Veteran Tamil film lyricist Padma Shri Vaali died at a private hospital in Chennai on Thursday evening. He was 82. Vaali wrote more than 10,000 Tamil songs in a career spanning over six decades. Vaali, whose real name is TS Rangarajan, has been known for his fighting spirit.
Vaali was born to Srinivasa Iyengar and Ponnammal in Srirangam on October 29, 1931 and came to Chennai in the 1950s seeking an opportunity in Kollywood. Vaali also acted in a few movies including veteran K Balachander-directed Poikal Kuthirai and Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram. The break came in 1958 and he wrote his first song for the film Azhagarmalai Kallan. The first film he wrote for MGR was Nallavan Vaazhvaan and the dialogues were penned by former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai.
A prolific writer, he had penned the biographies of Rama (Avathara Purushan), Krishna (Krishna Vijayam) and Ramanuja (Ramanuja Kaviyam) in verse form. Pandavar Bhoomi is Mahabharatha in modern verse. His latest work was the biography of Srimad Azhagiyasingar, the 45th Jeer of the Ahobila Mutt.
