Devi Sri Prasad
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Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...
-language films, and has also worked in a few
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...
films. He is a recipient of ten
Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
, nine of which are Best Music Director – Telugu and one Special Award for Best Background Music, five CineMAA Awards, seven
SIIMA Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to apprec ...
and one Nandi Award. He is one of the highest paid music composers in Tollywood. Devi has worked on over 100 films over the span of 20 years. He began his music career in 1997, by composing one of the eight tracks in the studio album ''Dance Party''. He composed the soundtrack of '' Anandam'' in 2001, by which he made breakthrough in Tollywood and Telugu music. In the same year, he made his Tamil debut by composing the
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
and singing two songs of '' Badri''. Devi also choreographed a song in the 2015 film '' Kumari 21F''.


Early and personal life

Devi Sri Prasad was born as Gandham Devi Sri Prasad in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh into a Telugu speaking family. His father G. Satyamurthy was a writer in Telugu cinema who has penned popular films like '' Devatha,
Khaidi No. 786 ''Khaidi No. 786'' () is a 1988 Indian Telugu-language film, starring Chiranjeevi, Bhanupriya, Suthivelu, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Mohan Babu, Nutan Prasad and Kaikala Satyanarayana. The film was directed by Vijaya Bapineedu. It is the second film ...
, and
Pedarayudu ''Pedarayudu'' is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty and starring Mohan Babu in a dual role with Bhanupriya and Soundarya also starred in the film. Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth appears in a special appearanc ...
''. His father hails from Vedurupaka.He is named after his maternal grandparents, Devi Meenakshi, and Prasada Rao. He grew up in Madras (now Chennai) and attended Sir M. Venkata Subba Rao School in
T. Nagar Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the Ea ...
. Contrary to popular belief that 'Devi' was prefixed to his name after his debut film, he was named after his maternal grandparents, Devi Meenakshi, and Prasada Rao. He has one younger sister and one younger brother,
Gandham Sagar Sagar is an Indian playback singer, lyricist and dialogue writer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema and Telugu music. He started his singing career with the film '' Varsham'' (2004), composed by his brother Devi Sri Prasad. "Top Lechipodd ...
who is a playback singer. Their father, G. Satyamurthy, died in December 2015.


Career


Film score and soundtracks


1999–2001: Career beginnings and breakthrough

In his debut music album ''Dance Party'', he collaborated with veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam's son S. P. Charan. He then composed score and soundtrack of the 1999 Telugu film ''Devi'', thus marking his debut as a film music composer at the age of 19. He also composed Tamil version of the soundtrack for the film. It became an instant hit. Devi once again collaborated with Kodi Ramakrishna for the film '' Navvuthu Bathakalira'' (2001) after ''Devi'' (1999). Devi made his breakthrough with the soundtrack album of the film '' Anandam'' in the same year, marking his first collaboration with director Srinu Vaitla. He has written and sung the song "Premante Emitante" and lent his vocals for another song titled "Monalisa". ''
Idlebrain Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website that features information, news, and reviews on Telugu cinema. It is one of the oldest websites on the Internet focusing on Telugu films. The site is especially popular for its film reviews writ ...
'' stated that, "music of the film is good though some of the tunes are inspired by 'back street boys' work. Background music is impressive. Devi Sri Prasad has got a chance to work with a fulltime love story, which has scope for good music". This is his first major successful film album. In the same year, he composed
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
for a Tamil film ''Badri''. This marks his debut in Tamil cinema.


