<p>Ilaiyaraaja, widely regarded as one of the greatest music composers in Indian cinema, has enthralled music lovers across industries with his enviable body of work. On Wednesday, as the maestro turns a year older, here is a look at five facts you most probably did not know about the legend.</p>.<p><strong>Learnt from the best</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja honed his skills by working as an assistant to Bollywood legend Salil Chowdhury, who composed music for classics such as <em>Anand </em>and <em>Chhoti Si Baat</em>. The seasoned music director was quite impressed by his skills and had once remarked that the then-newcomer would have a successful career, a prophecy that proved to be true. 'Isaignani' also shared a good professional rapport with Sandalwood icon G K Vemkatesh.</p>.<p><strong>A genius</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja usually works at a lightning pace and is known for wrapping up projects in record time. Director R Balki once told Galatta that the veteran composed the popular song <em>Piddly </em>from <em>Shamitabh </em>in three seconds, which is something only a genius can do. He also composed the entire soundtrack of <em>Thalapathi </em>in 45 minutes.</p>.<p><strong>Not the first choice for 'Hey Ram'</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja's music was an integral part of Kamal Haasan's magnum opus <em>Hey Ram</em> and added depth to the already gripping narrative. While everyone is aware of its legacy, not many know that the <em>Cheeni Kum</em> composer wasn't the original choice for the biggie. Kamal roped in violinist L Subramaniam to do the honours but he left the project after most of the sequences had been shot. 'Ulaga Nayagan' eventually approached Ilaiyaraaja, who rescued him from the difficult situation.</p>.<p><strong>The Mani Ratnam connect</strong></p>.<p>The ace composer shared a good professional equation with Mani Ratnam, who too celebrates his birthday today. The two worked together in films such as <em>Nayakan </em>and <em>Thalapathi</em>, emerging as a force to be reckoned with. They eventually parted ways following which the ace filmmaker decided to give then-newcomer A R Rahman a break with <em>Roja</em>. ARR and 'Mani sir' have been a formidable duo since.</p>.<p><strong>He's an international sensation</strong></p>.<p>He received a fair deal of international attention with his popular number <em>Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu</em> from Thalapathi, which was named the fourth most popular song in a survey conducted by BBC in 2003. Ilaiyaraaja's compositions <em>Kaatukuyilu </em>and <em>Yeh Hawa Yeh Fiza </em>were sampled by English rapper M.I.A and American vocalist Gonjasufi, respectively. <br /> </p>
<p>Ilaiyaraaja, widely regarded as one of the greatest music composers in Indian cinema, has enthralled music lovers across industries with his enviable body of work. On Wednesday, as the maestro turns a year older, here is a look at five facts you most probably did not know about the legend.</p>.<p><strong>Learnt from the best</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja honed his skills by working as an assistant to Bollywood legend Salil Chowdhury, who composed music for classics such as <em>Anand </em>and <em>Chhoti Si Baat</em>. The seasoned music director was quite impressed by his skills and had once remarked that the then-newcomer would have a successful career, a prophecy that proved to be true. 'Isaignani' also shared a good professional rapport with Sandalwood icon G K Vemkatesh.</p>.<p><strong>A genius</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja usually works at a lightning pace and is known for wrapping up projects in record time. Director R Balki once told Galatta that the veteran composed the popular song <em>Piddly </em>from <em>Shamitabh </em>in three seconds, which is something only a genius can do. He also composed the entire soundtrack of <em>Thalapathi </em>in 45 minutes.</p>.<p><strong>Not the first choice for 'Hey Ram'</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja's music was an integral part of Kamal Haasan's magnum opus <em>Hey Ram</em> and added depth to the already gripping narrative. While everyone is aware of its legacy, not many know that the <em>Cheeni Kum</em> composer wasn't the original choice for the biggie. Kamal roped in violinist L Subramaniam to do the honours but he left the project after most of the sequences had been shot. 'Ulaga Nayagan' eventually approached Ilaiyaraaja, who rescued him from the difficult situation.</p>.<p><strong>The Mani Ratnam connect</strong></p>.<p>The ace composer shared a good professional equation with Mani Ratnam, who too celebrates his birthday today. The two worked together in films such as <em>Nayakan </em>and <em>Thalapathi</em>, emerging as a force to be reckoned with. They eventually parted ways following which the ace filmmaker decided to give then-newcomer A R Rahman a break with <em>Roja</em>. ARR and 'Mani sir' have been a formidable duo since.</p>.<p><strong>He's an international sensation</strong></p>.<p>He received a fair deal of international attention with his popular number <em>Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu</em> from Thalapathi, which was named the fourth most popular song in a survey conducted by BBC in 2003. Ilaiyaraaja's compositions <em>Kaatukuyilu </em>and <em>Yeh Hawa Yeh Fiza </em>were sampled by English rapper M.I.A and American vocalist Gonjasufi, respectively. <br /> </p>
