When Ilaiyaraaja spotted Kamal Haasan singing for the first time

That Kamal Haasan is a prolific singer is a long-known fact. His songs, especially for Ilaiyaraja, are nothing short of soul-stirring classics. Do you know when was the first time Ilaiyaraja spotted Kamal Haasan singing? It was in a light show conducted by Gangai Amaren in the late 70s. “Film stars singing light music was a new thing then. We used to sing Tamil songs, Hindi songs, and then, one day, we were invited to perform at a function organised by Cinema Express magazine. I suggested that they sing ‘One’, a song written by Harry Nilsson and later popularised by Three Dog Night,” reveals Kamal Haasan to a daily.

So Kamal Haasan performed for the song ‘One’ in front of the audience which also had maestro Ilaiyaraaja as one among the crowd. Kamal Haasan’s tempo hit the range above the normal voice range and that caught the attention of Ilaiyaraaja. That was the first time Isaignani listened to Kamal Haasan sing. And, the rest is history.