Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet announced that he is nominating two personalities for the Rajya Sabha. Music composer Ilaiyaraaja and filmmaker Vijayendra Prasad from the South film industry have been nominated.

PM Modi in his tweet for Ilaiyaraaja said, “The creative genius of @ilaiyaraaja Ji has enthralled people across generations. His works beautifully reflect many emotions. What is equally inspiring is his life journey- he rose from a humble background and achieved so much. Glad that he has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha”.

In another tweet, he said, “Shri V. Vijayendra Prasad Garu is associated with the creative world for decades. His works showcase India’s glorious culture and have made a mark globally. Congratulations to him for being nominated to the Rajya Sabha”.

Music director Ilaiyaraaja has performed over 20,000 concerts over his career spanning more than five decades and has written over 8,500 songs that have appeared in close to 1,500 films in nine languages. He has won five National Film Awards, including two for best background score and three for best music direction. He received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, in 2010 and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, in 2018.

Meanwhile, Vijayendra Prasad has done excellent screenwriting for films like the Baahubali series, RRR, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Magadheera, and Mersal. He has announced that he is also working on the Bajrangi Bhaijaan sequel, which stars Salman Khan.