PETALING JAYA: Veteran Indian composer Deva, whose music helped define an era of Tamil cinema and won him a devoted following in Malaysia, died in Chennai on Saturday at age 75, according to multiple Indian media reports.
Born Devanesan Chokkalingam, the composer was reportedly admitted to a private hospital in Chennai, where he died following a heart attack. News of his death prompted an outpouring of grief from fans and members of the film industry.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Deva composed songs and background scores for more than 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Affectionately known as “Thenisai Thendral”, he became one of Tamil cinema's most prolific and recognisable musical voices, equally at home with romantic melodies, folk-influenced numbers and the energetic "gaana" style that became one of his signatures.
His best-known work included the music for films such as “Annamalai”, “Baashha”, “Aasai”, “Kadhal Kottai”, “Nerrukku Ner”, “Vaalee” and “Kushi”, while his scores for Rajinikanth blockbusters such as “Annamalai” and “Baashha” became part of the star's larger-than-life screen identity.
Yet Deva’s appeal was never confined to India. When FMT Lifestyle spoke with him in 2023 ahead of a Kuala Lumpur concert, the composer spoke warmly about Malaysian listeners and the unusual role they had played in extending the life of some of his music.
“Although I'm known for my Gaana songs, only through Malaysia has my melodic songs become a hit worldwide,” he said at the time.
He pointed to “Kadhal Kottai” as an example - while “Kavalai Padathey” had become a major hit in India, Deva said Malaysian audiences embraced the gentler “Nalam Nalamariya Aval” even more strongly.
That affection clearly stayed with him: Deva said he was humbled that Malaysian fans continued to celebrate composers and other behind-the-scenes artists who were rarely seen on screen.
“That is the reason why after all these years, I have come to perform for the Malaysian people,” he added.
A sound of his own
Deva's entry into cinema came in the late 1980s with “Manasukkeththa Maharaasaa”, after which work began arriving quickly. By the 1990s, he had carved out a distinctive place in an industry already crowded with formidable musical talent.
Part of that identity came from gaana, the earthy, rhythm-driven music rooted in Chennai's working-class neighbourhoods, which Deva helped carry into mainstream Tamil cinema.
His gaana numbers were playful, immediate and often steeped in local slang, but his catalogue was much broader than that label suggested. Some of his most enduring songs were tender melodies, while his background scores gave commercial films an energy audiences recognised within seconds.
Deva also retained a disarming sense of humour about the intensity of his fandom. In his 2023 interview with FMT Lifestyle, he recalled arriving for a temple performance in the late 1990s after completely losing his voice.
One particularly passionate fan, he said, appeared carrying a petrol can and threatened to set himself alight if Deva did not sing.
Terrified, Deva somehow managed to perform. “Whenever I see someone carrying a petrol can, I am always reminded of that one fan,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.
Music that travelled
That anecdote says something about the extraordinary reach of his music, but so did the quieter stories: songs that found a second life overseas, melodies remembered decades later, and Malaysian fans who continued to fill halls for a composer whose heyday began long before streaming or social media.
Deva’s contribution was recognised with honours including the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani award and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for his work on “Aasai”.
His musical legacy also continued through his family, including his son, composer Srikanth Deva, and brothers Sabesh and Murali.
Asked about success three years ago, Deva’s advice was strikingly simple: “If you have a goal you wish to achieve, then the bulk of the time in your day should be dedicated towards achieving that goal,” he said.
Then came something even more characteristic of the warmth with which he spoke: “As long as you do good, treat people well, take care of your parents, then only good things will come to you”.
For Malaysian fans, Deva leaves behind more than the soundtrack to hundreds of films; he leaves music that travelled unusually well across borders - and memories of a composer who knew exactly how much that distant affection meant.