Watch this pitch-perfect cover from China of Ilaiyaaraja's Tamil hit
A tribute to the composer through a 1989 number sung by SP Balasubramaniam.
It is no secret that 73-year-old Ilaiyaraaja is one of the greatest music composers of Indian cinema. For the thousands of songs he has composed for films across many languages, the legendary composer has been felicitated many times and has received many tributes. His music is also loved the world over. In 1993, he became the first Indian composer to conduct a performance of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.
This time, a fan from China pays tribute (video above) by covering the hit Ilaiyaraaja song, Kalyana Malai Kondadum Penne, from the 1989 Tamil film K. Balachander's Puthu Puthu Arthangal. It's a pitch perfect cover and for added effect, there's even a tiny Indian flag in the background.
The singer Qi Mi, originally from China, is a software engineer working for Microsoft in Seattle and has been learning Tamil for the last year. The tribute was uploaded to celebrate Ilaiyaraaja's tour of the United States. The veteran composer might have liked Mi's version, seeing as it was also uploaded to his own YouTube account.
Here's the original version.
Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article stated that original song was sung by AR Rahman. It was actually sung by SP Balasubramaniam.