Deva, Gaana Composer of Annamalai, Dies at 75

Deva, the Tamil film composer who brought Chennai's gaana music into mainstream cinema, died on Oct. 17 at the age of 75. He scored Rajinikanth's Annamalai, Baashha and Arunachalam, and more than 400 films in all. A funeral with full State honours was scheduled for Oct. 18.

What happened

Born Devanesan Chokkalingam and known as Thenisai Thendral, Deva died in Chennai on Saturday. The Indian Express reports that he was admitted to Surya Hospital in Kodambakkam at about 8:30 a.m. and declared dead shortly after, following a reported heart attack. The Hindu quotes hospital sources saying he had no pulse on arrival.

His body was kept at his home in T. Nagar until 1 p.m. on Sunday, then to be taken to his native village of Mangadu, near Arcot in Ranipet district, for the final rites, with full State honours announced by the Tamil Nadu government, The Hindu reports.

The career

Before films, Deva worked in the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department. His debut as a composer was Mattukkara Mannaru in 1986. The film failed at the box office, but its songs later became popular. Vaikasi Poranthachu in 1990 brought him his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director, and Annamalai, with Rajinikanth, was the turning point, The Hindu says.

The Indian Express reports that he worked on more than 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam over nearly four decades, and composed for 36 films in 1996 alone. The Hindu quotes him on gaana: "It may sound raw, but the musicality of this genre is very deep."

The Hindu points to songs such as Kondaiyil Thazhamboo from Annamalai, Singam Ondru Purappattathey from Arunachalam and Autokaran, and says he also worked with devotional singers including Sirkazhi Govindarajan and P. Susheela.

Tributes

Rajinikanth arrived at Deva's home with tears in his eyes, according to The Indian Express. Kamal Haasan called Deva his dear brother and recalled working with him on Avvai Shanmugi, Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchatanthiram. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay called his death an irreplaceable loss to Tamil cinema. Vijay Sethupathi, Khushbu Sundar and Nivin Pauly also posted tributes, and Ilaiyaraaja cancelled his studio work on Saturday.

Why it matters

The Hindu notes that in the 1990s, when Tamil film music was shaped largely by Ilaiyaraaja and the rising A.R. Rahman, Deva carved his own path. His songs for Rajinikanth are some of the best known in Tamil film music.

What we could not confirm

Sources differ on who gave him the name Thenisai Thendral. The Indian Express says composer M.S. Viswanathan conferred it in 1985, while the Hindu reports M.K. Stalin saying that former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi gave it. We have not confirmed the cause of death beyond the reported heart attack. We have not confirmed that the funeral took place as scheduled.

Sources

*Cover photo: Silverscreen Media Inc. (*[*https://silverscreen.in*](https://silverscreen.in)*), Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Music_Director_Deva_at_KJ_Yesudas_50_Concert_Press_Meet.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Music_Director_Deva_at_KJ_Yesudas_50_Concert_Press_Meet.jpg)* (CC BY-SA 3.0).*