Filmmaker R Balki is set to make his Tamil cinema debut, with Ilaiyaraaja composing the music. Balki revealed the news in a cover story he penned to mark Ilaiyaraaja's 50 years in cinema. The two have previously collaborated on Cheeni Kum, Paa and Shamitabh, and the upcoming Tamil film will mark their reunion after 11 years. Balki said Ilaiyaraaja will compose eight original tracks for the project, calling it an "Ilaiyaraaja blast." Further details on the film remain under wraps.

In the same piece, Balki spoke about working with the composer, describing the experience as witnessing a magic show — with Ilaiyaraaja arriving at 7 am, hearing a situation brief and delivering a composition within minutes.

Ilaiyaraaja is currently attached to several other projects including Thiagarajan Kumararaja's Pocket Novel starring Vijay Sethupathi, Karthik Subbaraj's untitled tenth film, and Mari Selvaraj's Manjanathi starring Kayadu Lohar and Priyanka Mohan.