National Award-Winning Singer and Ilaiyaraaja’s Daughter Bhavatharani Passes Away

Prominent singer daughter Bhavatharani passed away on January 25. The singer had reportedly gone to Sri Lanka to treat an ailment and breathed her last while undergoing the treatment. She was reportedly suffering from cancer.

Bhavatharani was known for her collaborations with her father, legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja. She made her debut as a singer in the film Raasaiyya (1995), which starred Prabhu Deva and Roja. She rendered the song ‘Masthana Masthana’, a peppy romantic dance number in the film. One of her most popular songs in her career has been the soulful track ‘Mayil Pola Ponnu Onnu.’ Composed by Ilaiyaraja, the song was from the film Bharathi (2000), which was a biopic on the noted poet Subramania Bharathi. The song won Bhavatharani a National Film Award.

Bhavatharani has collaborated on many tracks with her father, as well as with her brothers Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja. She turned music director with the Shobhana starrer Mitr, My Friend (2002). The film was directed by Revathy, in her directorial debut and was co-written by Sudha Kongara. She collaborated with Revathy again on the film Phir Milenge as an additional composer along with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and Nikhil-Vinay. One of her last songs was the Yuvan Shankar Raja composition 'Meherezylaa' from Silambarasan TR's Maanaadu (2021).

Bhavatharani is survived by her husband R. Sabariraj. The news of her demise brought messages from the Tamil film industry, with celebrities such as Bharathiraja, Silambarasan TR and Chinmayi Sripaada taking to Twitter to express their condolences. Chief Minister MK Stalin released a statement expressing his sadness about the noted singer’s passing.