Music composer Devi Sri Prasad aka Rockstar DSP is ecstatic after winning the National Award for Pushpa: The Rise. The man now known for ‘massy’ numbers started his journey composing for romantic films at a very young age. On a breezy afternoon at the Sun-n-Sand Hotel in Juhu, Mumbai, DSP chatted with us about his big win, music, influences and his next film starring Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan.
Tell us about the moment when you got to know that you had won the National Award for Pushpa.
Devi Sri Prasad: I was composing music like any other day. Generally, I am a person who doesn’t keep track of what’s happening around me. So, I didn’t even know about it until someone from the production told me about it. It was a surprise. Soon I started getting calls. All of it happened in quick succession. My team members started knocking on my door and cheering. Then I called my mom. Later, I went to my guru’s house and sat in front of his picture, just praying to him. I am very grateful to the jury of the National Awards and to the government of India for this honour.
How do you look at the trend of multiple music composers composing for the same film?
Devi Sri Prasad: In the south, I sit with the director and plan the songs and the background music for the whole film. The Hindi filmmakers also used to do that, but of late they are having multiple composers for the same film. I am not saying it is right or wrong. But when one single composer does the music for the whole film, they can put their heart and soul into stitching the story together. When I compose the music for a film, the first song is connected to the last song. That way, the film’s story and music go hand in hand and the film has a soul.
The biggest compliment I got after Pushpa’s Hindi songs were out was that even the likes of Karan Johar and Bhushan Kumar (of T-Series) said, ‘You brought back the trend of a music composer doing the entire album of a film including the background score.’
When I listen to a film’s story, I tell the director that this song can become the background score for another scene. Or instead of doing the background score, I could do a song itself for a particular sequence. That liberty gives me the kick.
Mahesh Babu always tells everyone that DSP is not only a music composer, he narrates a story with his music. That’s a huge compliment for me. I think that music and background score are the translations of a director’s vision through a musical medium.
You’re composing the entire soundtrack for a film starring Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan…
Devi Sri Prasad: I did Drishyam 2 as well with Ajay sir. When they approached me for Drishyam 2, I had only two and a half months to compose the music and the background score. When a music composer does the entire album, the music will have uniformity. I got a lot of appreciation for Drishyam 2 and people have been asking me to do the background score as well. But I do the background score only when I do the songs because my songs become a part of the background score.
The film directed by Vikas Bahl is yet untitled. It stars Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan. It’s a type of film that I have not done before. I am so thrilled about it. It’s a thriller and generally, thrillers don’t have so much music other than the background score. The songs in the film are woven beautifully into the narrative.
You have worked with all the top stars. In our cinema, stars are also known to be involved in music. Do you remember any anecdotes of such interactions?
Devi Sri Prasad: My interactions have been mostly with the directors. It is maybe because of their trust in me that they just narrate the story and leave it to me to do the music. It has always been more about appreciation than suggestions, so I am happy [laughs].
You have been vocal about Ilayaraja and Michael Jackson’s influence on your music. How much impact do they still have on you as a composer?
Devi Sri Prasad: As a kid, whatever you grow up listening to will have an impact on you for a lifetime. Ilayaraja sir and Michael Jackson didn’t just compose music, they created different ways to compose music. Their contribution is unparalleled and I always keep learning from their music. There’s a strong influence on me but I don’t try to imitate them.
My sense of rhythm is because of Michael Jackson’s influence. Even the softest melody of mine has a strong rhythm. There’s a quotation that I have put in my studio that reads, ‘One component of music that goes into your soul is rhythm.’ You can see that, even before kids grow up and understand melody and lyrics, they first fall in love with the rhythm. You play a rhythm and the kids will start dancing.
I am a rhythm lover. But because of Ilayaraja sir’s influence, I never let the melody go. I think it’s a nice combination. For example, the Srivalli song from Pushpa has a melody but it also has a strong rhythm. And by strong rhythm, I don’t mean heavy rhythm or loud sound; it’s a rhythm that catches your attention [demonstrates the Srivalli rhythm].
Which films or soundtrack of yours were instrumental in developing your style of music?
Devi Sri Prasad: When I did Anandam (2001; Telugu), I wanted to make a youthful and trend-setting album and that film perfectly fit into my requirements. Whatever experiments I wanted to do, I did those in Anandam and it was well-received by all age groups. That album defined me as a composer who can do a variety of music.
After that, I was mostly doing romantic films and the songs were turning out to be chartbusters. But then I realised that I wanted to do some ‘mass’ songs so that I could enter the league of big stars who need strong introduction songs. That ‘mass’ guy is always in me because I used to dance like a mad fellow. Dance is in my blood. Kamal Haasan sir always says, ‘This guy is first a dancer and then a composer.’
So I started requesting the directors to see the possibility of adding a mass song in the film. That was when I composed Aa Ante Amalapuram (Arya; 2004, Telugu). There was also a song from Venky (2004; Telugu) starring Ravi Teja sir that came out around the same time. Both songs became superhits. Then Chiranjeevi sir and Nagarjuna sir told me that I needed to do more songs like those. The same year, I composed music for Chiranjeevi sir’s Shankar Dada MBBS (2004; Telugu), which became a blockbuster. I did Maas (2004; Telugu) with Nagarjuna sir. You need to show the audience what you are capable of composing. I had that clarity in my mind although I was very young and it was the start of my career.
You mentioned rhythm. Apart from that, what are the key ingredients that are a must for you in the music that you make?
Devi Sri Prasad: Lyrics! I give a lot of importance to the lyrics. Maybe because I am a writer’s son. I keep the lyrics in my songs very clear; even in my most massy songs you can hear the lyrics clearly. I work a lot around that – the way a singer should sing, especially when the language is new to them. If the pronunciations are not perfect, it creates a big impact on the song.
I have the patience to explain the song to the lyricist and the singer again and again. Sometimes, because of this, the lyrics might end up at the last minute but I never let that blame go to the lyricist or anyone else. If a song is getting delayed because I am not satisfied with the lyrics, I just tell the director or producer that ‘we’ are still working on the lyrics. I think you have to be always accountable to get the best work. When people are working for you, it is important to protect them. When I get success, I share it with everyone. The blame, I take on myself.
Do you follow a routine while composing music?
Devi Sri Prasad: No, not at all. I feel that music comes to you at the most unexpected time. Actually, you’re not composing music; it is flowing into you by some blessing. But you have to constantly keep thinking about it. There are many songs that have happened when I was taking a shower.
I was trying to compose Aa Ante Amalapuram for three days because I wanted to do something out of the box. But I didn’t know how to do it, so I just slept on my bed. But my thought process was still going on even when I was half-asleep. And suddenly it hit me. I called my producer Dil Raju and said, ‘Sir, I think I got the tune.’ It took him 20 minutes to come from his office to my place and by the time he reached, the tune was ready.
The Srivalli song happened in four-and-a-half minutes. After I heard the situation, I wanted to put the heroine’s name in the song. From the name Srivalli, I just tapped ‘record’ and started singing the tune. The whole song was done in four minutes 30 seconds.