Singers need to be as popular as movie stars: DSP

Where there is energy, there is Devi Sri Prasad and that goes without saying. We met him in a city theatre recently and his energy levels are the same even hours after he entered the venue. Fondly called the Rockstar, he has now associated himself with a new celebrity music reality show of the same name. “For a change, we have popular singers like Rahul Nambiar, Chinnaponnu, Aishwarya Suresh and Bamba Backiya among others. This is like IPL where stars will compete against each other. We have just made the announcement and the entries are flowing in already,” he starts off. According to DSP, a reality show would be the last thing he wanted. “I am working 24/7 and too busy for such things. However, I realised that there are lots of undiscovered talent out there and I see Rockstar as a platform that would tap the right potential. Initially, I was reluctant to do this but then they wanted me as the face of the show. A few years ago, I even started my own YouTube channel to hunt for talents. That somehow didn’t take off and the idea was at the back of my mind and I agreed to do it,” he adds.

Having made his debut in 1999, DSP was the first music director to initiate in putting up names of even background singers in his movie albums. “Movies in India have certainly made music popular. But what about the singers? How many singers do people recognise by face? This is why I made sure that I give credits to everybody who is a part of my composition including my studio boy. All my fans know who my staff is. I wish other music directors do this as well,” he gets candid. Having delivered consecutive blockbusters in Telugu, the composer has done only a couple of films in the last six years. Has he decided to consciously shy away from Tamil films? “Being born and raised in Chennai, I would love to do Tamil films. I have worked in films of Ajith, Suriya and Vijay—all big stars. I am now busy in Telugu and also there are several other factors. Either I don’t have the dates or budget issues. I am also looking for films with different concepts. Right now, I am working on Allu Arjun’s Pushpa, Pawan Kalyan’s PSPK 28. There is Lingusamy’s Tamil-Telugu bilingual as well. I am packed till 2022. Moreover, with the “Pan-India” tag, we get to work across languages for one film. So you won’t have this question of me shying away from Tamil. You will see me a lot here this year,” he concludes.