EXCLUSIVE: "At around 11 PM, they would call" - Lyricist Ilango Krishnan explains working with A.R. Rahman in Ponniyin Selvan!

Ponniyin Selvan is a two-part film that created a huge excitement among fans. The film is called the Magnum Opus of Mani Ratnam and many leading talents in the film industry joined on-screen and on the technical side in making the celebrated flick. It has Music composed by A.R. Rahman. The songs from the first and the second part were chart toppers even before the release of the film. Most of the songs had lyrics penned by Ilango Krishnan. The lyricist has received huge praise from fans for the use of the Tamil works that rhyme, is understandable and still reminds us of ancient times that epic movie is set it in around the Chola empire. 

The lyricist gave an exclusive interview to Galatta Media recently and shared some interesting details about working with Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman. As A.R. Rahman is known for working on his tunes at night, the interviewer asked the lyricist Ilango Krishnan if he has got a call late at night from A.R. Rahman. The Lyricist said “It has happened, It was not that late at night. But around 11 pm, they would call. A phone call would come from a P.A. or any of his assistants. I would attend it thinking it was only them. They would pass on the phone saying sir wants to talk. He would then talk about it saying Mani sir is near me, we were recording a song, that's why I called you, Shall we do it. Then, he will say the tune. I would say some dummy words. They won’t fit the tune and they would say 'ok I don't want to stress you so much. We were just excited after we finished composing and called you'. He would say 'ok good, let's talk in the morning' and then I will finish the work in the morning." Here's his full interview: