Beloved music composer Deva passes away in Chennai

Veteran Tamil film music composer and singer Deva, popularly known as Thenisai Thendral, died in Chennai on October 17, reportedly due to an illness. He was 75.

Deva, whose birth name was Devanesan Chokkalingam, was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai at around 8.30 am, where he died. He reportedly suffered a heart attack. Further details regarding his final rites are awaited.

Born on November 20, 1950, to MC Chokkalingam and Krishnaveni, Deva developed an interest in music at a young age. Before entering the film industry, he performed in music programmes with composer Chandra Bose and trained in classical music under Dhanraj.

His debut was in Maatukara Mannaru (1986). Despite the film’s poor box-office performance, the music received widespread attention.

However, it was Vaikasi Poranthachu (1990) that brought him wider recognition in Tamil cinema. The film’s music helped establish his name among audiences and filmmakers, and he received his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director for it.

He has composed music for Kollywood’s biggest stars. His discography includes Rajinikanth’s Annamalai (1992), Baashha (1995) and Arunachalam (1997) and Vijay’s Deva (1995), Nerrukku Ner (1997) and Kushi (2000), and Ajith’s Kadhal Kottai (1996), among many others. 

With a career spanning more than three decades, Deva composed songs and background scores for more than 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam cinema. 

He was also known for his work in devotional music, having composed hundreds of devotional albums alongside his film career.

While Deva composed music across genres, he became particularly identified with gaana, a musical tradition most associated with Chennai’s working class. His compositions helped bring the genre's rhythms and lyrics into mainstream Tamil cinema, at a time when such songs were not often positioned as major film soundtracks. 

One of his notable gaana songs is ‘Kaavalaipadaathey Sagothara’ from Kadhal Kottai. In a past interview, Deva spoke about the challenges of integrating the genre into films, recalling that directors were reluctant to place a song immediately before the climax because they feared audiences would leave the theatre. He said the song’s reception changed that convention.

Deva also composed romantic melodies beyond his signature gaana songs. Veteran composer MS Viswanathan gave him the title Thenisai Thendral, meaning “a breeze of sweet music”.

His work earned him several honours, including the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani award. He also received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director for Aasai (1995). His Kannada film Amrutha Varshini (1997) earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director in Kannada.

Deva was also associated with Sivappu Mazhai (2010), which entered the Guinness World Records for the fastest production of a film from script to screen.

He also served as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nadaka Mandram.