The interview which appears below, was originally published on I Love A.R. Rahman Podcast in October 2022. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Mani Ratnam’s first cousin and longtime A.R. Rahman collaborator shares intimate stories from the early jingle days to producing “99 Songs,” revealing the man behind the music
Sharada, thank you so much for being part of this tribute series. It’s amazing to have you here, especially given your unique perspective having worked with both Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman from the very beginning.
That’s my pleasure, thank you for having me. It’s wonderful to be part of this journey you’re on.
Let’s start with what’s currently the talk of the town – PS1. What’s happening in the Madras Talkies office as we speak?
Everyone is on their heels! Yesterday was Trivandrum, today is Bangalore, I think tomorrow is Hyderabad, and then there’s a day in Delhi and Bombay. They’re literally on a promotion tour now – the last leg. A lot of expectation, as you know it’s one of the first films to release in Kashmir, Srinagar after 23 years.
Mani sir is not much of a promotional person usually, but for his films he’s always there at the end. If you notice, he comes out and lets people know about his work.
You’re Mani Ratnam’s first cousin. Can you tell us about your journey with him?
It’s interesting – I was assistant director on his very first book, which was “Pallavi Anu Pallavi,” produced by my father. They allowed me to work on it when I was still studying, so I didn’t really do it full time, but I did a couple of schedules. Those days it was all multitasking – go buy costumes, dialogue continuity, all kinds of things.
When Mani needed a producer for “Raavan,” he asked me to step in. At that time, post-Raavan, we actually started setting up “Ponniyin Selvan” for the future. We had finalized it, but it was supposed to be one film. At the end, I think he wasn’t satisfied with doing it that way, so having signed actors and finalized everything, we let it go at that time. There was a gap, which is when I moved on to do other projects.
My heart and soul is with Madras Talkies, but I’m not there all the time.
How did they manage shooting PS1 during the pandemic?
That’s one thing for sure – there was determination to make it happen no matter what. I think there was also some element of luck involved because almost everyone in that unit subsequently had COVID, but during the shoot it didn’t happen. Whatever precautions you take, there were times when there were 2000 people on set, and everything happened, but I think something was on their side.
It had to be made. He was the guy who finally had to make it after all these attempts, and we’re all so proud of it.
Now let’s go back to the pre-Roja days. How did you first meet A.R. Rahman when he was still Dileep?
We were at the very beginning of our careers. We were doing a public service film for drugs for the Round Table 42. There was no funding – the film had been donated by someone, someone had given us camera, Vikram and others had done their roles free, makeup was done free. Everyone was just working out of goodwill.
We needed someone to do the jingle, and we were at the studio owned by Vijay Modi. He said, “There’s this boy I’ve heard of who’s very talented, who’s also in early days, called Dileep.” So I called him and he said, “Okay, I’ll do it.” I said, “There’s no money,” and he said, “No, it doesn’t matter, it’s interesting.”
Then he was late, and I get fidgety about that. I was worried – is he coming or not? Then this one car comes up and a bunch of things come out. He had one keyboard and all these things we didn’t even know what they were. He brought all of this and starts plugging it in. I’m asking, “What is this? Is this how he works?”
Then one small, sweet, childlike boy walks up and says “Hi” with his hands in his pockets. I was like, “Okay, can he start?” He said, “Yeah, you can start, we’ve been ready.”
What happened during that first recording session?
We saw the film a few times, and then he said, “Can I call you? Give me some time, I’ll call you if you can be outside.” I said, “No, we’ll sit here,” and he politely said, “No, you wait outside. You can say anything you like after this, but I need a little time.”
It was a sync thing, it wasn’t a jingle – it was effects. That wasn’t the way tracks were done then. We went out and came back, and what he had done was like, “My God, who is this boy? Where has he come from? What is this track he’s done?”
That was among our first three ads, and there was no looking back after that. We worked only with him because anything you did, he would take it to another level. Even fairly ordinary ads – and some of them were ordinary, there was nothing you could do with what the client wanted – but the way he created magic made it so much easier to sell.
That was the first time, and he was never a struggling musician. I’ve never seen that. He always knew who he was, and I think he always took only the work he wanted. He worked with us because he knew what he had to create, and he only worked with people who he felt would go with his vision – like he’s doing today.
Did he know you were Mani Ratnam’s cousin initially?
It was really strange – we never had that conversation. We became friends first. In fact, I recently found a dinner bill from then and sent it to him, and he remembers that dinner so well. He said, “I remember this dinner,” because I think it was one of the few times he could take time off to come out.
We would go to this place quite often, we’d talk late into the night with the three of us and other friends would join. He never expressed any interest in films or asked me anything about Mani.
How did the connection between Rahman and Mani Ratnam happen?