2002–2005: Rise to prominence

In 2002, he had five album releases, including soundtrack albums of the films ''
Kalusukovalani ''Kalusukovalani'' () is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by R. Raghuraj and written by Vakkantham Vamsi. The film stars Uday Kiran, Gajala and Prathyusha. The film also marks Prathyusha's final film, just before he ...
,
Manmadhudu ''Manmadhudu'' () is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar from a story written by Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by Nagarjuna on Annapurna Studios, the film stars Nagarjuna, Sonali Bendre and Anshu, w ...
'' and '' Sontham'' became the biggest chartbusters of the time. These films were critically and commercially successful, music composition by DSP also contributed to the films' successes. Films ''Sontham'' and ''Manmadhudu'' were regarded as musical hits of the year. Most of the songs in these albums were widely appreciated. A critic writing for ''Manmadhudu'' review, stated that "Music by Devi Sri Prasad is excellent. Even the background score is pretty good. The picturization of the songs has elevated the audio of Manmadhudu." The same year, devi composed music for a patriotic film '' Khadgam''. Krishna Prasad Chigurupati of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...
'' wrote: " ‘Meme Indians’ composed by Devi Sri Prasad depicts the real attitude and unity among Indians with a hint of satire and humour." "Nuvvu Nuvvu" sung by Sumangali is another biggest hit of the album. By the time, Devi became one of the most sought after music composers in Telugu cinema and Telugu music. Although the film '' Varsham'' was released in 2004, its soundtrack album was released on 18 December 2003 through
Aditya Music Aditya Music India Private Limited is a music company in India, which owns the label Aditya Music. It produces music for the Telugu cinema industry and is headquartered at Hyderabad, Telangana. Overview The company was founded by Umesh Gu ...
at the film's audio launch event at
Annapurna Studios Annapurna Studios is an Indian film production company, founded in 1976 by the actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR). Located in the heart of Hyderabad, India the studio mainly provides services for films including sound stages for set construc ...
, Hyderabad. It is his second collaboration with producer M. S. Raju, who introduced him to the film industry through ''
Devi Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...
'' in 1999. Devi introduced his brother
Gandham Sagar Sagar is an Indian playback singer, lyricist and dialogue writer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema and Telugu music. He started his singing career with the film '' Varsham'' (2004), composed by his brother Devi Sri Prasad. "Top Lechipodd ...
debut into the music industry by "Neeti Mulla" song of the album. The film was a huge hit at the box office. The soundtrack fetched him three awards, those include Santosham Best Music Director, CineMAA Awards Best Music Director and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Telugu. A critic described that he gave a perfect sound to the film and made a deep impact on the audiences with his soulful, melodious and romantic music. He continued his "romantic music" style in his next big hit '' Arya'' (2004)''.'' Devi made his first collaboration with Sukumar, who his regular collaborator. The song "Aa Ante Amalapuram" enjoyed wide popularity in Telugu states and other parts of India. The six-track is considered the best of all time by a critic of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...
''. Another critic from ''IndiaGlitz'' cited: "The man who should walk away with all the kudos is musician Devi Sri Prasad. He is at his inspirational best in the songs and in re-recording he is soothing as a cool juice in summer heat. The songs Nuvvante, Takadhimithom (Allu Arjun's dance add more weight age), Feel MY Love among the six numbers in the film stand out." In the same year, DSP made his first on-screen appearance in two songs "Chaila Chaila" and "Sande Poddu" of the film '' Shankar Dada M.B.B.S.'' alongside
Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some film ...
. The next year, he composed the album of Tamil remake of ''Varsham'' – '' Mazhai.'' Devi has eleven album releases in 2005 in both Telugu and Tamil, the highest number of releases in a single year till date. The soundtrack album of '' Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana'' which was released on 21 December 2004, made DSP one of the most prolific musicians in India. For the first time in his music career, Devi remixed the song "Prema Kosamai Volalo" sung by Ghantasala for the 1951 film '' Pathala Bhairavi''. A reviewer of ''
Idlebrain.com Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website that features information, news, and reviews on Telugu cinema. It is one of the oldest websites on the Internet focusing on Telugu films. The site is especially popular for its film reviews writt ...
'' felt DSP had his best outcome. He cited that "The songs might not sound great when you listen on stereo. But they are entirely different when captured on the screen amid situations. Songs do stand out in the film as the best. The re-recording and background score are terrific. There is rhythm, merriment, emotions upsurge and passion that flows throughout these songs. Songs in this film are a part of story narration." He composed film score and soundtrack for the action films ''Bhadra'', '' Bunny'' and '' Aaru,'' which received decent success. Devi's made his breakthrough in Tamil with the film '' Sachein'', which became successful both commercially and critically. The songs "Vaadi Vaadi", "Dai Dai Dai Kattikkoda", "Kanmoodi Thirakumbothu" and "Gundu Manga Thoppukkulle" of the soundtrack became chartbusters upon its release.


2006–2009: ''Bommarillu, Arya 2''

