Ilaiyaraja was launched by this producer in 1976

Lyricist and writer Panchu Arunachalam (1941-2016) is a leading name in Tamil cinema and had a very notable phase of his career ongoing in the mid-1970s. He was a writer for over 100 films and his lyrics adorned over 200 films released during that period and later.

The best point about his filmi tenure was that he was responsible for introducing Ilaiyaraja into the Tamil cinema world. The year was 1976 and the film was 'Annakkili' whose songs are top-of-the-mind recall even today, four decades later. Between 1977-1994, in around 20 films he featured the top stars of the era like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, K Bhagyaraj, Sivakumar and many more.

In 1999, he gave a stable slot to the upcoming pair of Suriya and Jyothika with his film 'Poovellam Kettupaar' with its music set to tune by Yuvan Shankar Raja. This was the trendsetter in a way as the lead pair went on to act together in seven films, culminating in their marriage in 2006.

Today is Panchu Arunachalam's 79th birth anniversary.