Director Jayaraj liked the lullaby from Kilukkam so much that he wanted to work with its music director for his film, Paithrukam.
“I thought Kilukil pambaram was a great melody and felt S.P. Venkatesh was the ideal choice for Paithrukam, which had a big scope for music,” Jayaraj told The Hindu. “I always liked working with him, and he would come up with his tunes really quickly on his harmonium, with his assistant accompanying him on dholak.”
Arguably the best song Venkatesh composed in Malayalam is the song set in Raga Anandabhairavi,Valkannezhuthiya makara nilavil. “He would usually give several tunes to choose from, but for this particular song, he didn’t have to, as I liked the first one itself,” Jayaraj recalled. “I thought Bombay Jayashree’s song in Paithrukam, Neelanjanappoovin, was also a brilliant composition, just perfect for the situation.”
Venkatesh won the Kerala State Film Award for that film. “He was overjoyed when he got the award,” said Jayaraj. “Remember, that was the year when many films like Manichithrathazhu were in competition.”
He said Ventakesh was hurt that he had not been given the credit for his song Shanthamee rathriyil (Johnnie Walker) in another Malayalam film recently. “He was hurt that he wasn’t acknowledged,” Jayaraj said. “I wasn’t given credit, either, though I was the director. We are releasing the film, and maybe his last work was the notations he has done for the remastered version.”
Published – February 03, 2026 09:09 pm IST