His next releases in 2006 were all romantic films. Of these, coming-of-age film ''Bommarillu'' was the biggest hit. The music of the film received positive response from critics. "Appudo Ippudo", "Nammaka Thappani" and "Bommani Geesthe" became chartbusters of the year. A critic from ''IndiaGlitz'' stated: "Bommani Geesthe is a quaint and quite folksy start. Something that Devi Sri Prasad hardly ever tries in recent times. After you listen to this, you would want him to try something similar again and again. His instrumentation, especially the violin ensemble, is in one word superb. The violin rendition of the film's theme in between is very beautiful. A good one in the album." It became one of the most sold Telugu music albums of the year. A repository of Indian songs has recommended the feel-good soundtracks to the audiences. Devi composed a classic traditional-style music album for '' Pournami'' for the first time. The track "Bharata Vedamuga" helped DSP prove his classical talent as well. It was an evergreen chartbuster and is recognized as most fine works performed by Chitra, DSP, Sirivennala, and Charmi, as well. A critic writing an article titled 'Six best compositions of the music director' to ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...
'' included soundtracks of the films ''Anandam,
Kalusukovalani ''Kalusukovalani'' () is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by R. Raghuraj and written by Vakkantham Vamsi. The film stars Uday Kiran, Gajala and Prathyusha. The film also marks Prathyusha's final film, just before he ...
,
Manmadhudu ''Manmadhudu'' () is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar from a story written by Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by Nagarjuna on Annapurna Studios, the film stars Nagarjuna, Sonali Bendre and Anshu, w ...
, Varsham, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana'' and ''Arya.'' All these works made him to win further more accolades. In 2007, four film were released with music composition by DSP. All the films were action-comedy films and music by DSP got decent reviews from critics and audience. He made his second onscreen appearance alongside
Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some film ...
in the song "Good Morning Hyderabad" of the film '' Shankar Dada Zindabad'' directed by Prabhu Deva. The film is a sequel to his previously composed film '' Shankar Dada M.B.B.S.'' The next year Devi made Kannada debut by composing score and soundtrack of the film ''
Sangama Mekedatu is a location along Kaveri in the border of Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara Districts. From this point, about 3.5 kilometers downstream, the river Kaveri flows through a deep and narrow gorge. Mekedatu' means 'goat's leap' in Kannada. T ...
.'' ''
Jalsa ''Jalsa'' () is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by Allu Aravind, under the Geetha Arts banner starring Pawan Kalyan, Ileana, Parvati Melton, Kamalinee Mukerji, Mukesh R ...
'' directed by
Trivikram Srinivas Trivikram Srinivas (born Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma; 7 November 1971), often credited as Trivikram, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. In 2021, he became one of the highest-paid directors in South Indian ...
, was the hit of the year. It was launched on 29 February 2008 with DSP as the music director, marking his first collaboration with
Trivikram Srinivas Trivikram Srinivas (born Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma; 7 November 1971), often credited as Trivikram, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. In 2021, he became one of the highest-paid directors in South Indian ...
and Pawan Kalyan. "Gaallo Thelinattunde" and "My Heart is Beating" were chartbusters of the year in the soundtrack and was the highest selling Telugu album at the time of release. The audio rights were sold to Aditya Music for ₹ 9 million, the highest for any Telugu film at that point of time. A critic credited devi's muisic in the film as "peppy, youthful and incredibly fun filled." Devi next composed
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
for the action-thriller film '' Dasavathaaram'' starring
Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...
and
Asin Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She ...
, directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The film is one of the top grossers in India of the year.
Himesh Reshammiya Himesh Reshammiya (born 23 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, music director, songwriter, film & music producer and actor in Hindi cinema. He started his career as music director in the film '' Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya'' in 1998 and made ...
was first considered for the composition of film's score. Due to unavailability of his daily call sheets, Devi was chosen to compose the
score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...
of the film. In 2009, he has five album releases. Devi with his regular collaborator Sukumar, collaborated for the film ''
Arya 2 ''Arya 2'' is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film directed by Sukumar. Starring Allu Arjun, Kajal Aggarwal, and Navdeep, it is a spiritual sequel to '' Arya'' (2004). Devi Sri Prasad composed the film's music, while Aditya Ba ...
,'' which is spiritual sequel to his previous film ''Arya'' (2004). He also composed for the film's dubbed versions in Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil. The tracks "Ringa Ringa", "Uppenantha Prema" and "My Love Is Gone" topped the music charts. Although the film received mixed reviews, the song "Ringa Ringa" received a cult status. He received various nominations for his work. The song's music was re-used by Devi in the 2011 Hindi film ''Ready'' due to its popularity. The same year devi got a decent hit in Tamil with the film '' Kanthaswamy.'' Devi made
Vikram Vikram may refer to: * Vikram (name), a male name in the Hindu community * ''Vikram'' (1986 Tamil film) * ''Vikram'' (1986 Telugu film) * ''Vikram'' (2022 Tamil film) * Vikram (actor) (born 1966), Indian actor * Vikram (spacecraft), an Indian M ...
to sing as many as four songs in the album. Pavithra Srinivasan of '' Rediff.com'' cited that "''Kanthaswamy'''s music is not Devi Sri Prasad's best." The song "Excuse me, Mr. Kandasamy" been into a controversy after its release. Advocate V. Elango claimed that he had written five lines of the song. Finally, the controversy was over, after film's team won the case.


