Justin Trudeau is a good enough reason for most people to love Canada, but it will take more than that to persuade Academy Award winner AR Rahman to settle down there!
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, AR Rahman wrote: "Thank you for your kind invitation to set up a base in Canada, Mr Mayor. I'm indeed very touched and moved by your gesture."
The renowned musician however went on to say that he had no plans to shift out of India:
"I'm well settled and happy in Tamil Nadu, India with my family, friends and the people there."
Rahman had recently visited Toronto to attend a concert in his honour on Saturday, where more than 100 artists had come together in a multidisciplinary tribute that interpreted the first quarter of his career. So we assume he is thanking Toronto Mayor John Tory.
For someone who opened his Academy Award speech in Tamil -"Ella pugazhum Iraivanukkey" (all praises are for God) - this isn't at all a surprising declaration to make.
Rahman has never forgotten his Tamil identity, although he's internationally known as a 'Bollywood' composer. The maestro already has a street named after him in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Called the Allah-Rakha Rahman street, the name was given to honour the musician's contribution to the Arts.
Rahman also did not also forget to return the courtesy by extending a warm invite to the Mayor to visit the KM Music Conservatory (in Chennai) the next time he visited India.
He ended his post promising to look into 'interesting artistic collaborations' between the two countries in the days to come.