There’s something called serendipity. One day we were recording with him – usually it happens only after six in the evenings, never in the morning – and it was around six. I told him we have to go for a show today, so let’s wind up and continue tomorrow. He said, “What show?” I said, “My cousin’s done this film.” It wasn’t called “Roja” then.
He said, “Can I come? I want to see a movie.” I said, “Yeah, I want to see it too.” I had no idea… you don’t do that with Mani. You can’t just take anyone, you don’t even tell people if you’ve seen the film – that’s how it’s always been.
There were no cell phones, so I couldn’t tell Mani, but I said, “It’s okay, I’ll just manage it. Even if he’s angry with me, it’s okay – I want my friend to see it.”
When he came, he came with his mom and sister, so sweet. When I told Mani, “You know I’ve told you about this friend of mine who does music for me,” he was like, “Yeah, fine.” He’s too graceful to say anything else.
We went in, and that was the end of it. That’s the first time I realized that he knew Mani, because we’d never spoken about it. Not once had he asked to meet him, even that evening he never said, “I want to meet Mani.”
Tell us about that memorable dinner you mentioned.
We used to go to a place called Bahar on Mount Road. In those days we were all single and had all the time. After finishing work, you would go for dinner. One day I dragged him there for dinner with us. It’s a long way for him, close to my house but far for him, so he came with us. He loved the food and told me he went back there because he liked the food a lot. That place, he still remembers.
What kind of eater is Rahman? Any food memories?
He’s a simple eater. Three years ago we were coming back from Ukraine, and he wasn’t feeling too well. Because of his status now, he has access to First Class Lounge in Dubai. We landed there with a four-hour wait, and he said he can take a guest, so he said, “Come with me, let’s go to that lounge.”
I went in and there was all this lobster and crab – the chef was Indian, and they heard he was there and came running. But he’s not a foodie. I remember one time he said, “Let’s go for a buffet, I’ve never gone.” I said, “You can eat anything different you like instead of being stuck with the same food we have at home.” He walked around and said, “I have no idea, so just get me something which you think I can eat, or just give me biryani.”
I don’t think his focus is food, but when you take him out for dinner occasionally, he enjoys everything you order. He’s not a fussy eater at all. He takes care of his health – not much oil, sometimes off carbs – but I’ve never heard him say he’s allergic to this or that.
After the Roja connection was made, what was it like when Rahman played his work for Mani?
My husband Loki is the one who took Rahman to meet Mani that day. I think it was a bunch of his work – all kinds of work, jingles he had composed which Mani may not have heard before, just a spectrum of work. When Loki asked what should he play, Rahman said, “You’re the best judge, you please play whatever you think is right.”
Mani didn’t say anything, he just smiled and said, “Okay, thank you, I’ll get back to you soon.” The decision came pretty quickly – he must have been as blown away as we were by this boy.
Were you part of the Roja recording process?
No, but one very sweet thing he did – the minute he finished the first song, he called Loki and me and said, “I want you to be the first to hear it.” Clearly Mani must have heard it before us, but for anyone else to hear it, he wanted us to hear the song first.
I remember hearing it – he had fully finished it, one of the few times I think when he had finished a song completely. It was really a moment I won’t forget. When we heard the song, Loki told him laughingly, “My God, you’re really going to go places, and I think there are going to be cutouts of you everywhere.” Rahman said, “Be quiet!” We were laughing, but that song made you realize this guy was really going to do something special.
What about the famous “Humma Humma” from Bombay?
That’s an interesting story. It was a jingle I had done for us, so that refrain was from that jingle. Then he called and said, “Listen, I want to use it for a film song. Do you think your client will mind?” I told him the client had closed the company down, the detergent had gone out of the market – it was one of those launches that didn’t work. So I said, “You can do whatever you like.”
You produced several films with Mani Ratnam. What’s that experience like?
When you produce with him, you have an opinion on anything you would like to say, you can say at the beginning. Then he takes over creatively. But you collaborate with everyone – that’s the good thing. You collaborate with the DOP, the editor.
For me, it was my first movie to produce, and it was mammoth – multiple languages, working with everything at another level. I think it’s the best film school you could go to, working with him. He lets you participate, but there’s no letting up. When you hear all these actors talk about the magic in promotions, it is like that – so driven, so focused, and so clear that you just have to follow.
As long as you work hard and follow, you can do it. No letting up on anything.
Tell us about the journey of producing “99 Songs” with Rahman.
When I read the script, he brought me in at a stage when they were ready with basically a completed script. The two main actors were cast and everything. I always bring in a budget team at that point, so I took the budget down – how many days of shooting, what would that cost per day.
There’s a certain math in filmmaking, unfortunately for a producer. If it’s newcomers, this is the market; if it’s mid-level actors, this is the market; if it’s a big star, it’s another market. This film had to fall into a certain package.
