The interview which appears below, was originally aired on Rahmania - Aaha FM in July 2008. Interview excerpt is written by V.R. Vithur from the A.R. Rahman Yahoo Fans Group. ©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.
Vijay Iyer (our co-owner and moderator of Yahoo Groups) was on air today, sharing his experiences with Raihanaji on Aaha FM 91.9. Here’s a brief of what he discussed with Raihanaji:
“Hi, this is Vijay. I am from Mumbai and have recently moved to Chennai. I was a big fan of A.R. Rahman, then became a friend of his, and it’s my good fortune that I work for him now. I am based in Chennai. Rahman has announced his new music label, KM Music. It’s a music company, and I manage the label. I also handle other tasks like managing the content of his website and a lot of creative stuff.
KM Music has been Rahman’s dream, and he has mentioned this in many of his interviews. Nowadays, if you see, all sorts of music are commercialized, and music sales are not that significant. Basically, a film with 4 or 5 Kutthu songs becomes the pick of the day (as Raihanaji mentioned), and that’s what sells (said by Vijay). There needs to be a market for true music lovers, and Rahman shares that feeling. This label will give him and other musicians an opportunity to explore music beyond commercial parameters.
Almost from the time Roja got released, I have been a fan. Actually, I don’t know if I could take you through that journey. I used to tour Chennai during my vacations in school. That time, the Roja cassette had released, and my uncle had bought it for me. On the return journey to Bombay, I didn’t listen to the Roja cassette. My sister was listening to it on her Walkman and kept saying, ‘It’s very nice, very nice,’ but I never heard it. Then, I was surfing TV channels and heard ‘Netru Illadha Maatram.’ Then I went back to Roja, and that’s how the journey began.
In 1994, when I came to Chennai, I saw the movie Duet. The song ‘Anjali Anjali’ had awesome interludes and was an awesome song. Right after the movie, I decided that I wanted to meet Rahman. I don’t know if you remember, but when I called up the studio, you answered the phone and guided me to the place. ‘Anjali Anjali’ is a very good song. I also love the song ‘Lukka Chuppi’ and want to dedicate it to my mother. Rahman’s duet with Lataji is beautiful. For the past few years, you mostly hear love duets, but this song, where a mother and her son talk to each other, is really nice.
Experiences as a Fan
At that time, there were only cassettes because CDs were expensive. I was in Bombay, and Tamil cassettes were very rare. There used to be a store called Giri Stores, where we could get Tamil cassettes, but it was far from my place. We never knew when Rahman would release a track, as the internet was not prevalent. I used to call Giri Stores almost daily to check for any new releases from Rahman. The shopkeeper often replied, ‘No Sir, nothing has come.’ But whenever a cassette was released in Bombay, I used to travel 45 minutes by train to get it. From Pudiya Mugam to Sakkarakatti, I still remember how and when I went to buy each cassette. It was fantastic.
Towards 2000, when the internet became popular, we formed a fan club online. Gopal from Bangalore started this fan club, and members from around the world joined. The activities increased, and we realized that there were fans crazier than us. Every interview of Rahman, photos, cassettes, cassette covers, rare songs, and ad jingles were shared within the community. This community was a great forum for exchanging rare information.
Transformation into a Friend of Rahman
It’s an interesting story. In 1994, when I came to Chennai, I met Rahman through you. After that, I couldn’t stay in touch as I was in Bombay and he was in Chennai. There were no cell phones or emails back then. After my studies, I took up a job. I was lucky enough to frequently travel abroad. Around 2000-01, when Rahman was doing Bombay Dreams in London, I saw him at Bombay Airport while I was travelling to London.
I ran towards him and asked if he remembered me from 1994, but he said, ‘No.’ I thought this was an opportunity, as no one would disturb him on the plane. For the full 8 hours, I spoke with him just like I am speaking with you now. I told him about how I bought his cassettes, the internet community, etc. The next day at London airport, I told him I was free the entire day and asked if I could come with him. He saw me as a crazy fan but realized I was genuine.
Despite fearing that many like me might have sought his autograph or photos, there was a connection. It can be said as destiny. He agreed and took me to his place in London. He was happy to see the internet community and gave me his email and phone number, saying, ‘Keep in touch.’ We kept in touch regularly. Whenever he came to Mumbai, I was lucky enough to drive him to the studios and be there for recordings, etc.
We became close friends. This is truly a blessing from the Almighty. Millions of people wait for a chance like this, and I don’t know how I got it. From the beginning, I had a fascination to be with him and do anything for him. He was planning to open a new studio in Chennai called A.M. Studios and needed someone to manage it. He asked me to come to Chennai and have a look, but that didn’t work out. After that, we did a lot of write-ups and convinced him to make a website. I kept telling him, ‘Sir, I want to do something for you, with you.’ It’s a passion, that’s why.
One day, he called me and said, ‘Meet me at 5 in the morning.’ I went at 5 in the morning, and he said, ‘I am planning to start a new music label, and I think you can do it. Come to Chennai.’ So, I came to Chennai.
First of all, thanks to Aaha FM and you. It’s an honor. Chennai listeners are lucky to be in the same place where Rahman is. In the coming days, there will be many opportunities at KM Music Conservatory. Make use of them. All the best.”
