The years may have passed, but I still remain the same: Ilaiyaraaja on 50 years in films

Five decades, thousands of songs and countless memories later, Ilaiyaraaja says he still approaches music with the same mindset he had when he first began composing. With his debut film, Annakili , turning 50 on May 14, the maestro, who took a break while recording for R Balki’s Tamil film to meet the press in Chennai, reflected on completing 50 years in film music and the emotional connection people continue to share with his works.

On the 50-year milestoneIt may be 50 years for you, but for me, it doesn’t feel that way at all. Years may have passed, but I’m still the same person I was when I first started out.
Everyone knows people will still celebrate me even when I’m not around.



On his early years in the industryI played instruments as part of the orchestra of Vijaya Bhaskar and Devarajan master, Dakshinamoorthy Swamy, Salil Chowdhury, KV Mahadevan, and MS Viswanathan. I worked with GK Venkatesh for around 250 films. L Vaidyanathan and I used to help him. We used to plan and record his songs.

On being referred to as the Isai Kadavul (God of Music)People see me that way. But will God think of himself as God? No. If they see me as the God of music, let them. I have no complaints about that. The respect they show me reflects their love for me. A mother says that the baby in her womb kicked while hearing my song and not during other songs. Did I compose music to make that happen? No. I only composed for the situation I was told about. The swaras come alive from a pure place; when I compose, I don’t have anything else in my mind. It’ll be empty.


On his feelings when he turned composerWhen I was offered my first film, that’s when I started thinking about where to start the song and what to do. Though I had worked in so many films, when I went on to my own music, I felt like being left alone in a forest.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”