Rajinikanth says Ilaiyaraaja did not shed tears even for family, cried after SP Balasubrahmanyam died despite suing him

The friendship between Ilaiyaraaja and SP Balasubrahmanyam hit a nerve when the composer sued the singer over his songs. Here's what Rajinikanth said about it.

If there’s one famous fallout between friends, it has to be when music composer Ilaiyaraaja sued SP Balasubrahmanyam and a few other singers for performing his songs at concerts without paying him royalties. The two buried the hatchet in 2019, a year before SPB died. At the 50th Golden Jubilee Celebrations for Ilaiyaraaja in Chennai, Rajinikanth revealed that the composer broke down after the singer died.

SP Balasubrahmanyam and Ilaiyaraaja were friends for years before the composer sued the singer in 2017.

Rajinikanth on Ilaiyaraaja crying after SPB’s death

Rajinikanth mentioned at the event that Ilaiyaraaja went to court to fight for rights over the songs he had composed. “SP Balasubrahmanyam went to America for a concert. Swami (Ilaiyaraaja) said he is singing my songs; he cannot, the law is the same for everyone. SPB got upset and decided to stop singing his songs.”

The Tamil star mentioned that SPB and Vivek’s deaths are two of the film industry’s biggest losses, stating that Ilaiyaraaja was heartbroken when the singer died. He said, “No one can take their place. When SPB died from Covid, he (Ilaiyaraaja) did not shed tears for his brother, his wife, or his daughter. His tears were shed for his friend.”

About Ilaiyaraaja’s family

For the uninitiated, Ilaiyaraaja was married to Jeeva Rajayya, and they had three children together—Karthik Raja, Bhavatharini, and Yuvan Shankar Raja. Jeeva died in October 2011, and his daughter, Bhavatharini, died of cancer in January 2024. His brother, Gangai Amaran, and he were not on talking terms for more than a decade until they reconciled in 2022. Karthik and Yuvan are also music composers.

Ilaiyawaaja continues to fight for the rights of his songs. Despite being Rajinikanth’s friend, he sent a legal notice to the producers of his recent film Coolie, Sun Pictures, for using his composition in the promotional song Coolie Disco. He has also sent legal notices to the producers of Manjummel Boys and Good Bad Ugly in recent times over his songs.