I took all that data to him and said we should reconsider this because this is a lot of money, this is what it’s going to cost, and there is no established business model for this kind of film. Each film has a business model, and we needed to understand that.
How did Rahman respond to the budget concerns?
I delayed the film by at least three months because I said I’m not going on floors till I get this number right. We went back and forth, and finally he said something very interesting: “If I was looking only at money, I wouldn’t have turned to filmmaking. I’m producing to do what I want creatively – exactly what you said, an artist making a film for artists. Certain things I will have to do.”
He said, “I hear what you’re saying and thank you, but we have to do these things. I’ll do my best.” Throughout the process, he understood – he’s such a quick learner. He figured out why certain things could be scaled down and did scale those things himself. We brought the cost down to an extent – not to what I would have wanted, but we came to something in between.
What was Rahman like on the sets of 99 Songs?
He was there on set a lot more than I expected and was pretty involved. There are mornings when I’ve taken a 5:30 flight to Mumbai – I still remember it was a key scene and he had a vision for how the girl should look. The costumes came in the night before, he didn’t like them.
He called me that morning and said, “I don’t like this, I want something else.” I said, “I’m catching the flight now.” He said, “Go there,” and got the costume designer on the line. She came online, he told her what he wanted, we shot those costumes, sent it to him before two o’clock when the girl had to come, and we changed it.
He was very clear about what he wanted. He came in for the shoot, but by the time he came, we had the costume ready. For key things he wanted, he was there with his vision, but he gave everyone a lot of freedom.
How has Rahman changed over the years, from your perspective?
The funny thing is, you never realize it’s happening when it’s happening. In so many ways, he hasn’t changed at all. He’s grown, yes – not just with music, he’s grown with the way he thinks, the way he handles things, grown with confidence. He was always confident, but grown in every way – perspective, everything.
But fundamentally, who he is – he’s exactly the same person I met. Nothing has changed. You can just pick up where you left off, and that is far more amazing than anything else. It’s very rare you can do that with people.
A lot of that is thanks to his mom – she’s ingrained a lot of values in him, and that’s who he’s become.
You were involved with Le Musk as well. Can you tell us about that experience?
I helped out whenever Rahman would say, “Listen, there’s nobody to look after this, can you talk to this person, just sit with the team on this?” I would do that, and I enjoyed it. I think for an unofficial capacity for a few months whenever they had a vacuum, towards the end when things needed to be pulled together, yes I did help.
I loved working with those guys – the creative team he put together understood both the business and the creativity. They wouldn’t let go of anything, but they would say when something was costing too much, maybe we should rethink this. That kind of teamwork.
What about “Notes of a Dream” – how did that book come about?
It started when we were having dinner – Krishna has been known to Rahman since he was a child. I was talking about 99 Songs and Krishna said, “Why is he making a film? He’s so successful as a music director, this journey suddenly into making a movie.” He said, “Why isn’t he directing? How did it even occur to him?”
I said, “You want to know all this? You ask him yourself. I’ve got enough work to do.” He said, “I want to actually ask him, and I think I want to document this too.” I said, “Go fix a meeting, ask for a meeting, go and meet him. I’ll tell him you want to meet, and you figure it out.”
What was Krishna’s experience like while writing the book?
Krishna got to spend quite a few days with him. Rahman would schedule time and say, “Just come at one and spend till 5 AM with me.” Krishna actually did that – he would work with him, and that was when Rahman was reading the whole manuscript of the book page by page. I’ve never seen this kind of patience – all of it, making corrections, everything. He was very collaborative.
Once he decided to do it, he did it completely. Rahman gave his full attention to the process. Krishna would also get calls saying, “Hey, I’m doing this, I think you should come and see this.”
I think it changed Krishna as a person, this whole experience, because seeing Rahman up close like that, he realized how much heart Rahman puts into everything and how easy he is with so many things. Krishna says there were a lot of life lessons he learned.
What’s typical day like now?
Gym first thing in the morning – very early, maybe 5 AM. Then at the office pretty early, by 9:30 or so, and lunch at home always. In Chennai, we all make sure we live where we can eat at home. Comes back home for lunch every day, then goes back definitely later in the day.
Otherwise, it’s writing, it’s golf, it’s family, and that’s it. A little bit of socializing with a handful of close friends. A very early riser – if it’s golf, it’s early mornings; gym is also very early.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Interestingly, a lot of Carnatic music – that’s something you may not know. And then everything else, of course – Western classical, Indian classical, a lot of it, and then all popular culture music.
We do play his music all the time at home when we’re having a party or something, and he’s quite happy to listen to it along with other music. He’s not like, “No, no, no, it’s all done.” If all of us are singing along, he will happily be part of it.
Any final message for Rahman through this podcast?
He knows this, but I just have to say – I love him, I love you, I’ve always been there for you, and you’re always going to be one of my best friends.
