This picture was taken when I was composing for Major Sundarrajan’s Andha Oru Nimidam. Apart from directing the film, which starred Kamal Haasan and Urvashi in the lead, he also played the antagonist in it. Our former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead while we were working on this film. On the day of her assassination, we were composing in a place near Aliyar dam, which is around an hour’s drive away from Coimbatore. We began working at 9 am that day and Sundarrajan was happy with all the tunes I gave him. When the clock struck 10.30, we sensed chaos outside and went out to see what had happened.
The news about her demise started to spread like wildfire and the atmosphere was tense. We packed all our instruments and started towards Coimbatore in our car. Throughout the way, our car was pelted with stones by people who were overcome with rage and grief.
So we had to halt in multiple villages to stay safe. By the time we reached the city, it was almost ten at night. All the hotels were closed owing to the riots and we ended up staying at Devar films’ office that night. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.