The interview which appears below, was originally aired on Rahmania - Aaha FM in May 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.
You didn’t work under any director. You were writing scripts. Tell us about that.
I was never an assistant to any director. Right from my childhood, I used to write and direct plays during my college and university days. It was my hobby, which eventually turned into my profession. I studied in Delhi and Pune.
You produce movies, you direct and produce movies, and you direct movies. Which of these roles do you consider you are best at?
I write, I direct, and I produce. I have to perform three jobs. There are three persons in me who keep fighting with each other. The writer wants to extend the scripts, the director wants to cut them, and the producer wants to control the economics. But I have managed to balance all three very smartly and intelligently.
What were your mom and dad’s professions?
My mom was a teacher in Delhi, and my father was a dental doctor.
You have immense organizational capabilities and capacity. Who instilled all these qualities in you?
Certain qualities come from your family. Definitely, all the humility and humbleness are from my mom. Practical living, I learned from my father, who was more of a practical person, while my mom was more philosophical and spiritual.
Were you an only child, or did you have siblings?
No, I had two brothers and one sister.
So, when did you meet Rahman?
It was back in 1993. I remember hearing Rahman’s music from the film “Roja,” which was getting talked about in Bombay. I was traveling from Mysore to Bangalore, and the car driver was playing songs from “Roja.” I asked him whose film it was, and he said it was A.R. Rahman from Madras. I had heard of him, so I kept listening. It was a two to three-hour journey, and I could see a lot of talent and innovative quality in his music since I had been trained under Laxmikant-Pyarelal for 20 years and had a music sense from my childhood. I spoke to him, told him I loved his music, and was planning a film. I wanted his services as a music composer. He was quite excited and said he loved my film “Hero” and used to play Hero’s tunes while he was a keyboard player. We immediately clicked with mutual admiration.
When I met him, I could see his clean and divine qualities. I remember when he said, “Let’s do a good job.” I talked to him about money. He said, “Let’s do good music. We’ll talk about it later.” So, I understood his character, that he is more passionate about his work. And I started blending with him, and we started to work on a film called “Shikhar,” which finally couldn’t take place. But then, it happened in “Taal.”
I would say that I was the first from the Hindi Film Industry who noticed him from the Bombay industry and who came to work with him. Everyone in the Bombay industry was surprised to see me working with a South Indian music director. There were frowns and questions in Bombay, as to how a music director from South India could make music for a Hindi film and find a place in the Hindi industry.
In Hindi music, there is always a dominance of Northern music. So, they were wondering how I was going to justify it. So, I told him, “Don’t worry. You know Indian Classical and Western Music well.” And he really proved it while recording two songs. “Ishq Bina Jeena Kya” was recorded first, which I later recorded in Taal. This song initially did not belong to Taal. It was recorded for Shikhar. So, I could see the new kind of vibrations and growth in me, treating myself.
We were colleagues, not guru. I could suggest to him how Bollywood works, how Punjabi or Bengali music works. I learned a lot of things from him, and of course, we shared knowledge together. It was always mutual respect, appreciation, and admiration. Things really made fine strongly after “Taal.” His music is always very challenging. A big challenge for a director to picturize, and he comes out with a different kind of sound, different kind of phrases, which excites you, grows on you, on your minds.
At first, you may feel a little offended hearing the sound, the kind of phrase it is. But when you listen to it more, two-three-four times, it goes on forever. The quality in his music is that there’s divinity in every song, be it a folk number or a dance number. He is at peace, and there is something very attractive, very spiritual. Spirituality within himself has paid him a lot and is revealed in his songs. I can understand that sad songs will have some sort of spirituality in them, but having that quality in dancing numbers is very rare. The energy is there, but peace always prevails. That’s the thing which I always admire in him.
The relationship between me and him is quite enviable to other directors.
Q: How does your composing go?
There is a secret. But anyway, I would like to share it here with you. When I narrated the full script to him, I told him the mood of the music. From the musical point of view, I narrated the script. The situations which are going to dominate. So that he gets an idea from me that this film requires this. When I write a script, I think of music. There is a rough kind of structure, an impression of music in my mind, and those impressions I pass out to my music composer. I narrate the mood of the songs which I want; humming songs, etc.
SG: The first song that was recorded for “Taal” was “Kareye Naa,” and he had a very tough time because I had given him some very intricate traits of a Punjabi song. Though, he did not pick up any note from that song. He just listened to it and was quite panicky as to how to do that song. I remember the trauma in his face while doing that song. But when he came out with that song, it was so brilliant.
