MK Arjunan was 84.
Malayalam music composer MK Arjunan passed away in Kochi on Monday morning. He was 84.
Popularly known as Arjunan Master, Arjunan began his music career by scoring tunes for plays. And gradually he ventured into the film industry and made a name for himself as “The Master of Melodies.” He made his debut with Karutha Pournami in 1968, and he never looked back. In a career spanning over 50 years, Arjunan composed many timeless Malayalam songs. He scored music for more than 300 plays and 200 movies in his long and highly successful career.
Despite giving Malayalam cinema some of its finest tunes, MK Arjunan did not receive recognition in terms of awards for the majority of his career. Finally, he was awarded the Kerala State Film Award in 2017 for his work in director Jayaraj’s Bhayanakam.
Arjunan Master also gave the first break to music greats like AR Rahman and KJ Yesudas. He recorded the first song sung by Yesudas, and gave a young Rahman the first opportunity to play keyboard in his band.
The members of the music fraternity and Malayalam film industry are mourning the demise of MK Arjunan.
“My heartfelt condolences …. many of your tunes are etched in my memory, your artistry has shaped up many generations of music lovers! Your absence is a vacuum…. RIP (sic),” tweeted Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor wrote on Twitter, “MK Arjunan, legendary musician who is said to have gifted @arrahman his first harmonium, & a longtime resident of Thiruvananthapuram, passes away at 84: end of a Golden Age.”
Due to the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, many have already expressed regret that they won’t be able to pay their respects in person to the legendary music composer.