Revisiting Vijay’s ‘Kushi’: How Deva composed this superhit album

Back in the summer of 2000, during the turn of the century, Tamil cinema produced two superb romances: Alaipayuthe and Kushi.

Both starred a lead pair with great chemistry. Both had great music.

Kushi, starring Vijay and Jyotika in lead roles, was directed by SJ Surya. Apart from the romance and comedy that audiences laud even today, the music - by composer Deva, who passed away on Saturday (October 17, 2026) - was one of its biggest highlights.

All the songs were conceptualised not in a studio but in a hotel: Hotel Maurya International in Vadapalani, where SJ Surya and Deva sat down to crack the music for a film that would go on to be celebrated as one of the best romance flicks in Tamil cinema.

In an earlier chat with The Hindu, Deva recalled, “With Surya, the composition sessions would be full of fun and laughter. Never did I feel a pinch of strain.”

He was referring to the chartbusters in the film, such as the folksy ‘Megham Karukuthu’, the energetic ‘Macarena’ and the melodious ‘Mottu Endru’.

Among these, the toughest to crack was ‘Megham Karukuthu’, featuring Jyotika. “I remember the scene pitch from Surya. The line he gave me was: ‘A girl is returning to her village after studies, and she becomes ecstatic at the sight of greenery and rain.’

Based on his interpretation, Deva produced a tune. “It was rather ordinary”, Deva himself admitted the minute he composed it. “I was not satisfied.”

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But SJ Surya, who was the first to hear it, loved it. The two had already worked on the hit film Vaali starring Ajith Kumar, and Deva was inclined to go with Suryah’s gut decision rather than his own judgement of his work.

When the song became a superhit, this judgment proved to be right. “He (SJ Surya) just knows the audience’s pulse. Even today, if I sign a film, I have this strong urge to call SJ Surya for the composing session. Somehow, what he thinks works, works best with listeners too,” he had said.

Today, Surya is a busy actor - in fact, his recent performance in Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 has impressed fans - but the director in him was what impressed Deva the most. Deva revealed that Surya also contributed in other departments.

“He sang the ‘sexy effects’ that we included in the ‘Kattipudi Kattipudida’ number,” said Deva, who always credited lyricist Vairamuthu and the singers (Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Harini and Anuradha Sriram, among others) for the album’s success.