Kochi: As Mohanlal-starrer 'Devadoothan' is set to hit theatres again after a gap of 24 years, its music is being discussed as much as its intriguing plot. Though the unusual horror thriller failed to make a box office hit when it was released way back in 2000, the songs composed by Vidyasagar for the film have managed to remain in the playlist of many.
While Vidyasagar’s original tracks such as ‘Aleena’ and ‘Poove Poove’ earned fanbase for their magical melody and enchanting lyrics, for many his re-imagination of the Carnatic classic ‘Entharo Mahanubhavulu’ remains the signature piece of ‘Devadoothan’. Vidyasagar made a fusion out of the song, originally composed by Tyagaraja, for one of the initial sequences in the film which introduces the protagonist, Vishal Krishnamoorthy, a renowned musician, played by Mohanlal.
Vidyasagar painted the Carnatic composition in Sri raga in western colours with a brilliant background work in violin and flute and some impeccable interludes in ghatam. The track helped the film, which has music at its core, set its tone and establish the character. Mohanlal’s character presented the globally acclaimed piece as a tribute to his master whom he hails as the ‘king of music’. The choice of the Telugu composition proved to be a brilliant move and the makers of the film has given its full credit to Vidyasagar.
Raghunath Paleri, who wrote the film, told Onmanorama that he had chosen another Carnatic kriti for the sequence and it was Vidyasagar who came up with ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’. “When I wrote the script, I had mentioned ‘Ksheerasagara Sayana’ (another popular composition by Tyagaraja). My idea was that Vishaal Krishnamoorthy imagines his master as the one who dwells in the ‘ksheera sagaram’(ocean of milk) of music. But then, Vidyasagar called me and suggested that ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’ could be better and more conveying. Both me and Siby Malayil (the director of the film) agreed to his suggestion,” Paleri said.
He said Vidyasagar’s decision was right as the meaning and the musical dynamics of ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’ suited the film and the situation better. ‘Endaro Mahanubhuvulu’, written in the form of a salutation, is in fact a tribute to the great people who lived in different ages.
“Had we stuck to ‘Ksheerasagara Sayana’ I may have wanted my character to explain his interpretation of the song, but with ‘Endaro Mahanubhavulu’ there was no need of any explanation as we were sure the audience would easily find a connect between the song and the situation,” Paleri said.