Happy birthday Ilaiyaraaja and Mani Ratnam!

The Ilaiyaraaja - Mani Ratnam combination worked such magic on screen that for a long time they were synonymous with each other. Coincidentally, they also share their birthday -- June 2. Take a trip down memory lane and celebrate their films which created magic.

Pallavi Anu Pallavi

Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut with the mega-hit Kannada film 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi' in 1983. This film was the beginning of Ilaiyaraaja-Mani Ratnam collaboration. The film known for its great compositions starred Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, Kiran Vairale and Lakshmi.​

Pagal Nilavu

Released in 1985, this movie marked the entry of Mani Ratnam into Tamil cinema. Though the film did not do well at the box office, its music, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, was well appreciated.

Unaru

Unaru is a 1984 Malayalam film by Mani Ratnam starring Mohanlal, Sukumaran, Ratheesh, Sabitha Anand, Ashokan and Balan K Nair. 'Theeram Thedi Olam Padi' song with Ilaiyaraaja’s music is always remembered.

Idaya Kovil

A musical love story released in 1985, is known for its popular title track 'Ithayam Oru Kovil'. The movie was also a commercial success.

Mouna Ragam

A story of a young couple in an arranged marriage is beautifully depicted in the film supported by a few breezy numbers by Ilaiyaraaja.

Nayagan

A gangster flick set in Mumbai, the film stands out with the stupendous performance of Kamal Hassan.

Agni Natchathiram

Mani Ratnam's blockbuster film of 1988 had a stellar cast and great music. For the song 'Raja Rajathi Rajan', no string instruments were used by Ilaiyaraaja.

Geethanjali (Idhayathai Thirudathe)

Geethanjali, starring Akkineni Nagarjuna and Girija Shettar, was released in 1989, in Telugu. A dubbed version of the same was made in Tamil with the name 'Idhayathai Thirudathe'.

Anjali

The film is about a family with an autistic child and the challenged faced by them.

Thalapathi

Superstar Rajinikanth plays Surya, a modern-day Karna in the film, which portrays Duryodhana and Karna's relationship. Malayalam star Mammootty's plays Devaraj, a ganglord. The movie celebrated the friendship between the two stars and is considered as one of the best films made about friendship.