2010–2014: Continued success

2010 was a major year for DSP in Tamil. Both of his albums in Tamil, ''
Singam ''Singam'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Hari, and produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under his Studio Green banner in association with Reliance Big Pictures, and distributed by Sun Pictures. It stars S ...
'' and ''
Manmadan Ambu ''Manmadan Ambu'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by K. S. Ravikumar. Written by Kamal Haasan, it stars himself alongside Trisha, Sangeetha and R. Madhavan, while featuring Oviya, Ramesh Aravind, Usha Uthup, ...
'' received huge response from both audience and critics. Of these, the soundtrack album of ''Singam'' received good response. A critic of '' Rediff.com'' wrote: "DSP has a reputation for sticking with his regulation format of tunes and here too, you can see it pop up at certain places but there's also a departure from the usual, mostly an influence of Haasan in both lyrics and music. Whatever the reason, the end result is an album that provides you a treat. Go for it." Another critic praised devi's work and stated that "A westernized folk song, jazz, melodies, a poem and a kuthu...an album could not ask for more variety and DSP has delivered. The new experiments shows his maturity and his intention for being innovative." Devi returned to his usual romantic-genre albums with ''100% Love'' and ''Mr. Perfect'' in 2011''.'' These were released under
Aditya Music Aditya Music India Private Limited is a music company in India, which owns the label Aditya Music. It produces music for the Telugu cinema industry and is headquartered at Hyderabad, Telangana. Overview The company was founded by Umesh Gu ...
label. A critic wrote: "The duo, Sukumar – Devisri certainly knows the pulse of the urban youth and this album is yet another great attempt to grab the attention of the target audience. This ‘100% Love’ is 100% for the youth." Another critic cited that Devi Sri Prasad has excelled in the background score . A music reviewer felt about ''Mr. Perfect'' music album that DSP comes up with more soul stirring tunes and comes out of his stereotype beats and raps. Though there are those occasional flashes of brilliance, there is a repetitive mode seen in terms of the mixing and a constant background beat. Melody is missing in most of the songs and the focus is more on energy and peppy touch.''
Oosaravelli ''Oosaravelli'' ( Chameleon) is a 2011 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action thriller film directed by Surender Reddy. It stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Tamannaah with Prakash Raj in an important role. The score and soundtrack for the film ...
'' was another film released in the same year. A critic cited it as "definitely not DSP's best work" By the time Devi Sri Prasad became highest-paid musician in Tollywood. He has four album releases in 2012, two action films '' Gabbar Singh'' and ''
Julayi ''Julayi'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas, and produced by S. Radha Krishna under Haarika & Hassine Creations banner. The film stars Allu Arjun, Ileana D'Cruz, Sonu Sood, a ...
,'' one fantasy film ''
Damarukam ''Damarukam'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action fantasy film written and directed by Srinivasa Reddy, and produced by R. R. Venkat on R. R. Movie Makers. It stars Nagarjuna, Anushka Shetty, Prakash Raj, and P. Ravishankar. The music i ...
'' and a drama film ''
Sarocharu ''Sarocharu'' () was a 2012 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Parasuram starring Ravi Teja and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead roles. Richa Gangopadhyay played an imaginary role by combining the faces of Sandhya and Karthik's ...
.'' The six-track album of ''Julai'' was released on 6 July 2002, which became a chartbuster. In the UK, the BBC
Asian Network BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
