Ramanaidu once revealed Ilaiyaraaja was his favorite composer

Legendary producer D. Ramanaidu, who holds the distinction of producing films in multiple Indian languages and earned a place in the Guinness World Records for producing the highest number of films by an individual, worked with almost every leading music director during his illustrious career.

From K.V. Mahadevan and Chakravarthy to Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman, many legendary composers scored music for films produced under the Suresh Productions banner. But Ramanaidu once revealed that Ilaiyaraaja was his favorite among them all.

Recalling their association in an interview, Ramanaidu said he shared a special bond with the maestro.

“I was one of the very few producers whom Ilaiyaraaja allowed to sit in his composing room while he worked on tunes. That privilege was rarely given to anyone. He delivered some of his finest music for our films like Prema and Bobbili Raja. He was my favorite music director, though I also shared a wonderful relationship with K.V. Mahadevan and Chakravarthy,” he said.

Today, Suresh Productions is headed by his elder son D. Suresh Babu, while his younger son Venkatesh remains one of Telugu cinema’s biggest stars. His grandson Rana Daggubati is also carrying forward the family’s rich cinematic legacy.