Karthik Subbaraj teams up with Ilaiyaraaja for milestone 10th film, shares video

Director Karthik Subbaraj announced his first collaboration with Ilaiyaraaja for his 10th film, with the legendary composer also marking his 1540th project in a career spanning 50 years.

In Short

• Karthik shared glimpses of Ilaiyaraaja composing film's music
• He called it special, having grown up listening to Ilaiyaraaja's music
• This is Karthik's second film without Santhosh Narayanan as composer

Director Karthik Subbaraj has announced a milestone collaboration for his next project. The Retro filmmaker revealed that legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja will compose music for his 10th directorial venture, marking the maestro’s 1540th film. Sharing an announcement video on social media, Karthik also congratulated Ilaiyaraaja on completing 50 years in the film industry, calling the collaboration a special moment in his career.

Sharing the announcement video, Karthik reflected on the significance of the collaboration and wrote, “From growing up with his music, to working with him.” The glimpse featured moments of Ilaiyaraaja in a recording session, composing music and engaging in animated discussions with Karthik Subbaraj and the team. The veteran composer was also seen in a light-hearted mood, sharing cheerful interactions, while the video captured the excitement surrounding the filmmaker’s upcoming project.

The collaboration also marks a notable shift in Karthik Subbaraj’s long-standing creative partnership with composer Santhosh Narayanan, who has scored music for nearly all the filmmaker’s feature films, including Jigarthanda, Mahaan and Retro. The only exception before this was Anirudh Ravichander composing for Rajinikanth’s Petta. With Ilaiyaraaja now joining his 10th directorial, this becomes only the second time Karthik has collaborated with a composer other than Santhosh Narayanan.

Karthik was last seen directing Retro, starring Suriya in the lead role alongside Pooja Hegde. Released earlier this year, the romantic action drama revolved around a former gangster attempting to leave behind his violent past for love, only to be pulled back into conflict. The film opened to mixed reviews but drew praise for Suriya’s performance, stylised storytelling and Santhosh Narayanan’s music.

Meanwhile, Ilaiyaraaja continues to remain one of Indian cinema’s busiest composers even after five decades in the industry. In 2026 alone, the veteran has worked on multiple Tamil projects and is now set to collaborate with a new generation of filmmakers through Karthik Subbaraj’s upcoming film.

Among his anticipated projects is Pocket Novel, directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja and starring Vijay Sethupathi, Raj B. Shetty, Kishore and Malavika Mohanan. The film has generated significant attention since its announcement, making Ilaiyaraaja’s involvement another closely watched collaboration in Tamil cinema.

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