"If I cannot dance, it's not music for me. Think Devi Sri Prasad and the three words that come to mind are Unique Mystique Musique... Karthik Pasupulate goes for a song under his spell
than the superstars so far. We won't name the ladies but we can say they are all quite hot! "Well the only thing such link ups set on fire is the friendship with the lady involved," he quips with more than a naughty smile. "But these things do not amuse me anymore." That was some nifty side stepping, but we pester.
He could not be getting all his kicks from music, ahem? Give us some dirt man.
"God should not have given man the mind of a monkey with so many beautiful women around! So technically I am having trouble deciding," he winks. Pure jest? You decide...
No For many (the writer included) finding life's calling is like looking for a `black hole' in a pile of charcoal. A few though, just have it all so figured out that it seems like their calling finds them! Take for instance, music director Devi Sri Prasad.
All he ever wanted was to be a music director. He began working on his first music album in class seven! By the time he was 17, he had composed music for his first film. Today, he is on top of his game, as one of the most sought after songsters of south India.
For those who joined in late, here's tuning you into what Devi (that's what they all call him) has been doing these days.
Besides composing music for NTR's next film being directed by VV Vinayak, he's also working on Arya-2 and Namo Venkatesha in Telugu and Kutti apart from the Surya starrer Singam in Tamil. Over the last five years, Devi has composed music for at least four films every year. With records like Kanthasamy, Jalsa, Santosh Subramaniam, Current, Ready, Bommarillu, Arya, Rakhi, Shankar Dada MBBS, Mass, Sachien, Maayavi, Aaru, Mazhai, Varsham, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana...he took prolificacy to well, another level. And it's not just mere numbers we are talking of. To make loads of music is one thing and to make loads of music that's refreshing each time, that's kept a whole generation of youngsters dancing is well another. In 2005 alone, he had 11 music releases to his credit.
He's got his own way of doing things and makes it seem quite simple. "I spend a lot of time talking about the song or scene with the director and the lyricist. I go over the lyrics a number of times and try arriving at a concept. Once the idea is finalised, the tunes just flow. Thankfully, most of my compositions are okayed right in the first go. So, I guess that helps too," he shares.
When we said music maker, we meant every note of it. He not only composes but also writes lyrics, sings and guess what, dance too. In fact, his shows are so popular that producers insist that he performs at the music launch of films! For Devi, however, dance and music are not different entities. "If I cannot dance, it's not music for me. It's hard to explain this in words. There have been days when I went for a performance with fever and fatigue. Yet, once I get on the stage, I just cannot help myself. The crowds, the music and the lights just feed me with all the energy I need," he explains.
The same seems to apply for his writing as well. "My dad is amazed at how I write, and rightly so. I do not read much and have never written anything other than my songs. I guess I've got it from my father," Devi contemplates. His father, Sathya Murthy is a noted script writer, composer and singer from the older generation.
Talking of which, puritans don't tire of crying hoarse over the degeneration of contemporary music. Influenced by the West? More cheap imitations in the name of inspiration? Come to think of it, we do not use adjectives like classic or timeless to describe our music anymore.
Do we? "Now what do you say to that?
It's a jungle out here too. You just cannot survive if your music is not good enough.
Perhaps tastes have changed and so has the music. I think our music loses out because of the language and poor marketing. Personally, I believe all music directors are doing their best and we are as good as anybody," he contends. And we agree completely.
He has managed to cement his place as a hotshot music director in southern cinema in a relatively short span of time.
It might seem natural to sort of spread his sights a little... may be Bollywood? "I have been getting some offers from Bollywood, but I am waiting for something special to come. I also want to work on my pop music album. I've been putting it off for long now..." And we say, a pop album from Devi is well, certainly worth the wait.
But that's not all. We hear he's got acting plans too. "Yes I have been discussing my plans with some big banners, but it is a little too early to talk about it. If all goes well, something might just work out in the near future," he lets us know. Now that will be something. Watch this space for more.
Going back to the man behind the synthesizer, Devi obviously hasn't had a typical childhood. At an age when most kids are just happy imitating Sachin Tendulkar or SRK, he busied himself playing with tunes on his keyboard. We wonder if he ever missed out on a more unhurried childhood. "Yes I never had time to hang out with my friends as my life revolved around studies and music.
But I was having so much fun doing it that I never missed anything." We told you, he's one hulluva sorted guy, didn't we?
But what of the women? He's not an actor and yet he's probably had more link-ups
