Ilaiyaraaja struts into the recording theatre at Prasad Labs with familiar ease. After all, he has frequented this place for the last five decades or so, almost every single day. He knows every nook and corner of the studio — it is the birthplace of every song that people still listen to, sitting in the comfort of their bedrooms or standing inside the noisy environs of a local bus.
“There was just one floor and a recording theatre here,” he says, looking around, “At that time, I was a musician playing for other composers and was also working as an assistant music director to GK Venkatesh.” It was the time when the railway gate in Kodambakkam used to be a regular haunt for people wanting to catch a glimpse of tinseltown stars who ruled the roost.
Within a few years, everything changed. Buildings came up and the city expanded. Meanwhile, Ilaiyaraaja was also making a name for himself, as someone to watch out for in the music circuit. “My life revolved around this studio. I’ve been here more than I’ve been at home,” he smiles. The man, who turns 75 this Saturday, took time off for a chat with MetroPlus on movies, music and Madras.
How do you look back at your initial years as a composer?
In my imagination, music was very different from how songs were done professionally in the film industry. I spent a lot of time learning that. When I did Annakili (1976), it turned out okay... but after that, I wasn’t able to grasp how music was being made for films. I was a little afraid that musicians in the industry would write me off. The 12 films that followed were based on how film music was being made at that point. After that, a new wave of films came, and the kind of music I wanted to explore fit in that space.
Annakili created a wave when it released. How did you gauge the feedback to the songs at that time ?
Chennai: 09/06/2016: The Hindu: Cinema Plus: Blast from the Past Column: Title: Annakili Cast: Sivakumar, Sujatha. Music: Illayaraja, Direction: Devaraj.
Those days, I used to regularly go for walks on the Santhome Beach. When I came out of my house, I used to hear these words in the radio from a neighbouring house: “ Aduthapadiaaga Annakili Padathilirundhu Paatu ... (Coming up next is a song from the film Annakili ).” The person inside used to shout, “Annakili varudhu” (They’re playing Annakili songs) to his neighbour. By the time I walked to the end of the street, radios in every house would be playing the same song. It was a wonderful experience, especially because I knew I hadn’t promoted my work. Somehow, they had identified with it.
How inspiring was the sea in your creative process?
When you see the ocean and the infinite, it empties your mind. You can fill it with so many wonderful things.
Producers were so impressed with your songs that they started commissioning films based on what they heard...
Annakili was like that. Even Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984) was like that. I remember being in the Mudumalai forest at that time for the composing session of Kaaki Sattai . We had planned a three-day schedule but the songs got done in half a day. Since I was free, I started composing other songs on a whim... and out flowed six songs. I recorded them immediately in a tape recorder.
Panchu (producer Panchu Arunachalam who was also a lyricist) had this habit of dropping in to hear my unused tracks and picking something he liked from it for his projects. He selected one of those six tunes and wanted that for a film that was being shot. I insisted that he give all six songs a listen; he loved them and said he’d make a storyline based on them.
Do you think filmmakers should understand music and its creation?
Why should they? A director should concentrate on his storyline and his characters. I remember Subhash Ghai once wanting me to address a few people on this subject and I told them that filmmakers needn’t know the process of music creation.
Those days, with continuous recordings, it must have been difficult to look beyond music. But you still were supposed to direct a film with Rajinikanth (Rajadhi Raja)…
Isn’t composing music akin to film direction? For example, in my first film, there’s a song featuring a character who does a bit of rice hulling ( nellu kuthal ). I mentally picturised the character doing that and retained the same sound as a beat. This is direction, right?
These days, it is fashionable to have less or no songs in films. How do you see that trend?
Don’t call it a trend! Maybe the makers think that it’s not required for their films.
What projects are you busy with these days ?
People from across the world have been asking for concerts, and I’m in the process of finalising a world tour. I have a Marathi film, a Malayalam film and a couple of Tamil films with new directors coming out soon. I have a movie with Prakash Raj too lined up.
Many composers are taking the non-filmi route and trying independent tracks. You’ve done it in the past too. When can we expect something next?
It can happen any second. Other musicians might take a lot of time to plan such independent projects, but for me, it can happen any time.
The maestro recalls
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