21 May 2023
Hyderabad
Music director Raj, one-half of the formidable Raj-Koti duo, passed away in Hyderabad on Sunday. He was 68. He slipped in the bathroom and subsequently suffered a massive heart attack, leading to his death.
Together with Koti, Raj was instrumental in belting out many super hit soundtracks and singles in late ‘80s and ’90s, while garnering acclaim for redefining contemporary Telugu film music. They were the in-demand composers back in the day. Mozart of Madras, AR Rahman, worked under them for eight years as a keyboard programmer.
Some of their popular albums include Yamudiki Mogudu, Khaidi No 786, Trinetrudu, Lankeshwarudu, Kodama Simham, Shatruvu, Kartavyam, Peddarikam, Bava Bavamaridi, Muta Mestri, Bangaru Bullodu, Mechanic Alludu, Nippu Ravva, Pekata Papa Rao, Maa Voori Maaraju, Govinda Govinda, Hello Brother and Thodi Kodallu. They were feted with Nandi for their compositions for Hello Brother. They composed for about 3,000 songs and lion’s share of them were brought to life by the evergreen playback pair of SP Balasubrahmanyam and KS Chithra.
After parting ways with Koti, Raj was associated with films like Sisindri, Ramudochadu, Mrugam and Sambhavam as a composer, while for Premante Idera, he did the background score. He even played a small role in Mahesh Babu-starrer Takkari Donga.
Raj is survived by wife and three daughters Deepthi, Divya and Swetha. While Divya is an associate director in the industry, Swetha is in Malaysia. She is expected to return to Hyderabad tomorrow. His last rites will be performed at Mahaprasthanam tomorrow.
