The ’80s, ’90s, and even the early 2000s feel incomplete without Ilaiyaraaja’s music – from classics like Jothe Jotheyali and Naguva Nayana, to Tamil classics Ilaya Nila and Thenpandi Cheemayile. His compositions didn’t just accompany films – they shaped memories across languages and generations.
On Monday, ahead of his concert in Bengaluru, in collaboration with Akshaya Pathra Foundation, Ilaiyaraaja reflected briefly on his journey, proudly returning to his roots. “I started in Kannada,” he says, referring to his early work in the industry, assisting composer GK Venkatesh on over 200 films, before he became a composer and his music travelled across languages and regions. Bengaluru, he adds, remains familiar rather than ceremonial.
When asked about changes in the music space over the decades, Ilaiyaraaja, who is celebrating his 50th year as a musician, resisted comparisons. “Why should one come to a conclusion that today’s music is in a particular situation?” he counters. “If you feel you are listening to the wrong music, you can always choose to leave it.” He refused to position himself as a judge of contemporary musicians, stating he isn’t the right person to comment on it. “Today’s musicians are wonderful. They don’t need my advice. They know everything well,” he further praised them.
The legendary composer’s decision to perform in the city after several years was equally unforced. “I instantly accepted the offer the moment they (the organisers) said the concert was for a good cause. The opportunity came at the right time,” he shared, highlighting that the concert will feature devotional tracks alongside his other hits.
Commenting on meditational music, Ilaiyaraaja dismissed the idea of a purpose-driven calm, as he asserted, “There shouldn’t be any purpose for actual meditation. If you can be peaceful without doing meditation, that itself is meditation.” Music, he believes, emerges from this same inner quiet. “Intellect straightaway goes to the head. But music straightaway goes to the heart, to the soul,” he shares, resisting breaking it down further. Whereas on the confluence of creativity and artificial intelligence in music, his response was typically nonchalant. Pointing to how learning is shaped by training and influence, he opined, “Human intelligence itself is artificial – it is acquired. Music, however, comes from elsewhere and is divine, even if it is acquired over time.”