Director Pa Ranjith opened up about what Ilaiyaraaja and his songs mean to him in a recent conversation published on his Neelam Social YouTube channel. In the interview, he is seen conversing with Carnatic musician Sanjay Subramanyam.
Pa Ranjith revealed that he always tears up while listening to Ilaiyaraaja's songs, even if they were not necessarily melancholic. "When I listen to Yuvan Shankar Raja's songs, I experience romance and love. But when I listen to Ilaiyaraaja's songs, they only make me cry. Even if it is a fun song, I end up with tears. For instance, the 'Aracha Sandhanam' song is a very happy track, and yet the moment I think about it, my eyes start to water," he explained.
Further, the Kaala director described Ilaiyaraaja's musical journey as a revolution. He said, "Raja Sir is known for changing the definition of music and taking it to common people. That is a musical revolution, one he managed to achieve without any kind of noise or protest. Today he says, 'Even if I walk, it is a great achievement.' That's absolutely true. We can keep looking at him go about his day, standing, sitting, and walking. Even his photo or portrait is so powerful."
Pa Ranjith's conversation comes even as audiences have begun asking the filmmaker when he will collaborate with Ilaiyaraaja. This comes on the heels of Mari Selvaraj's announcement of his sixth directorial, Manjanathi, which will have music by Ilaiyaraaja.
On the work front, Pa Ranjith, who last made Thangalaan, is working on Vettuvam. The film stars Arya, VR Dinesh and Sobhita Dhulipala in lead roles and is currently in post-production. Meanwhile, he also announced Sarpatta Parambarai 2 but has not given any updates about the film.
Apart from Manjanathi, Ilaiyaraaja has also joined hands with Thiagarajan Kumararaja for Pocket Novel and with Karthik Subbaraj for his 10th directorial.
