What made Devayani different from actresses like Kushboo or Nagma was her realism. She did not sing in exotic locales; she washed clothes in the backyard. Her Kamakathaikal resonated because they mirrored the actual lives of Tamil middle-class women. Her 13th film (chronologically depending on the filmography list, often cited as Vetri Mugam or Kadhal Kottai ) was a turning point where the industry realized she could carry a film on her shoulder without dancing around trees.