Ilaiyaraaja accepts A R Rahman's proposal to compose 'something amazing'

Legendary music director Ilaiyaraaja will soon compose for the Firdaus Orchestra, an all-women musical ensemble founded by A R Rahman.

Ilaiyaraaja, who has worked in over 1,000 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, and other languages, accepted the request from Rahman, who used to play the keyboard for the legendary musician’s team in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“Such a pleasure welcoming the Maestro @ilaiyaraaja to our Firdaus Studio... Hope he composes something amazing for our @FirdausOrch to play in the future!,” Rahman wrote on his verified Twitter page, posting a picture of him and Ilaiyaraaja at the Firdaus Studios.

Within hours, Ilaiyaraaja, who is new to the micro-blogging site, replied: “request accepted.. will start composing soon” by tagging Rahman.

In response to Ilaiyaraaja’s announcement, Firdaus Studios said: “We can't wait! Anything is possible.”

Rahman was part of Ilaiyaraaja’s team before he began composing music on his own – his debut film was Roja in 1992. Though the two legends had appeared on the stage together, this is probably the first time they will be collaborating.

The all-woman Firdaus Orchestra plays at the Dubai Expo.