one with a pure heart, free of jealousy, malice, or deceit. “He brought Gana style songs into film music on a massive scale, becoming permanently identified with that genre making Gana synonymous with Deva.”
“Not only for Rajini and Kamal, but Deva has also given many hit songs to Captain Vijayakanth as well, such as Paasamulla Paandiyare. In particular, people from Madurai cannot even imagine a Chithirai festival without Deva’s song ‘Vaaraaru Alagar Vaaraaru.”
It was late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, deeply appreciating the sweetness of Deva’s music, bestowed upon him the title “Thenisai Thendral” (The honey-like music breeze).”
Noted folk singer and lyricist Pushpavanam Kuppusamy described Deva as “very unassuming.”
“It was Deva who bestowed a new, elevated and respectful status to songs sung only to mourn,” he said, adding his songs will go on to captivate more and more generations to come.
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