Perhaps there is no song that lives up to its name quite as literally as Shankar Mahadevan’s “Breathless”. The rapid-paced song has, over the years, inspired many covers and versions.
Most recently, a “Breathless” cover sung by Ejaz Haider, a singer with over 1.6 lakh Instagram followers, is going viral with over two million likes.
Commenting on Haider’s video, an Instagram user wrote, “Dude increased the oxygen level in the atmosphere by 4.99 percent. Cheers.” The comments section was full of GIFs that appeared in rhythm with Haider’s singing. “All the gifs in comments are epic! 💫” an Instagram user wrote.
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Last year in August, a rendition of “Breathless” by Swaraag Keerthan during a reality TV show named Sridevi Drama Company raked in millions of likes. The show aired on ETV Telugu. Similarly, in April 2020, Mumbai-based artist Swetha Anandasivan played the tune of “Breathless” on the violin. The Carnatic violinist’s cover also impressed several people online.
The song “Breathless” was released in 1998 as part of Mahadevan’s indie-pop album of the same name. Mahadevan made the album in collaboration with famed lyricist Javed Akhtar. It won the Best Non-film Album at the 1998 Screen Awards.