Generally described as a colossus in the world of Malayalam film music, G Devarajan was undoubtedly one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. His fifth death anniversary falls on March 14.
Devarajan Master composed music for around 350 films in a career spanning over 35 years. And that was in an era when songs were important in films, unlike the present where they are very few in number and are add ons, at inopportune moments, rarely gelling with the theme. In his days the lyrics had meaning and viewers had the patience to savour melodies.
When this writer met Devarajan Master in 1989, he said, “Vayalar Rama Varma and I had great personal chemistry. His lyrics would inspire me to create good melodies. Of course those were the days when lyrics were written first and tunes composed later.” Only a music director with a taste for literature can imbibe the emotions in the lyrics,” he added.
“A composer should know carnatic, hindustani and western music. But composing is essentially a natural gift. He should also have a clear grasp of the culture, literature, epics and history of the land.”
It is common knowledge that these days, many music directors compose several tunes and finally choose the one that the producer or director prefers. Commenting on this, Devarajan master said with a smile, “I never tolerated this kind of interference.”
About about his raga-based compositions, he said, “I have worked in 350 films. I have used the same raga in several songs but always brought in variations so that no two songs sounded alike. That is how you create variety.” Devarajan, in an autobiographical article has mentioned how he assimilated the lyrics and then set the tunes in such a way that for each syllable the most apt swara was used, conveying the correct bhava. Yet it sounded enjoyable to the common man, without revealing the complexity of thought that went into its composition. No wonder those songs strike a chord in your hearts, and have stood the test of time.
Discussing singers, he said, “Yesudas has been blessed with almost every quality that a composer can seek in a singer. He possesses the talent to imbibe the exact emotions and convey the music director’s ideas precisely. If we did not have a singer like him, Dakshinamurthy, Baburaj, myself and many others would not have been able to compose the kind of songs that we have done.”
Other singers whom he rated highly were Jayachandran, P Susheela and Madhuri. In the 1989 interview he rated Hariharan as a highly gifted singer (very few know that Hariharan’s first Malayalam film song was sung in 1981 under Devarajan Master’s baton in the movie ‘Swathu’)
Asked about the qualities that he seeks in a singer, he said, “He should have a good voice, classical training and a wealth of expressions. Some may have the other qualities, but not the voice. Then it is a distinct handicap.”
Devarajan Master was a true taskmaster who got every singer to sing every line exactly as he conceived it, without leaving any scope for improvisation. And those were the days when every small mistake warranted a full retake; there being none of today’s cut-and paste facilities. But a composer who meticulously assessed the suitability of each swara in relation to the meaning had every right to demand perfection. It is difficult to choose the best from his three-thousand-odd songs, but no-one can forget kannuneermuthumay, manikyaveena, parijatham, nadabrahmathin, neeyevide, kattu vannu, satyasiva soundaryangal, sandhya mayangum, chakravarthini, sanyasini, padmatheerthame, manjalayil mungi, sankhupushpam, priyathama, munnil mookamam, enthinee chilankakal, ezhu sundara ratrikal, himavahini, ajnathagayaka, swarnachamaram, kattadichu, prabhatham vidarum, thazhampoo, vasumathi, prananathan, ujjayiniyile, ayiram padasarangal, priyasakhi, innenikku, sangamam, sumangali, arikil nee, neelambarame and agniparvatham, to name just a few. These songs guarantee Devarajan Master’s immortality as the person who was singularly responsible for freeing Malayalam film music from the plagiarism that was rampant in the 50s, and giving it an individuality of its own.
prakashparayath@redifffmail.com