BY CHRISTA LINCY
Anirudh Ravichander recently took to social media to share a heartfelt note regarding his decade-long collaboration with Actor Vijay. Following the release of Jana Nayagan, the composer reflected on a journey that began in 2014, expressing gratitude for the unlimited trust placed in him across five major projects. This partnership has consistently redefined the landscape of Tamil film music, setting streaming benchmarks that have proven difficult to surpass.
The journey started with the 2014 film Kaththi, a project that effectively launched this musical duo. At a time when internet penetration in South India was still in its developing stages, the song Selfie Pulla achieved what was then an unprecedented feat by crossing 1 million views in less than 24 hours. This success was not just professional but personal; as it was Vijay's first film to officially cross the 100 Crore mark, the actor gifted Anirudh a piano that the composer still uses today. Anirudh has often noted that he performs a specific ritual called the Director's Test on this instrument, where he plays new tunes for directors without any production to see if the core melody stands on its own before proceeding with the arrangement.This initial success established a template for their future collaborations, where every album became a calculated attempt to break existing digital records.
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By the time Master was released in 2021, the scale of their reach had expanded globally. The track Kutti Story recorded 9 million views and 1 million likes within its first day, making it the third most-viewed video on YouTube worldwide for that date. The album also produced Vaathi Coming, which has since safely crossed the 400 million views milestone, becoming a staple in the dance-pop genre. This era signaled a shift where their music was no longer just local hits but international trending topics.
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The momentum continued with Beast in 2022, which saw the release of Arabic Kuthu. This track remains a significant industry benchmark, hitting 100 million views in just 12 days. On its first day alone, it peaked at 23.7 million views on YouTube. This was followed by Leo in 2023, where Naa Ready became a streaming titan. The song registered over 16.5 million views locally in 24 hours and maintained a dominant presence on audio platforms like Spotify, demonstrating a long-term listening trend beyond the initial viral surge.
The final chapter, Jana Nayagan, served as a high-stakes finale that broke both financial and musical records. The audio rights for the film were acquired by T-Series for a reported 35 crore, currently the highest ever for a Tamil film album. Musically, the album bridged traditional elements with global trends by collaborating with hip-hop sensation Hanumankind, who recently gained international fame with the hit Big Dawgs. While the tribute track Thalapathy Kacheri gained rapid traction with 10 million real-time views, the second single, Oru Pere Varalaaru, set a new career peak for the duo by accumulating 26 million views in its first 24 hours.
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The emotional weight of this farewell was most visible during the Malaysia audio launch, titled Thalapathy Thiruvizha. The event drew a record-breaking crowd of over 100,000 attendees, earning a spot in The Malaysia Book of Records for the highest attendance at an event in the country. The night featured a rare, emotional surprise performance by Vijay's mother, Shobha Chandrasekhar, who sang the hit Kodambakkam Area, bringing a familial touch to the superstar's final musical outing. This transition from digital records to physical ground-level engagement highlights the scale of influence this duo maintained over their decade-long run.
As the partnership concludes, Anirudh's standing in the music industry is at an all-time high. By July 2026, he has surged past 14.9 billion streams on Spotify, solidifying his rank as India's third most-streamed artist, trailing only Arijit Singh and Pritam. He currently holds a global artist ranking of 198, a position largely bolstered by this era-defining collaboration with Actor Vijay.
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It has been a thoroughly amazing and emotional journey with you through JanaNayagan, Leo, Beast, Master and Kaththi 📈Thank you @actorvijay sir for the unlimited trust and memories that I will cherish forever 🤗The music lives on ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kt9On6Ms1L— Anirudh Ravichander (@anirudhofficial) July 27, 2026
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