Writing a song for Ilaiyaraaja sir’s music is one of the greatest opportunities I’ve ever had – Keeravani at the “Shashtipoorthi” teaser launch!

‘Shashtipoorthi’ is an upcoming film under the banner of Maa Aayi Productions, produced by Rupesh Choudhary and directed by Pavan Prabha. The film features Rupesh and Akanksha Singh in the lead roles, along with veteran actors Rajendra Prasad and Archana (the iconic couple from Ladies Tailor) in key roles. One of the major highlights of this film is that the legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja has composed its music. Preparations are underway to release the movie soon.

The teaser launch event for Shashtipoorthi took place on Saturday at RK Cine Max in Hyderabad. Music director M.M. Keeravani, who penned the lyrics for the song “Yedo Yedeedo…” from the film, attended the event alongside maestro Ilaiyaraaja. The teaser was officially launched by Ilaiyaraaja himself.

Director Pavan Prabha, DOP Ram, production designer Thota Tharani, editor Karthik Srinivas, lyricist Chaitanya Prasad, actors Rupesh, Akanksha Singh, Keeravani, Rajendra Prasad, and Ilaiyaraaja were among those who graced the occasion.

Cinematographer Ram said, “It’s a great privilege to work with such legends.”

Lyricist Chaitanya Prasad shared, “This film is very special to me. I’ve written many songs for Keeravani sir, but I always had a dream to write at least one song for Ilaiyaraaja sir. Shashtipoorthi gave me the opportunity to write three songs. Director Pavan Prabha and producer Rupesh worked incredibly hard. The song that Keeravani sir wrote came out like magic — he wrote it within 20 minutes! I sincerely wish for this film’s success.”

Director Pavan Prabha said, “It’s truly a blessing that such great personalities are working on my film. I feel lucky.”

Lead actress Akanksha Singh added, “This movie has been a wonderful experience. Sharing the stage with such legends and having them work on this film is a dream come true. This movie, filled with all nine rasas (emotions), will be a matter of pride for us.”

Production designer Thota Tharani said, “The entire unit worked really hard. I enjoyed working on this project and I believe the film will be a big success.”

Actor-producer Rupesh remarked, “Working with such legendary figures is a huge fortune. My sincere thanks to everyone.”

Keeravani reflected, “I wrote the lines for a song in this movie that goes —
‘Yedo ye janmalodo ee parichayam… Needo, neevalla nado ee paravasam. Ragam needai, pallavi nadai, charanam charanam kalisina vela… payanaalu ye Himalayalako…’
Usually, we write songs based on the situations the director provides, tailored to the characters and story. But this song not only suited the film, it also connected to my own life. I’ve always been an ardent fan of K.V. Mahadevan sir. During my college days, I heard a violin piece from the film Yugandhar, which turned me into a devoted fan of Ilaiyaraaja sir. When I later visited Madras, I would look at his house in awe.
There’s a song called “Keeravani” from the film Anveshana. Vijayendra Prasad once asked me to try composing something like that, and I doubted if I could ever reach that level. Later, through Chakravarthy sir, I had the fortune of being introduced to Veturi sir, who in turn helped me meet Ilaiyaraaja sir.
Eventually, I was invited as a guest to the Anumanaspadam audio function, and over time, I had several chances to interact with him. For the first two years of my career, I was deeply influenced by Ilaiyaraaja sir’s music. I always wanted to sing to his music — though that never happened, now I had the rare chance to write a song for it. I even got to sit beside him. This song isn’t just another film song for me — it reflects my long-standing connection with him. I thank Rupesh and Pavan for giving me this opportunity, and special thanks to Chaitanya Prasad for being the bridge between us.”

Veteran actor Rajendra Prasad shared, “I used to call Ilaiyaraaja sir Swami. His music turned many into heroes. My first film with his music was Preminchu Pelladu. After that film, I was so depressed that I considered ending my life. But Ladies Tailor revived me. If that film hadn’t worked, I don’t know where I’d be today. That movie became a hit solely because of Ilaiyaraaja’s music. When he saw the double positive result of Ladies Tailor, he said, ‘Only if Rajendra Prasad acts, I will do the re-recording.’ I was injured during the shoot but still went to meet him. He saw me and called me ‘Raa’ and said, ‘You acted very well. Let’s see who wins — your acting or my background score.’ He made me sit in the theater and did the re-recording.
It brings me great joy that my Swami is composing music for my film once again. And if Keeravani sir has written a song for this film, that alone speaks volumes. I’ve shared a great bond with Keeravani sir too. His 100th film was my Rambantu. I may not have celebrated a Shashtipoorthi in real life, but I’m experiencing it in my acting career. I’ve played a wonderful role in this film. The film feels like a painting, thanks to Padma Shri Thota Tharani and cinematographer Ram. This film has all the values Telugu cinema needs.”
Rajendra Prasad bowed at Ilaiyaraaja’s feet during the event.

Ilaiyaraaja concluded, “Rajendra Prasad asked, ‘Are you still doing music at this age?’ — Shouldn’t I? Is it wrong to still compose at this age? There used to be a group — this fellow (referring to Rajendra Prasad), Vamsy, and others — who used to hang out in front of my composing room, creating a ruckus.
I didn’t come here to speak much. There’s nothing more to say. You’ve heard the music I’ve done for this film, you’re going to hear more, and you’ll keep hearing it — that’s my confidence.
When I heard the lines Keeravani wrote, I understood the deep emotional bond he holds for me. His admiration has never wavered — not before he became a composer, nor after.
May God bless this film and everyone who worked on it. I hope they attain lasting fame.
If someone asks me which of my thousands of songs I like the most… I say, ‘One? Two?’ It’s not important how much music I know. What matters is how music knows me. I don’t know how music flows out of me. The moment I figure that out, I’ll stop making music. I pray to God that I never find out.
I rarely attend audio functions, but I came for Shashtipoorthi because it’s a film by newcomers making their debut. I came here to encourage them.”
Several attendees at the event expressed their heartfelt desire to see Ilaiyaraaja honored with the Bharat Ratna.