Venkkiram & Thozhar - Great analysis of songs post-1991. I didn't comment on Gopal's time lines to determine the peak popularity period for TFM directors. It's not fair to say that MSV's musical talent or songs were mediocre/ sub-par after 1969. The same holds true for KVM, Raaja and Rahman. Raaja and Rahman are still composing music and they churn our melodies. This phenomenon of peaks and lows is common in any field - Hollywood music, sports, classical music, literature, etc. The musical taste of Tamil film fans has moved from MSV to Raaja to Rahman to present day Kuthu Masters. People who like Raaja or Rahman or MSV still continue to listen and enjoy their musical creations. Rahman & Raaja have compared this to people's food taste. Our century old, traditional plantain leaf lunch and breakfast (Idli, Vada, Pongal, Sambhar) is no longer the favorite with current generation. Pizza, Burgers, Pasta and Chinese noodles are the craze nowadays. Our present day Kuthu Masters churn out way-side Maggi noodles which last for 72 hours when they hit 4 or 5 Million/ Lacs viewers in YouTube. These songs last for 3-4 days.

Folks who like the melodies from MSV, Raaja and Rahman would continue to support and listen to their creations. It's unfair to put a time stamp for genuine creativity. As Gangai Amaran correctly observed, KVM or Raaja or MSV or Rahman have their own mold of composing music and they hardly deviate from their style or method. The present day Kuthu assemblers don't have any style or method. They throw Chilli powder or Garam Masala or Malli Powder into Maggi noodles and make a dish. No one will die eating this but they survive to eat another Maggi noodles after few days.