Dhanush to play Maestro Illayaraaja onscreen?

Although there is no official confirmation yet, interesting news is making the rounds. National award-winning actor Dhanush is reportedly planning to play a titular role in the biopic of legendary composer Illayaraaja. It would be one of the much-awaited films and it is expected to begin shooting in 2024.

“llayaraaja is very popular g among Telugu music lovers for his mellifluous songs and foot-tapping numbers and his biopic will trigger interest among Telugu film viewers too,” says a source, who claims that the music wizard had composed 8000 songs in varied languages including Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada to carve a niche for himself in the Indian film industry. “He has a big connection with Telugu filmmakers and composed music for stars like Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Balakrishna, and others. He belted out memorable chartbusters and soothing melodies to enthrall fans of respective stars,” he points out.

He teamed up with legendary directors like K Vishwanath (Sagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam), Kodandarami Reddy (Abhilasha and Kondaveeti Donga), K Raghavendra Rao(Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari) and Vamsi (Sithara and Anveshana) to mention a few and delivered biggest musical hits from 70s to 90’s to be hailed a legend for his variety in music compositions. “The photo of Illayaraja on movie posters spelled box office magic. He became closer to even new generation music buffs since his tunes in his latest Tamil dubbed film ‘Vidhuthala’ won appreciation” he informs.

Similarly, Dhanush is very popular among Telugu viewers with hits like ‘Raghuvaran B. Tech,” Asuran’, ‘Maari’ and ‘Sir’ and praised for his scintillating performances. “His upcoming film ‘Captain Miller’ is a much-awaited film. He is a very good actor and also impresses with his star-centric movies” he concludes.