Photo: Bollywood Hungama / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ilaiyaraaja is, frankly, one of those figures who leaves me almost reverent. Born in 1943 in Theni district, he is a titan of Indian film music, composing thousands of songs predominantly in Tamil while ranging across Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. What astonishes me is the breadth: composer, singer, arranger, conductor, all in one person, crowned with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan among countless honors. He does not merely score films, he carries a whole musical culture on his shoulders. When I trace the great melodies of South Indian cinema, his hand is so often behind them that I get chills. He is a living institution.
Overview
Ilaiyaraaja (born Gnanathesigan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominantly in Tamil in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ilaiyaraaja
- Name (Japanese)
- イラヤラージャ
- Reading
- いらやらーじゃ
- Born
- June 2, 1943 (age 83)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Goat
- Origin
- Pannaipuram, Theni district, India
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / singer / composer / musician / screenwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- Nandi Award
- Filmfare Awards South
- Padma Bhushan
- National Film Award for Best Music Direction
- 2018 Padma Vibhushan
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://ilaiyaraajalive.com/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilaiyaraaja
Actor — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from India →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.