In recent years, Ilayaraja and Yuvan collaborated on the music for Vijay Sethupathi’s ‘Maamanithan.’
It all began with Ilaiyaraaja’s foreword to the book, Ambedkar and Modi: Reformers Ideas, Performers Implementation.
Looks like the father and son duo of Ilaiyaraja and Yuvan Shankar Raja are not on the same page as far as political ideologies are concerned. A recent post by Yuvan Shankar has hinted that he is distancing himself from his father’s support for the right-wing ruling BJP party. The post comes amid the already existing controversy over Ilaiyaraja’s recent statements likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the father of the Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar. Yuvan Shankar has posted a picture of himself in a black t-shirt and lungi with the caption, “Dark Dravidian Proud Tamizhan”.
It all began with Ilaiyaraaja’s foreword to the book, Ambedkar and Modi: Reformers Ideas, Performers Implementation. He wrote, “Both these striking personalities succeeded against odds that people from socially disempowered sections of the society face. Both saw poverty and stifling social structures from close quarters and worked to dismantle them, but both are also practical men who believe in action rather than mere thought exercises”.
He also praised the BJP’s abolition of triple talaq and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao movement, adding that Ambedkar would be proud of Modi. Adding to this controversy, fans have dug out an old interview of Ilaiyaraja in which he is saying that Hindi is apt for composing music, adding that it had more variations and aesthetic sense than Tamil.
This statement seems to be in tandem with Amit Shah’s recent speech where he said Hindi should be made the national language and that people from non-Hindi speaking states should converse in Hindi instead of English. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s post seems to be a retaliation to both Amit Shah’s attempt at Hindi imposition as well as his father’s affinity towards Hindi over Tamil. The BJP has been campaigning against Dravidian policies in Tamil Nadu. While father Ilayaraja has backed its main leader Narendra Modi, son Yuvan Shankar Raja has expressed support for Dravidian policies.
In recent years, Ilayaraja and Yuvan collaborated on the music for Vijay Sethupathi’s ‘Maamanithan.’
