A precursor to Ilaiyaraaja’s biopic

Before they knew his face, they knew his music — a three-minute tribute video celebrating 50 years of Ilaiyaraaja’s music — will be released on Saturday (May 16, 2026). The release, marking the 50^th anniversary of the Tamil movie Annakili, which showcased the talents of the King of Music, has been produced by Mercuri.

Beginning with the humming of the song Annakili Unnai Theduthey in the voice of S. Janaki, the video captures the magic created by Ilaiyaraaja’s music. “It could be a precursor to the biopic of Ilaiyaraaja,” said Mr. Sriram of Mercuri.

He said no one knew Ilaiyaraaja’s face then, though people were captivated by his music. “There was a huge demand for the LP record, which witnessed record sales. In many places, fans queued up to buy the records, and the video captures those moments that went down in the history of music,” he said.

Before the arrival of Annakili and the songs of Ilaiyaraaja, Hindi songs were more popular in Tamil Nadu. “Ilaiyaraaja changed everything overnight. Tamil film songs drew the attention of the Hindi film world,” he said.

What is interesting is that when Ilaiyaraaja once went to a shop selling LP records, no one recognised him. “Instead, the crowd was after a boy who had bought the record. But gradually, he became the face of Tamil cinema,” he said.

The video features a young Ilaiyaraaja, from 1976, combining the real-life musician with AI-generated imagery.