The tickets for Tamil Film Producer Council’s (TFPC) tribute event for Ilaiyaraaja on the occasion of his 75th birthday were unveiled on Sunday. The event brought the curtains down at the 5th Tamil Nadu International Hot Air Balloon Festival at Mahindra City. The concert, scheduled on February 2 and 3, will also double as a fundraiser for the producers' council. The first day of the event will have artists from across industries performing Ilaiyaraaja songs, while the second day will see a performance from the Isaignani himself. 

Speaking at the event, Vishal thanked Ilaiyaraaja for giving them the opportunity. “I consider it a blessing to spend two hours sitting next to him. He has been the face of the Tamil industry across the world. The event will be a pan-India celebration,” he said. Meeting the press later, he further announced that Ilaiyaraaja has promised to donate a portion of his royalty to the Music Union and TFPC. 

The event saw several dignitaries, including actor Nasser, FEFSI chief RK Selvamani, and TFPC vice-president Parthiban, talk about the musical prowess of the veteran composer, with almost everyone referring to him as a  ‘musical god’. The maestro, who took the stage last, good-humouredly ribbed them for calling him a god. “You all have brought down god’s stature by calling me one. I am just a normal human being,” he said with a smile, and sang a few lines of his song, Idhayam oru Kovil, impromptu on-stage. Shortly thereafter, Vishal and Ilaiyaraaja also went on a brief ride in one of the hot air balloons from the festival which bore the banners promoting the event.