radio station officially play listed the track "O Madhu" on 14 July 2012 marking it as the first Telugu song to be play listed there. He danced alongside Allu Arjun in a song of the album. Devi received various awards and nominations for his work in the film '' Gabbar Singh.'' As the years pass, "Kevvu Keka" song received cult status. The song featuring Malaika Arora has huge popularity. A critic wrote that "DSP keeps the acoustics at the right level, like a seasoned engineer." Cheruku Raja of ''India Herald'' cited DSP on ''Sarocharu'' music album that "DSP's magical tunes are missing to core in the audio of this film." Critics gave mixed reviews for DSP's 50th film ''Damarukam''. His composition of
score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...
was praised, but ten-track album got mixed response, except for few romance-styled songs. Music album of three film which were released in 2014, were released in late-2013 and early-2014. These include '' Yevadu,'' '' 1: Nenokkadine'' and '' Mirchi.'' All these film were successful with music composed by DSP was well appreciated. Karthik Pasupulate of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...
'' rated''Yevadu'' music 3/5 and stated: Music director Devi Sri Prasad has come up with an album that is high on beat and low on melody, but plays to the galleries unabashedly, blending multiple genres. Though there isn't one stand-out song, the album has an overriding happy vibe about it. The soundtrack album of Devi's usual collaborator Sukumar-directed action thriller film ''1: Nenokkadine'' was released at a promotional event at
Shilpakala Vedika Shilpakala Vedika is a terracotta auditorium and convention centre located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The auditorium is in area. "Shilpa" means sculpture, ''kala'' means art, and ''vedika'' means platform. Hence it is an art sculpture ...
in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
. The event, watched by 14,500 people, was shown live in 24 theatres across
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...
and was the first Indian soundtrack release event shown live in theatres. His biggest hit of the year was
Attarintiki Daredi (soundtrack) ''Attarintiki Daredi'' is the feature film soundtrack of the 2013 film of the same name starring Pawan Kalyan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Pranitha Subhash. Directed by Trivikram Srinivas, the film's music and background score were composed by Dev ...
, released on 19 July 2013. Devi once again re-mixed an old folk song, "Kaatama Rayudu", earlier used in the 1940 film '' Sumangali'' whose tune was re-composed by V. Nagayya and lyrics were re-written by Samudrala Raghavacharya. It was sung by Pawan Kalyan. Devi composed multi-genre songs in the album, a first in his career. A critic stated that "Attarintiki Daaredhi is that album which every Telugu film goer would expect from the hit combination of Pawan Kalyan, Devi Sri Prasad and Trivikram Srinivas. The album has melody, peppiness, and energizing factors which would definitely elevate the overall feel of the movie." He received further accolades for his music composition. The other two albums that performed well in the same year were '' Iddarammayilatho'' and ''
Singam II ''Singam II'' is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Hari. A sequel to the 2010 film ''Singam'' and the second installment in the ''Singam'' film series, the film stars Suriya, Hansika Motwani, Anushka Shetty, Dann ...
.'' A critic of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...
'' cited "DSP gets a foot-tapping album in Singam 2, though it sounds uncomfortably very similar to ''Singam''." "Top Lechipoddi" from ''Iddarammayilatho'' was the biggest hit among the songs released that year It is one of the most streamed Telugu songs. In 2014, Devi reclaimed success in Tamil with the film '' Veeram.'' ''
Alludu Seenu ''Alludu Seenu'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by V. V. Vinayak. Produced by Bellamkonda Suresh on his banner Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Productions, the film marks the debut of his son Bellamkonda Sreenivas with Sa ...
'' was another successful album in the year. The soundtrack album had a record number of sales for which Aditya Music thanked Devi Sri Prasad and the film makers, one of the representatives from the company stated that "Devi Sri Prasad, who has given many super hit albums in his career, has provided beautiful songs for ''Alludu Seenu'' and it has been creating sensation regarding sales, from the day it was released."


