Ilaiyaraaja

About Ilaiyaraaja

Known for his work in the Tamil film business, where he composed over 4500 songs and designed approximately 1000 film scores.

Gnanathesikan, known as Ilaiyaraaja, is an Indian film composer, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, orchestrator, conductor-arranger and lyricist who works in the Indian film industry, predominantly in Tamil. He has also worked in several Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films besides one Marathi film. 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. Reputed to be the world's most prolific composer, he has composed more than 7,000 songs, provided film scores for more than 1,000 movies and performed in more than 20,000 concerts. Ilaiyaraaja is nicknamed "Isaignani" and is often referred to as "Maestro", amongst others by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London. He is known for integrating Indian folk music and traditional Indian instrumentation with western classical music techniques.

Occupation(s)	Film score composer, Lyricist, Music director, Songwriter, Singer, Conductor, Instrumentalist, Arranger, Orchestrator, Film producer
Genres	Film score, world music, classical, oratorio, folk, rock, jazz
Also known as	Ilaiyaraaja, Raja, Maestro, Isaignani
Years active	1976–present
Associated acts	Salil Choudhury, G. K. Venkatesh, M. S. Viswanathan, John Scott, Yuvan Shankar Raja
Born	June 02, 1943, Pannaipuram, Theni, Madras Presidency, British India
Instruments	Vocals (playback singing), guitar, keyboard, harmonium, flute, organ, piano, violin, cello
Birth name	R. Gnanathesikan

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Trivia

He was presented with the NTR National Award in 2004, an honor given to individuals for their achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.

Ilaiyaraaja before fame

He received a Gold medal in Classical Guitar at the Trinity College of Music in London, where he studied.

Achievement of Ilaiyaraaja

In 2004, he received the NTR National Award, which recognizes persons who have made significant contributions to the Indian cinema industry.

Salary 2020

Not known

Net Worth 2020

Undisclosed

Ilaiyaraaja family life

He was born in the Indian city of Pannaipuram. Before his wife passed away in 2011, he married Jeeva and they had three children together.

Associations of Ilaiyaraaja

Both he and Anthony Glise, a musician, were outstanding classical guitarists.

Ilaiyaraaja Height, Weight & Physique Measurements

Weight	60 kg
Height	162 cm
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Grey (semi bald)