In a 2013 poll conducted by CNN-IBN celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, Ilaiyaraaja was voted as the all-time greatest film-music director of India. In 2010, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour in India and the Padma Vibhushan in 2018, the second-highest civilian award by the government of India. In 2012, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practising artists, for his creative and experimental works in the music field. Ilaiyaraaja is a recipient of five National Film Awards-three for Best Music Direction and two for Best Background Score. He also composed Thiruvasagam in Symphony (2006), the first Indian oratorio.
He was one of the earliest Indian film composers to use Western classical music harmonies and string arrangements in Tamil film music, and the first South Asian to compose a full symphony. In 1986, he was the first Indian composer to record film songs through computer for Tamil films for Vikram. He is known for integrating Indian folk music and traditional Indian instrumentation with western classical music techniques. Ilaiyaraaja is nicknamed "Isaignani" (musical genius) and is often referred to as " Maestro", by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, amongst others. He has composed more than 7,000 songs, provided film scores for more than 1,400 movies and performed in more than 20,000 concerts. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian music composers, he is often credited for introducing Western musical sensibilities in the South Indian film musical mainstream. Gnanathesikan (born 2 June 1943), known as Ilaiyaraaja, is an Indian film composer, conductor-arranger, singer and lyricist who works in the Indian film industry, predominantly in Tamil. Rakesh Raj can be contacted at 9841543439.R. There needs to be legislation on that front,” he said. They might not even get an opportunity to perform in front of masses like we do. But it is taking the stage away from the next generation. They even staged three protests to showcase their plight due to the advent of modern technology. Rakesh’s entity has worked on various fronts to help light music artistes. But DJs are neither going to entertain every section of the crowd, like we do, nor are they professionals in most cases.” “I understand that they want to be light on their wallet. He says middle-class families are not willing to pay Rs 10,000 more for the traditional players, for they are cost-conscious.
They have gone on to work as security guards, auto drivers and the likes.”
Many have lost their jobs and are not being called for kutcheris anymore. Now he is the State general secretary of Tamil Maedai Mellisai Kalaignargal Nala Sangam (TMMKNS).Īsk him why his peers and he started such an entity, Rakesh, says, “Things have taken a downward route for light music artistes due to the advent of DJs. His drumming skills have taken him to over 13 countries and given him the opportunity to perform in front of the elite. He has worked for composers like Shankar Ganesh, Adithyan, S A Raj Kumar, etc. So, I turned my focus to kutcheris instead.”īut the drummer did not shut the film industry away. “My brother told me not to get stuck with one music director. He says his brother, once again, was the one who guided him.
Rakesh Raj made a crucial decision when he was taking baby steps in his professional career. I told my brother about my wish and he put me on the right path,” says the 37-year-old. “The artiste was Gopi and he used to stand out from the singers. It is at a kutcheri that Rakesh found his passion for drums. Although he was busy with work, he used to take me to kutcheris whenever he could,” says Rakesh. “For sure, my brother Shruthi Raj is my guru. Rakesh has two siblings, Sohini Raj and Shruthi Raj, with Shruthi being in the industry from 1988.
Do you know that Ilayaraja sang for my father before his first film came out in 1973? He did not sing for anybody else later, except maybe for his son.” News Today caught up with Rakesh not because his father was famous but because he is rising in stature in his own right.īut being the loving son to his late father, Rakesh Raj starts off saying, “My father worked with almost every notable musician in the film industry. K R Rakesh Raj, a drummer, is the son of Kannur Rajan, a noted music composer in the Malayalam film industry, who has more than 300 films under his belt. One is that his children capitalise on his fame and make merry or get lost under the radar, having failed to overcome their father’s might. Chennai: Two things most probably happen when one’s father is a famous musician.