2015–2018: ''Rangasthalam'' and more

2015 was a mixed-musical year for DSP. Because he received both positive and negative reviews from critics. '' Kumari 21F'' and ''
Nenu Sailaja ''Nenu.. Sailaja...'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Kishore Tirumala and produced by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore, starring Ram Pothineni and Keerthy Suresh. The film was produced by Sri Sravanthi Movies, which ...
'' were regarded as "musical hits" of the year, although these films received a good response. A critic felt that the ''Kumari 21F'' album on the whole falls desperately short of the standards that one would expect from DSP. "Meghaalu Lekunna" was recorded using a live orchestra, which Nisar found "rare these days". ''123Telugu.com'' wrote about ''Nenu Sailaja'' album that "DSP has provided some feel good music which will gel with the flow of the love story in this family entertainer. The lyricists did a splendid job in bringing emotions out of every song. Crazy feeling, Sailaja Sailaja, Em Cheppanu are pretty good and will go well with all sections." The film score and soundtrack of fantasy-adventure film '' Puli'' was composed by collaborating with Vijay for the third time after '' Sachein'' (2005) and '' Villu'' (2009). The film performed poorly at the box office and also got negative reviews. Film score was praised but the soundtrack was criticized. A critic stated: "Puli's music will need the grand visuals as it is programmed keeping in mind whats going to come onscreen." ''Indiaglitz's'' critic wrote that the album in all is racy but only in parts. the energy, which is typical of DSP seems to have dipped in his snoopiness for the choice of instruments, orchestrina of genres and classic melodies. DSP was highly credited for composing music for '' Srimanthudu'' and '' S/O Satyamurthy','' two of the highest-grossing films of the year. He received various accolades for composition of score and soundtrack and singing. Devi next collaborated with Sukumar for the film '' Nannaku Prematho'' in 2016 for the fifth time. After the death of Satyamurthy, Devi's father, the album was dedicated to the former in an audio launch ceremony on 27 December 2015. Critics cited the album as "a fun album with ample dose of trendy as well as mass numbers with a tinge of experimentation", "It is not vintage DSP at his best" and "different album from the crazy combo." The same year he had another big release '' Janatha Garage,'' which received good response from audience and critics. ''
Sardaar Gabbar Singh ''Sardaar Gabbar Singh'' is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by K. S. Ravindra, based on an original story and screenplay by Pawan Kalyan. A sequel to '' Gabbar Singh'' (2012), it stars Pawan Kalyan reprising his role ...
,'' an action-comedy film didn't receive much praise. He remixed a popular song "Naa Koka Baagunda" from the Chiranjeevi-starrer ''
Kondaveeti Raja ''Kondaveeti Raja'' is a 1986 Telugu film starring Chiranjeevi, Vijayashanti, Radha and Rao Gopal Rao. This film was directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film released on 31 January 1986. Plot The film begins with Raja coming to a historic vill ...
'' (1986) for this film. Devi had eight album releases in 2017, out of which ''
Khaidi No. 150 ''Khaidi No. 150'' () is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Ram Charan. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal, marking Chiranjeevi's return to films in a lead role after a decade, ...
'' and ''DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham'' were successful. Songs such as "Ammadu Let's Do Kummudu", "Ratthalu" and "
Seeti Maar "Seeti Maar" () is an Indian Telugu-language song composed by Devi Sri Prasad for the soundtrack album of the film '' DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham''. The song features Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde with vocals by Jaspreet Jasz and Rita Thyagarajan and ...
" were the biggest hits from the two albums. A. Kameshwari of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' stated: "DJ-Duvvada Jaggannadham's jukebox stands up to all kinds of expectations Allu Arjun's fans must have had from the hit duo." ''
Jai Lava Kusa ''Jai Lava Kusa'' is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by K. S. Ravindra and produced by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram under his banner N. T. R. Arts. The film stars Jr. NTR in a triple role, alongside Raashi Khanna and ...
,'' is another film that received good response for music. A critic from ''
Firstpost ''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language ne ...
'' wrote that "Devi Sri Prasad does a brilliant job at composing tracks for the ''Raavana''-inspired portrayal in the movie. In almost three songs, we have the theme screaming out. The album leaves us wishing for a romantic track, but on a deeper analysis of the album of ''Jai Lava Kusa'', it seems like this was a conscious choice by the makers to stick to the beats." The year 2018 is one of the major ones for Devi. Rangasthalam (soundtrack) received wide recognition and praise from audience and critics. The album has some of the most popular Telugu songs such as "Rangamma Mangamma" and " Jigelu Rani". The film is a periodical-styled, so Devi's unusual folk-traditional-classic-style album received huge praise. A critic of ''
Firstpost ''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language ne ...
'' wrote: "Every song on this album is tailor-made for the movie set in a village and captures rural essence at its best. The album is also an instant reminder of many Telugu shows like ''Rasamayi Daruvu''." Another critic cited Devi Sri Prasad as the other hero of ''Rangasthalam''. Priyanka Sundar of ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...
'' stated that "In essence, Rangasthalam album is rustic." Devi received various accolades for his work in the film. '' Saamy²'' is his last Tamil film till now. The film is flagged as a box-office bomb. The other two releases ''
Bharat Ane Nenu ''Bharat Ane Nenu'' () is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language political drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Mahesh Babu and Kiara Advani (in her Telugu debut), alongside a supporting cast including Prakash Raj, R. Sara ...
'' and ''
Hello Guru Prema Kosame ''Hello Guru Prema Kosame'' () is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Trinadha Rao Nakkina. The film stars Ram Pothineni, Anupama Parameswaran, and Pranitha Subhash, while Prakash Raj, Aamani, Jayaprakash ...
'' were also good musical hits, but received mixed reviews. Actor Farhan Akhtar was made to sing "I Don't Know" in the album ''Bharat Ane Nenu''.


