Devi Sri Prasad: I can sense the vibe of a younger Salman Khan in Varun Dhawan – Exclusive – Times of India

Known for some of his unique songs and compositions, Devi Sri Prasad is ruling the hearts of the masses with his songs from the blockbuster hit ‘Pushpa-The Rise’. Be it ‘Saami’, ‘Srivalli’ or ‘O Antava’, DSP has managed to strike a chord with the masses each time. ETimes reached out to the composer who is basking in the success he has tasted with the film and he told us he is eyeing more such hits in the future. Not just the South, DSP is excited about his upcoming Bollywood projects which are headlined by Salman Khan and Varun Dhawan. In a candid conversation, the music composer expressed his gratitude towards the masses for loving all his songs from ‘Pushpa’, spoke about his long association with Salman Khan, his new collaboration with Varun Dhawan for the upcoming film ‘Bawaal’ and his unique song with Yo Yo Honey Singh for ‘Bhaijaan’.

“I’d start with a thank you to everyone who made the film and the songs so famous and gave so much love. I am really very happy. Though I had done some work earlier in Bollywood like the songs ‘Dhinka Chika’, ‘Seeti Maar’ or ‘Daddy Mummy’, ‘Pushpa’ has given me something that I always wanted to do. I am really grateful for that as everybody loved it,” said the elated composer.

Not just one, but all the songs composed by DSP in ‘Pushpa’ are liked by the audience. “I have been getting compliments and people are saying that I brought the trend of one composer creating songs for the entire film and it is really great that people are praising me in that way. Even Karan Johar appreciated me for my songs. So I think all these things happened due to ‘Pushpa’. People in the South already knew me by my name but after this movie, I got global recognition,” admits Devi.

The composer feels that he should do more work in Bollywood now and is currently working on Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Bawaal’ which is headlined by Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor. Sharing his excitement, DSP says, “Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Bawaal’ is a very interesting film and the background score work of the film is currently going on. Nitesh is an amazing director and he has done wonderful work on the film. So working with such a director is a joy. Also my favourite lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya is there with us. So working with Nitesh sir, Amitabh Bhattacharya is fun. The film is made on a beautiful subject which is very musical. So I am very excited.”

Varun Dhawan and I wanted to collaborate for a very long time. Since he saw my song from ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’, he wanted to work with me as he loved it so much. So finally that is happening through this film. Last week he even called me and he was in love with the song that I composed for the film which he was shooting and I am sure it is going to be a beautiful film.”

DSP’s long association with Salman Khan is known to all and the composer is now joining hands with Varun Dhawan for the first time. “I have been working with Salman Khan for a long time now and personally, I know the actor very well, while I have started working with Varun recently. But I love his films, the way he maintains himself, his dance in the film. We have met very briefly. So personally, I don’t know much about him.”

Though DSP has met Varun only on a few occasions, the composer notes a similarity between Salman Khan and the ‘Bawaal’ actor. “As we saw Salman Bhai in the beginning days of his career when he did all romantic films like ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, I feel Varun has that similar charm in him. I think somewhere, I can sense the vibe of a younger Salman Khan in Varun Dhawan. Salman bhai used to be like that, well-built handsome hunk but still a sweet lovable guy. Varun is similar. That way I can connect both of them.”

Buzz about DSP not collaborating for Salman Khan’s ‘Bhaijaan’ was doing the rounds recently. However the composer cleared the buzz and confirmed, “I have composed a very interesting dance number for ‘Bhaijaan’ and everyone knows Salman Khan and my combination songs are unique and catchy with very interesting hook lines and steps. And again for this, he fell in love with the song and he called me to praise the song and my work. In fact, everyone from the team made a phone call and appreciated my work. For the first, I have collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and it has turned out to be great. Apart from us both, there are a bunch of singers who have very interesting lines which I can’t reveal right now. The song is very interesting, in fact, how we worked on the song itself is a different story,” reveals the composer.

DSP also dismisses rumours as he adds, “I don’t know from where such wrong information comes. Maybe someone must have given this out. But personally, I like Salman bhai a lot. We share a great rapport and I have a lot of affection for him. Since the time we worked for ‘Dhinka Chika’, we got very close and we call each other personally whenever we want. He praises me over phone calls and I remember after ‘Pushpa’ success, he called me and started singing, ‘Saami Saami’, he was so happy. We always have a great connection.”