Tamil lyricist Vaali cremated

Acclaimed Tamil lyricist Vaali was cremated Friday at the Besant Nagar crematorium here.

He died Thursday following respiratory problems. He was 82. He is survived by his son Balaji.

On Friday, several members from the Tamil film fraternity paid their last respects to Vaali at his residence.

One of the Tamil cinema's most influential lyricists after Kannadasan, Vaali was born as T.S. Rangarajan. He rechristened himself to Vaali, since he was an ardent fan of artist Mali.

After years of struggle, he wrote his first song in 1958 in the film "Azhagarmalai Kallan", but it was the song "Odivadhu Pol Idai Irukkum" from the film "Idaythil Nee" that gave him much needed recognition.

Since then, he went on to pen the lyrics for over 10,000 songs in a career spanning over five decades.

While he started his career writing songs for thespians such as Sivaji Ganeshan, M.G. Ramachandran and Gemini Ganeshan, Vaali had also penned for younger actors such as Suriya and Dhanush.

In Dhanush-starrer "Mariyaan", which released Friday, Vaali wrote two songs - "Sonapareeya" and "Naetru aval".

Some of his evergreen hits include "Thottal Poo Malurum", "Naan Aanai Ittal", "Moondrezhuthil Yen Moochirukkum" and "Puthiya Vaanam, Puthiya Boomi".

Before turning a lyricist, Vaali worked in All India Radio (AIR) for a brief period. He had also directed plays during his stint with theatre.

He selectively played few roles in Tamil films such as "Sathya", "Hey Ram" and "Parthale Paravasam".

A prolific writer, Vaali had written an autobiography titled "Naanum Indha Nootrandum".