The video features Rajinikanth and a ravishing Shobana.Ħ. Set to the maestro’s favourite Kalyani raga, it combines soft melody, rousing scores and superb lyrics. This song is from Thalapathy, the last film on which Mani Ratnam and Ilayaraja worked together. This one in Shyam Kalyani, sung by Chitra and Mano, makes it to the top ten of most people’s favourite love songs.

In this beautifully shot song, featuring Kamal Haasan and Saranya, from Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan, Ilayaraja displayed his flair for working with classical ragas. The song featured a young Rajinikanth and the very lovely Madhavi.Ĥ. This evergreen song from the ’80s brought together the very best talent of the time: the golden voices of SP Balasubramaniam and Janaki, lyrics by Vairamuthu and, of course, the maestro’s music. Kannil Enna Kaarkaalam, from Un Kannil Neer Vazhindhal More than a few fans of this song say it transports them to another plane. Ilayaraja himself sang this song from Metti, by Mahendran, with Janaki providing the humming. The ‘80s were marked by dozens of melodies of this sort. This vibrant song in the sweet voice of Janaki will always remain a favourite with those who listened to the radio in the late ‘70s. For the songs in this sensitive, black & white film about unrequited love Ilayaraja combined folk rhythms with the film music techniques of the times. It marked the arrival of a phenomenon on the South Indian film scene. In 1975, a young man who had come to Chennai seeking his fortune was given the opportunity to score the music for Annakili. And which music lover isn’t? We attempt the impossible, drawing up a list of 20 most-loved Ilayaraja songs, conceding there are hundreds more that should have made it.

Balki, the film’s director, is a devoted fan of the master composer. One of the talked about aspects of Shamitabh, the upcoming big-ticket release, is the music of Ilayaraja.

Ilayaraja 80s songs