Why Deva’s music for Rajinikanth was special

When the words “Super Star” appear on the big screen and theatres go berserk at the mention of Rajinikanth, it is music composer Deva that deserves a lot of credit.

While younger composers like Anirudh Ravichander have largely contributed to Rajinikanth’s superhit tracks in recent times, it was Deva who shaped up his mass persona with his thumping music back in the Nineties.

Deva, who passed away on Saturday (October 17, 2026), might be remembered for pioneering gaana music in Tamil cinema but he is also the man whose work filled theatres during a Rajinikanth release.

Responsible for tracks in films like Annamalai (1992) and Baashha (1995), two of Rajinikanth’s biggest superhits, Deva was instrumental in bringing out the best in mass commercial moments.

Apart from foot-tapping songs like ‘Na Autokaaran’ and ‘Ra Ra Ramaiya’, Deva is also best known for providing Rajinikanth with the ultimate theme music - an anthem for Superstar fans till today.

Inspired by the popular James Bond track, Deva composed a thumping score for Annamalai that became synonymous with Rajinikanth. In fact, it was a piece of music that was held in high esteem even among popular younger music directors.

ALSO READ: Deva interview: ‘Kushi’ proved that I could do more than just ‘gaana’

Anirudh, instrumental for hit Rajinikanth tracks in recent films including Jailer 2, was such a big fan of Deva that he roped in the composer to oversee some work for Rajinikanth’s Darbar (2020) - a film that re-used the famous theme track from Annamalai.

As a singer, Deva’s voice appealed to the new generation of music composers. G. V. Prakash roped him in to sing the ‘Jithu Jilladi’ number in Vijay’s 2016 hit Theri. More recently, Deva also sang the reprise track of ‘Nenjame Nenjame’ for AR Rahman in 2023’s Maamannan.

In an interview with The Hindu in 2020, Deva said, “The journey has been quite eventful and filled with great memories.” He was known as ‘Thenisai Thendral’ among fans for his many melodies.