2019–present: Brief setback and reclaimed success

In 2019, Devi had four releases. All of them were decent hits. Suresh Kavirayani of ''
Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ...
'' stated that DSP's songs are the high points of the film '' Chitralahari.'' Another critic writing for music review of ''
Maharshi Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, po ...
,'' said that "OST of Maharshi is good for a one-time listen with most of the numbers sounding situational; they might work better when seen on-screen."
Score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...
of '' F2: Fun and Frustration'' received good praise. Devi had only one release in 2020, i.e., ''
Sarileru Neekevvaru ''Sarileru Neekevvaru'' () is a 2020 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Anil Ravipudi. It is produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment and AK Entertainments. The film stars Mahesh Bab ...
.'' He collaborated with director Anil Ravipudi after '' F2: Fun and Frustration''. "Mind Block" and "He's So Cute" songs from the album got good response from audience. However, it received negative reviews from critics for his and quoted them as routine compositions. ''IndiaGlitz'''s reviewer wrote: "The album is not exactly DSP being on fire. But it surely has its big moments." Another critic of ''
Gulf News ''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first launched in 1978, and is currently distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf Countries. Its online edition was launc ...
'' said that the music of the film not too great. After a brief setback, he reclaimed success through the soundtrack album and score of the film '' Uppena'' (2021). The film is regarded as a "musical hit" Most of the songs in the soundtrack were successful. "Nee Kannu Neeli Samudram" and "Jala Jala Jalapaatham Nuvvu" were the biggest hits of the album and also been in the top spots in the national music charts. A critic wrote: "One of the biggest plus points of the film is Devi Sri Prasad's splendid music. It holds the narration in a big way. Every song is superbly composed and shot well." Jeevi of ''
Idlebrain.com Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website that features information, news, and reviews on Telugu cinema. It is one of the oldest websites on the Internet focusing on Telugu films. The site is especially popular for its film reviews writt ...
'' stated that "Devi Sri Prasad deserves a huge pat for his outstanding music for the songs in this film."


Playback singing and songwriting

Devi is also a noted playback singer. He has sung 66 songs in a span of 20 years in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages. He sung mostly in his own compositions. He lent his vocals for the first time in 2000 for the song "Vechavechaga" which was written by him for the film album ''Vamsi'', composed by Mani Sharma. The next year he sang four songs, two Telugu and two Tamil. The same year, Devi made his debut in Kollywood and Tamil music by lending his vocals for two songs "Angel Vandhaale" and "King of Chennai" from the film album ''Badri'', composed by Ramana Gogula. Film songs such as "Tellarindoi", "Kanthasamy", "Rakhi Rakhi", "Mr. Perfect", "A square B square", "Ninnu Chudagane", "Super Machi", "Singam", "Nannaku Prematho", "Ammadu Let's Do Kummudu" and "Yentha Sakkagunnave" are his popular ones. Few of them were written by himself. DSP sang a devotional song in the 2006 film ''
Sri Ramadasu ''Sri Ramadasu'' is 2006 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of musician saint ''Kancharla Gopanna'', produced by Konda Krishnam Raju on Aditya Movies banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Starring Akkineni Nageswar ...
,'' composed by
M. M. Keeravani Koduri Marakathamani Keeravani (born 4 July 1961; credited as M. M. Keeravani) is an Indian film composer, playback singer, and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema along with other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Ma ...
. He collaborated with actress Swathi Reddy for the song "A square B square" in the 2011 film ''100% Love''. He dedicated the song "Nannaku Prematho" for his late father. He performed the song along with his brother Sagar. The song received good response. Devi sang a Hindi song "Daddy Mummy" for the 2015 film '' Bhaag Johnny.'' It was re-composed by himself from his previous song "Akalesthey" from '' Shankar Dada Zindabad.'' Devi re-composed and re-mixed many of his own songs in other languages, especially in Tamil and Hindi. The last one to be re-composed and re-mixed is "
Seeti Maar "Seeti Maar" () is an Indian Telugu-language song composed by Devi Sri Prasad for the soundtrack album of the film '' DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham''. The song features Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde with vocals by Jaspreet Jasz and Rita Thyagarajan and ...
", for the 2021 Hindi film ''Radhe'', from the 2017 soundtrack album '' DJ: Duvvada Jagannadham''. He also sang a Kannada song "Dil Maange More" from his own composed film ''
Sangama Mekedatu is a location along Kaveri in the border of Chamarajanagar and Ramanagara Districts. From this point, about 3.5 kilometers downstream, the river Kaveri flows through a deep and narrow gorge. Mekedatu' means 'goat's leap' in Kannada. T ...
.'' DSP had written over 25 songs in Telugu and Tamil. Most of these songs were either sung by him or composed by him.


