Throwback Thursday! Two unknown facts about Isaigniani Ilayaraja

Isaigniani Ilayaraja is part of every household as his music touches generations and continues to be the dominant sound in the air where Tamils live.  It is common knowledge that his debut film is ‘Annakili’ starring Sivakumar and Sujatha and directed by Devaraj Mohan.  It was not an auspicious beginning for the Maestro as when the first recording of a song was underway the power went off and those days producers were very superstitious and naysayers predicted that the music would be flop.  But Ilayaraja with his sheer talent surpassed the negativity by delivering a superhit album that ruled the airspace in 1976 and beyond.

One more unknown fact about Ilayaraja is that he was first booked for a movie titled ‘Uyir’ that had Muthuraman and Saroja Devi in the lead and produced by Gemini Films.  Raja, as he was known at that time, reportedly went to Karumariamman temple to seek blessings and went early morning to the studio.  But the producers disappointed him by saying that he was replaced by another composer Ramana Sridhar.  But Ilayaraja did not lose heart but reached the highest pedestal ever reserved for a film music composer in India.