Rajinikanth recalls Ilaiyaraaja never cried for family: Broke down after SPB's death; even after legal fallout

Superstar Rajinikanth had longtime friendship with both Ilaiyaraaja and SP Balasubrahmanyam. Recently, speaking at the 50th Golden Jubilee celebrations of Ilaiyaraaja in Chennai, the 'Coolie' actor mentioned the time when the music director broke down after SPB passed away.According to a Hindustan Times report, the Tamil icon shared that though Ilaiyaraaja and SPB had an unbreakable bond, there was a tense period between the two. Ilaiyaraaja once filed a lawsuit against singers, including SPB, for performing one of his songs in a concert in America without paying royalties. "Swami (Ilaiyaraaja) said he is singing my songs; he cannot, the law is the same for everyone. SPB got upset and decided to stop singing his songs", said Rajinikanth.The fallout became a talking point among the fans and media. Later, both artists eventually reconciled in 2019, a year before SPB tragically passed away due to Covid-19 complications.Rajinikanth then shared that SPB's death was an immense loss to Ilaiyaraaja. The musician could not even drop a tear for his brother, wife Jeeva who died in 2011, or daughter but for his friend."No one can take their place. When SPB died from Covid, he (Ilaiyaraaja) did not shed tears for his brother, his wife, or his daughter. His tears were shed for his friend," Rajinikanth shared.For the unversed, Ilaiyaraaja has grabbed headlines for protecting his work and sending legal notices to several production houses this year over unauthorized use of his compositions. He also issued a notice to the makers of Ajith starrer 'Good Bad Ugly' for using an altered version of his iconic songs. He also sent notices to films like 'Manjummel Boys', 'Mrs & Mr' and others.