India’s veteran music maestro Ilayaraja began an unseemly controversy during the audio launch of the Tamil version of Malayalam super hit Pazhassi Raja by lashing out at Malayalam lyricist and poet O.N.V. Kurup, saying that he was not satisfied with ONV's lyrics.

Ilayaraja's remark came in the backdrop that the music of Pazhassi Raja did not go the way that it was expected, though the movie clicked. The music maestro said that though he gave five to six tunes for the song 'Aadhiushassandhya Poothathivide', ONV was not able to pen fitting lyrics for them.

"Three months later, director Hariharan came to me with this ONV song and asked me to score the music. The lyrics had the rhythm of a march past and that was not what I intended," Ilaiyaraja said. He also said that he did compose the tunes, but couldn't match them with the lyrics. So he had to alter the music to suit the lyrics given by ONV.

Poet ONV has not yet commented on this issue. Meanwhile, Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby on Friday defended poet O.N.V. Kurup against music maestro Ilayaraja’s criticism that ONV’s lyrics did not capture the desired mood. "Vayalar, P. Bhaskaran and ONV are poets who took Malayalam film songs to a higher level of creativity. Has Ilayaraja forgotten all that?" the Minister asked.