Tamil Composer Deva Dies at 75, Leaving 400-Film Legacy

A composer whose songs featured in more than 400 films died in Chennai on Saturday. Deva, known to fans as Thenisai Thendral, was 75. Doctors tried to revive him after he was taken to a private hospital, according to reports. Actors and filmmakers paid tribute, remembering both his music and warm nature. ^1,3

Deva built his career in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam cinema, becoming a leading figure in Tamil films in the late 1980s and 1990s. He brought Chennai’s gaana, a street-music style with local rhythms and everyday language, into film music. His songs helped shape hits including Rajinikanth’s Annamalai and Baashha, and Vijay’s Kushi. He also composed and sang songs himself, and his son Srikanth Deva works as a music composer. ^6,9

Deva made more than 400 films, finding his own sound as major composers Ilaiyaraaja and A R Rahman shaped Tamil film music. He said he worried his songs would sound like theirs, so he turned to gaana to create a sound of his own. The style brought local culture into popular films and reached audiences who might not have seen their lives reflected in film music. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay called Deva’s death an irreplaceable loss, while actors Kamal Haasan and Vijay Sethupathi mourned him. ^2,3,12

At his home in T Nagar, Deva’s family will keep his remains so friends, fans and colleagues can pay their last respects. Reports published earlier Saturday said details of the funeral rites were still awaited. His songs, from gaana numbers to the Baashha theme, remain part of the films that made his name. ^7,10