Ilaiyaraaja

Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesigan in 1943) is a legendary Indian film composer, arranger, and playback singer, best known for his work in Tamil cinema but also hugely influential in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Over a career of nearly five decades, he’s scored more than 1,500 films and composed over 8,000 songs, blending Indian classical, folk, and Western classical orchestration in a way nobody else had done before. He’s a recipient of multiple National Film Awards and top Indian civilian honours like the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, and since 2022 he has also served as a nominated Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.