Ilayaraja's love ballads inspire fiction

By N Vinoth Kumar 

Published: 03rd June 2013 

Mesmerising is the music of maestro Ilayaraja and more so in the case of his compositions on love in all its dimensions. No wonder an acclaimed short-story writer, known for his passionate treatment of love, has paid a tribute by bringing in the persona of the legendary composer with his songs assuming the role of a living character.

Published in Ananda Vikatan, a popular Tamil weekly barely a week ahead of Ilayaraja’s 70th birthday, the piece has gone viral among his fans. For, this is the first time that the work of a contemporary musician has entered the literary domain.

Interestingly, four noted poets-cum-lyricists – Mu Metha, Na Muthukumar, Snehan and Ilaya Kamban — had a lively discussion on the short story, the YouTube version of which is to be uploaded on the official website of the maestro. This is probably the first time that a short story has received such attention and no award could equal the tribute of fans and admirers.

Titiled, Ilayaraja, the story penned by G R Surendarnath, narrates the life of a man addicted to the maestro’s music and the problems that he faces in wedlock.

Speaking to City Express, Mu Metha said, “A living character cannot be praised even in a story and that has been the tradition of the Tamil literary world. But, this story is a break in that tradition and evokes awe and respect to a music legend. In order to take it to a wider audience, we have decided to upload the discussion on it on YouTube.”

The protagonist Vinod, a project engineer, falls in love with Jessy, his colleague at his office as both are hooked to Ilayaraja’s music. The Cupid-struck pair unfortunatley do not get their happy ending due to circumstances and the maestro’s songs turn out to be the target of Vinod’s new wife’s (Nandhini) ire  when she learns of his past affair. So much so, that she bans all Ilayaraja tunes at their house!  Throughout the story, the author uses the hugely popular numbers scored by Ilayaraja such as Mayanginen solla thayanginen, Vaanuyarndha solai ellam and the most recent song, Ennodu vaa vaa endru solla maten.

G R Surendarnath, who is known for his love stories, said, “Ilayaraja has been the king of love songs right from his debut film Annakili in the 70’s to till date. Those who are in the age group of 35 to 40 and even youth of today are captivated by his music. For me, it is his songs which stimulate my creativity whenever I sit down to write stories”. He has four collections of short stories including much acclaimed works such as Kamalhaasanum Kaalimuthuvum, Theera Kaadhal, Devadhaiyai Thedi and Kaadhal Kaatru and one novella collection Siragukal Mulaikkum Vayadhil to his credit.

“Ilayaraja too liked the story,” exclaims the author, who learnt it from Metha. Well, a meeting point for the fan and the icon!

Courtesy: The New Indian Express

Painting Courtesy: Ananda Vikatan, Artist Shyam