Concerts and other performances

Devi Sri Prasad made his first live performance outside India on 26 July 2008, at
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, U.S. He announced his first concert tour on 14 June 2014. The next day, at a private event, he announced that the concert will be held from 4 July 2014 to 2 August 2014 across various cities of the United States and Canada. The concert featured music performances of Sagar, Neha Bhasin,
Rita Thyagarajan Rita Thyagarajan alias Sucharitha Thyagarajan (born 10 June 1984), known by the mononym Rita, is an Indian playback singer who sings in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English, Kannada and Malayalam languages. Early life Rita was born in Chennai, Tami ...
,
Ranina Reddy Ranina Reddy is an Indian playback singer. She has sung mainly in Tamil and Telugu for various music composers including Yuvan Shankar Raja, Harris Jayaraj, Devi sri Prasad, Sai Thaman, Selva Ganesh, Raghu Dixit, and S.A. Rajkumar. Career Reddy ...
, Malathy Lakshman and
Sooraj Santhosh Sooraj Santhosh (born 19 September 1987) is an Indian playback singer who sings mainly in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages and has also sung in Hindi, Kannada and Badaga. He has sung around 200 songs in 8 Indian languages. He was the former ...
and few dance performances by several local American artists. It was concluded on 2 August 2014 at Prudential Center,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
. Since then, Devi performed at various concerts across the world, especially in the United States. His 2016 concert tour in the U.S. received wide response and was telecasted on Zee Telugu. Devi Sri Prasad made a music tribute in 2014, to the legendary singer
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
on his birth anniversary with a special track from his album ''
Jalsa ''Jalsa'' () is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by Allu Aravind, under the Geetha Arts banner starring Pawan Kalyan, Ileana, Parvati Melton, Kamalinee Mukerji, Mukesh R ...
.''


Other works

Devi Sri Prasad was supposed to make his acting debut. In 2019, it is reported that Sukumar will be writing the story, produced by
Dil Raju Velamakucha Venkata Ramana Reddy (born 17 December 1970), known professionally as Dil Raju, is an Indian film producer and distributor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also financed some Tamil and Hindi films and owns the production ...
. But as of now, there is no official announcement due to few production issues. Devi made his television debut as a judge in 2021 with the Tamil reality-singing show ''Rockstar'', which premiered on
Zee Tamil Zee Tamil is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel started broadcasting on 2008 and is available internationally. The channel broadcasts from Guindy, Chennai ...
on 28 March 2021. Although, DSP appeared in various other shows in Telugu and Tamil languages, this is his first major one s a judge In 2015, he dance choreographed for music video of the song "Bang Bang Bangkok" from his soundtrack film album '' Kumari 21F.''


Music style and impact

Devi Sri Prasad is known for composing iconic
item number In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and ...
s in Telugu films. Since the 2000s, production of item numbers seen a steady rise, of them, Devi has composed majority. " Jigelu Rani", "Aa Ante Amalapuram", "Kevvu Keka" and "Aakalesthe Annam Pedatha" are some of his popular compositions. Due to their popularity, he is referred as "king of item numbers" and most of his re-mixed songs in Tamil and Hindi, were item numbers. He collaborated with Director Sukumar for nine times, Besides item numbers, his music style is characterized as romantic melody,
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
,
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...
and folk. Priyanka Sundar of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' listed "Mellaga Karagani", "Ghal Ghal", "Violin Song" and " Gudilo Badilo Madilo Vodilo" in her article ''Five songs by DSP that has redefined romance in Tollywood.'' Devi is the first music director to initiate in putting up names of background singers in his albums. Devi frequently admits that
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one o ...
's music and
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
's style of performance are his biggest influences.


Media image

Due to his energetic music beats and energetic stage performances, Devi Sri Prasad is dubbed as the "Rockstar" or "Rockstar DSP" in the media. Devi was honored from the U.S. state of
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
, where the
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Pat Quinn declared 26 July 2014 as "Devi Sri Prasad Day", while he is performing at Now Arena, Illinois, as part of his international debut concert tour. He is the highest-paid Tollywood musician.


Discography


Filmography


Film


Music videos


Television


Awards and nominations


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prasad, Devi Sri Living people Hindi film score composers Tamil film score composers Telugu film score composers Kannada film score composers Telugu playback singers Kannada playback singers Filmfare Awards South winners Film musicians from Andhra Pradesh 21st-century Indian composers Indian folk-pop singers 1979 births Santosham Film Awards winners South Indian International Movie Awards winners Zee Cine Awards Telugu winners