Ilaiyaraaja (born 3 June 1943) is an Indian composer, conductor, singer and lyricist who works mainly in Tamil cinema. In a career of nearly five decades he has composed more than 7,000 songs for over 1,000 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. He is admired for blending Tamil folk music, Carnatic ragas and Western classical orchestration, and his fans call him “Isaignani” (the musical sage) and “Maestro”. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2018 and has been a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha since 2022.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Gnanathesikan (called Rasayya) |
| Born | 3 June 1943, Pannaipuram, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Age | 83 |
| Occupation | Composer, conductor, singer, lyricist |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse | Jeeva (d. 2011) |
| Children | Karthik Raja, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Bhavatharini |
| Honours | Padma Bhushan (2010), Padma Vibhushan (2018), five National Film Awards |
| Known for | Annakili, Mouna Ragam, Nayakan, Thalapathi, the symphony Valiant |
Early Life
Ilaiyaraaja was born into a poor Dalit family in the village of Pannaipuram in southern Tamil Nadu. As a teenager he joined the travelling music troupe of his elder brother, Pavalar Varadarajan, performing folk songs at political meetings and village festivals for about ten years. In 1968 he moved to Madras, studied Western music with the teacher Dhanraj Master and earned a gold medal in classical guitar from Trinity College London through its distance examinations. He worked as a session guitarist and keyboard player and as assistant to the Kannada composer G. K. Venkatesh.
Career
His first film as composer, Annakili (1976), used the folk tunes of rural Tamil Nadu with a full orchestra, and its songs were a sensation. Within a few years he was the busiest composer in South India, often recording several films a month.
Through the 1980s and early 1990s he scored many of the most loved films in Tamil cinema, among them Moondram Pirai (1982), starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, Mouna Ragam (1986), Nayakan (1987) and Rajinikanth‘s Thalapathi (1991). His songs were sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki, K. J. Yesudas and K. S. Chithra. A young A. R. Rahman played keyboards in his orchestra. He won National Film Awards for Sagara Sangamam (1983), Sindhu Bhairavi (1985) and Rudraveena (1988).
Ilaiyaraaja released the instrumental albums How to Name It? (1986) and Nothing but Wind (1988), which fused Carnatic music with Bach-style counterpoint. In 1993 he recorded a symphony with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, and in 2005 he set the Tamil devotional text Thiruvasagam as an oratorio. In March 2025 his symphony Valiant was performed in London by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
He has continued to compose for films, winning further National Awards for the background scores of Pazhassi Raja (2009) and Tharai Thappattai (2015), his 1,000th film. Recent work includes Viduthalai (2023). In July 2022 the President nominated him to the Rajya Sabha.
Personal Life
Ilaiyaraaja married Jeeva, who died in 2011. Their sons Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja are both film composers. Their daughter Bhavatharini, a National Award-winning singer, died in January 2024. His younger brother Gangai Amaran is a composer, lyricist and director. He is a devotee of the sage Ramana Maharshi and is known for living simply.
Awards and Honours
Selected Films
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Ilaiyaraaja born?
Ilaiyaraaja was born on 3 June 1943 in Pannaipuram, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India and is 83 years old.
What is Ilaiyaraaja known for?
Known for: Annakili, Mouna Ragam, Nayakan, Thalapathi, the symphony Valiant.
What honours has Ilaiyaraaja received?
Padma Bhushan (2010), Padma Vibhushan (2018), five National Film Awards.
Featured image: Ilaiyaraaja speaks at a press meet ahead of the “Ilaiyaraaja 75” concert, Chennai, January 2019. Photo by Dani Charles, Silverscreen Media, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
