Ilaiyaraaja's condolence message on Manobala death draws netizens' ire

Ilaiyaraaja's condolence message for the late actor-director Manobala has attracted criticism from the netizens. Manobala died on May 3 in Chennai. In a now-deleted video on Instagram, Ilaiyaraaja could be heard saying, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Manobala, who had a great deal of respect and regard for me.”

“From the time he began as a journalist and then worked as an assistant to director Bharathiraaja before he became a director himself, he met with me in all these periods of his life. Of the many directors who used to wait on Kodambakkam Bridge to see me when I’m passing by in my car, knowing beforehand when I would leave home and cross the bridge, Manobala is one. Even after becoming an actor and a director he would come to me now and then talk about all the things happening in the cinema world during my recording sessions. This brought me happiness.” Check out the viral video here:

Soon after Ilaiyaraaja shared the video, internet users called him out for being 'insensitive'. A Twitter user wrote, “Mr.Ilayaraja - As a fan, I love your music and admire your talent. But as a human being, I think you are just self centered, egoistic and lacking in decency. RIP Manobala.” Another user wrote, “Sir, everything is right. But you don't know what respect is. This is how you get old.”  “Please control your arrogance Ilayaraja, what you are saying is a condolence message,” wrote another Twitter user. Check out the comments below: 

All About Manobala

Manobala, a comedian, director and producer, died in Chennai on May 3. He was reportedly suffering from pancreatic issues and was being treated. The late Tamil star was known for his work in films Pillai Nila, Oorkavalan, En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan and Dhoorathu Pachai, to name a few. He worked with major stars in the industry, including Rajinikanth, Sathyaraj, Dhanish, Thalapathy Vijay, Kamal Haasan, Suriya and more.

All About Ilaiyaraaja

Ilaiyaraaja, referred to as Maestro, is known for composing over 7,000 songs in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies. He has composed songs in movies such as Custody, Thamezharasan, Thupparivaalan 2, Oh Saathi Chal, Music School and many more. Ilaiyaraaja rose to fame when Annakili released in 1976, the music became a huge hit.