Actually, he had given me the tune. I had given that tune to Anand Bakshi. Finally, when it came out, it was one of the most brilliant songs. Sometimes, he composes three-four tunes for me, and then he leaves the studio, leaving the tape recorder with me, and I listen to four-five tunes, and pick the ones, which match my story. All four tunes are good, but it has to match my story.
Some tunes, I used to tell him to keep for me for my next film (though it was not matching that particular story at the time). Then he keeps smiling and says, “Sir, there are other producers too.”
I remember the “Taal” song. For “Nahi Sammne” song, I told him that it should be a sad song, and I wanted something like Elton John singing. He looked at me, “Ok, I understand what you mean.” So, I told him to give him the lyrics first. So I told Anand Bakshi to write the lyrics, and he took the lyrics and started singing in that style. That song came out so brilliantly, and it’s my most favorite song in that film.
Most of the films, Rahman has been excellent. In totality, he is an excellent composer. But it all depends sometimes on the story, the director’s demand, the producer, and he has to work accordingly. It’s not independent music alone. It is working with the team. But, the tracks of “Bombay” shocked and amazed me when I listened to the full track. I think “Bombay” is the best track he has produced. So many other movies are there. But “Bombay” was a complete album, including the background score. I still have the background score album with me. He had given it to me. He has always been brilliant with Mani Ratnam. Their rapport has always been good.
I hope I am doing “Yuvraaj,” and am trying to produce a good musical for that film. Working with Rahman is a big challenge as a director. You are answerable to his compositions on the screen. That keeps me worried all the time.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t learn music. I have developed an ear for music. I have listened to all kinds of music. I have huge collections of music all over the world. Though I don’t know much of Western music, if you come to my home, you can find a huge collection of Western music collections. I like the sound part of it, and that can be found in “Yuvraaj” a lot.
I think of the full universe while making a film. I will always desire to make Indian movies, and not an international film. Films are about people, and you are expressing the story through your films, which have to suit your own audiences. People expect a commercial quality as well as box office success, which is the biggest challenge for any director, and which is killing me in “Yuvraaj.”
“Kisna” was revealed to me much later. I have written a story and picked up a script belonging to the 1930s. It was a period kind of film. And the hero of such a film belonged to a different set of values. Those values were to serve and respect parents and the like. My hero belonged to such values, which did not click with the youngsters of the 2000s.
One of my nieces told me that she didn’t like my picture of “Kisna.” “Why shouldn’t the hero accept the White Girl, when she is asking him to go to London? Why should he die going back, leading such a painful life?” I told her that it was a story of the great grandfathers. So, it was not in line with the modern trend.
I was very keen to work with Rahman. Rahman was the reeling force behind it. I felt very bad when my last film “Shikhar” was dropped, due to some circumstances, and I had to make “Pardes” in between. So I did owe something to Rahman. I was making some historical films, and then decided that I must make a musical film. A complete musical film. So I created a story, where all characters were musical.
Musical backdrop; So when you create all these musical characters, you can pick up a thin story so that you can elucidate the music part of it. I kept the name as “Taal,” so that I could commit to myself, and I came to Rahman and said, “Rahman, this is your film. I have written a story. It’s a very thin story. I am going to expand it through music. I am very much depending on you, and you are going to be responsible equally as I am.” He took the challenge and “Taal” is in front of you.
I think Rahman is much ahead with respect to sound, or sensitivity is concerned. I used to attend each and every recording of my songs. I would stay at his studio and wait, irrespective of whether musicians were there or not. I would also watch and observe the sound recording part of it. This is precisely the reason why I and Rahman enjoy being together. Nobody can beat Rahman, as far as the sound is concerned.
Rahman is an artist who can connect with God and this world with equal confidence. I am proud of Rahman, that he has thought over this idea about this KM Music Conservatory, and he has been sharing this idea since I opened an International Film & Television Institute in Bombay. I have been sharing this idea of opening a school for the past 15 years. He came and visited the place.
He is so thankful to God that he wants to share something with society. I know it’s not going to be a commercially viable proposition for him. He is doing it for his passion, and its goodness in him, in sharing this with the younger generation. He is earning whatever is sufficient for an achiever. This is really a great and commendable job. I believe the students must utilize it to the maximum extent, as every time you won’t get Rahman.
