No Director has risen to my Level Says Ilayaraja !

06/06/2014

Maestro Ilayaraja, One of the greatest composers in film History is also the first Indian to compose a full symphony. The legendary music director opened up in a recent interview to the Times of India, Here are few excerpts from that interview 

You are very selective about the projects you work on. Yet, the fact that you have chosen to score music for Prakash Raj's films time and again -first Dhoni, now Un Samayal Arayil and later, his next film after this that is being directed by Mahendran -gives one the impression that you have a soft corner for him...

It is not just Prakash Raj, I have a soft corner for everyone. I can say this because even when directors who did not have an identity then approached me, I have worked with them and given them an identity. So, I have a soft corner for everyone. But yes, Prakash has a lot of love and respect for me. He considers me a guide.

It is not just Prakash Raj, but so many others who consider you so. What advise would you like to give them? 

I don't deserve to advise anyone.

Why not? You have achieved so much... 

There is no question of a `why' here.

The entire film industry loves and respects you. In fact, even top directors have such a deep sense of respect and love for you that it borders on fear. Why is this? 

The reason is, they have a very good opinion of themselves, which is why they fear me. For instance, why do you think a director feels shy to approach me? It is because the director wants to decide the music for his film. And he believes that I won't let him do that. `Will it be possible for me to suggest a change to sir?,' is what he thinks. For every film, I get down to the level of the director and score music for them. There hasn't been a director who has risen to my level and extracted work from me.

You have scored music for thousands of songs and have been delivering hit after hit for decades together. Yet, you don't seem to have reached a saturation point. What is the primary reason for this? 

The reason is simple. It is not my property. It is not my mental concept or presentation or for that matter, my effort. It (music) comes all by itself and I give it to others. Only when I harbour the thought that I have accomplished all this will this question of what will I do next arise. I don't have that thought at all. It comes all by itself and therefore, I give it as I receive it.