Ilaiyaraaja Says He Is Deeply Missing His Longtime Friend

June 4th is a special date for film folks. It marks the birth date of legendary personalities Director Mani Ratnam, Ilaiyaraaja and Late SP Balasubrahmanyam. Long-time colleagues and friends SP Balasubrahmanyam and Ilaiyaraaja have delivered a plethora of chartbusters that would stand the test of time. The legendary singer passed away in 2020 as Covid worsened his existent health complications.

On his 77th birth anniversary of SPB on June 4th, as he is fondly called among his fans and in tinseltown. In remembrance of SPB, Ilaiyaraaja wrote on his social media handle that the singer will always be in his memories and that he is missing him.

The duo have delivered numerous classica in their combination in Telugu and Tamil. Prominent among the several accolades he received, SPB was posthumously conferred a Padma Vibhushan in 2021. He has won six National Film Awards, once for Tamil ('Thanga Thamarai' in Minsaara Kanavu), thrice for Telugu, and once each for Hindi and Kannada.

It is worth noting that Ilaiyaraaja lit a 'Moksha Deepam' at Tiruvannamalai which is a ritual performed for a departed soul after the demise of SP Balasubrahmanyam.