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How is Deva Surviving ?

Topic started by Srikanth (@ 161.225.48.3) on Wed Jun 24 10:28:53 EDT 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Survival Technique of DEVA

I have been wondering how is he surviving. Agreed he is lifting scores, in spite of all the magazines bashing him for coping - raja's scores etc, still he is the busiest MD in TFM.
People listen to his score more, all the producers and directors approach Deva
he is the top of the order composer .
How is he able to do it ?
Has people's taste come down, or is DEVA really giving better music.... ?
Let us discuss ....

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Bharat (@ isdbsd1-inet.ci.mil.wi.us) on: Wed Jul 1 09:58:56 EDT 1998
  
  Srinath:
  I think you are being too harsh on the poor guy :--). Even the "kaelvi gnaanam" that Deva has is a kind of talent. Let's just say an average person sat in front of a harmonium or keyboard and decided to make music. There needs to be at least some kind of talent to make it sound different and interesting in film after film. Not many people can do this. You need an ear for music to make a composition that doesn't sound "abaswaram".
  
  That said, I think the average listener doesn't give a rat's behind whether a composition is blazingly original or not. I have a friend from Bombay that I listen to Hindi songs with. I keep trying to play passages of IR's music where I think there is sheer genius at work. He gives a respectful listening... then it's back to whatever's catchy. Even if he discovers that the music has been copied, I doubt that would be something earth-shattering for him. The songs he enjoys are going to remain the songs he enjoys.
  
  That was a digression, but that's probably the reason people like Deva thrive. They are able to produce what listeners want. IR may be breaking new ground with every album, but the average listener may not always be able to understand the technique in the song. S/he may just prefer the "ready listenability" of Deva's compositions. At the very least, they are clean and uncluttered.
  
  
• From: Prakash Balakrishnan (@ gate1.ca.us.ibm.com) on: Wed Jul 1 15:48:42 EDT 1998
  
  As per 1st July 98 issue Kumudam, Deva working in 2 shifts. After Aug 98 he doesn't have any work.
  
  (Out of context)
  Cine industry is doing very bad. As per that article if the situation still continue then there might be less than 4 or 5 films for DeepavaLi and there will be no films for Pongal.
  
  
  
• From: Srinath (@ socks6d.raleigh.ibm.com) on: Wed Jul 1 16:12:54 EDT 1998
  
  Hi:
  OK ! Seriously now...I think Deva has been surviving successfully (the twain shall meet !!!) because music has lost its relevance in augmenting the depiction of characters and resultant situations...or to put it simply - music is not considered to be a very important component of the story-line in movies these days. The characters seem to burst into song and dance for no practical reason. A song sequence rarely contributes to the story-line. Why contribute, it no longer seems to even flow as a natural part of the movie ! That is why the quality of music as such has come dow. Moreover, they are often seen as USPs for their respective movies. Most of the time we just hear the pallavi on every top ten countdown and that acts as an advertisement for the movie itself. As a result, MDs no longer have to worry about BGMs and even the saranam. If the pallavi is catchy enough, people will come to see the movies. the song need not have anything to do with the movie :-(
  
  Now who can provide all of the above at the least cost ? Mr.Deva the Great ! Who cares if the Pallavi sounds familiar - all the more better, in fact, it would attract everybody's attention! Negative publicity, I guess is better than NO Publicity at all! ARR is quite expensive these days. But ARR still plays an important role in attracting the elite crowd today. Deva is more like the poor man's (should I say poor producer's) ARR ! And that is the sole reason of his success.
  
  Bharat:
  This DF is becoming more and more restrictive each day :-( For IR fans like me, the greatest satisfaction lies in debunking ARR's music ! and I have been stopped from doing that ! We need some kind of outlet to 'bash' some MD and I thought I could atleast 'bash' Deva :-( But even there you have come up with an SPCD (Society for Prevention of Cruelty against Deva) !!! :-)))
  
  
• From: easwaran hariharan (@ 203-82-61.ipt.aol.com) on: Wed Jul 1 23:18:22 EDT 1998
  
  I think people are too harsh on deva. Yes, he
  copies, he likes cut and paste. But people often
  overlook his contribution to TFM in recent times.
  He successfully created a style which is
  hybrid of IR and ARR. He had his own share of
  original songs. Realistically, we can not expect deva to score 30 movies in a year with original
  songs. But he successfully filled the void created by sudden down fall of IR and also
  at the same time giving songs, which adhers
  to the current trend.
  I was listening to 'indu maga samuthirame' and
  'punnagai rojave' songs recently. He did a great job in those songs, and there are plenty of them.
  I dont think he deserves to be ranked along with
  people like anu malik, anand-miland, Nadeem-shravan.
  
  It is also true that he will be remembered for
  bringing down tamil music and spreading the
  copying disease, which was unheard of few
  years back.
  
  e.hari
  
  Anyway, I think the topic was about Deva and we should come back to that. MDn has become like dina kooli. Maadaatum velasenja neraiya panam kidaikkum. That's all. Deva is like a work-horse, not a stylish Stallion. Actually I wanted to avoid the terms mule and bull, that's why nysa work-horsennu sollittu vittutaen :-)
  
  

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