The interview which appears below, was originally aired on Rahmania - Aaha FM in December 2007. 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.
Today, in the Rahmania Show, singer Mohammed Aslam, known for his rendition of “Ponmagal Vandhal Remix” from Azhagiya Tamil Magan and the “Ilamai” song from Varalaaru, was present alongside Raihana. The show was quite engaging. Here are some excerpts:
Introduction
His mother tongue is Hindi. Originally from Bangalore, he began singing at the age of 15. Despite not having formal music training, he was inspired by singers like Mohammed Rafi, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, Yesudas, and Kishore Kumar. His first Tamil film song was in Natanam. He has sung for non-A.R. Rahman films like Poove Unakkaga and Love Today. He was introduced to A.R. Rahman by film producer R.B. Chowdhary (Super Good Films) during the pooja of Mr. Romeo. At that time, he gave his cassette to Rahman for his perusal. Later, when Rahman called him, he was not in India. He has toured many countries and performed stage shows in the US, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and the Middle East.
Born into a musical family with three brothers and three sisters, all of whom are capable of singing. His mother sings informally at home. Interestingly, when he sings, people expect him to emulate some other reputed singer. He used to feel embarrassed when people said he sang better than the original singer.
He sings the “Sahana Song” from Sivaji in Mohammed Rafi’s style.
First Meeting with A.R. Rahman
He was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when some friends informed him that Rahman was in town, prompting him to meet Rahman. Later, Rahman wanted him to sing a song for “Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha” (a Salman Khan starrer film). Rahman wanted Aslam to come to London for recording, but Aslam, being in the US at the time, was refused a tourist visa. Therefore, he missed that opportunity. The project encountered some issues due to a fallout between Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan at the time. The first song he recorded with Rahman was “Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha.” The lyrics were ready, and when he began singing, Rahman instructed him to soften his voice, which happened three times. Eventually, he was just whispering, and that was exactly what Rahman wanted for that song.
After two years, the Hindi version of Swades was completed, but Rahman wanted Aslam to sing in the Tamil version (Desam). He sang “Unnai Kettal” (Tamil version of “Yuhi Chala”). He also sang “Kettene” (Dekho Na) alongside Sadhana Sargam. He used to write in English and sing Tamil songs.
Then came the “Paatshala” song for Rang De Basanti, followed by the “Ilamai” song for Varalaaru. He says, ‘Rahman was so kind-hearted to give me the remix version of the Ilamai song.” The song was recorded only once, but the remix version was processed twice. The original song “Ilamai” also contained some yodeling in between, which was quite unique to Aslam.
Once, while Rahman was in his studio with his laptop, Aslam was just yodeling. Rahman suddenly asked him what that was. Then Rahman encouraged him by saying they would use it in a different song.
For the song “Khalbali,” he sang alongside Rahman.
In Guru, he sang “Dum hara Dum Hare Mast” along with Rahman. He sang the song “Roja Janeman” in Kishore Kumar’s style.
Aslam practices yoga and breathing exercises regularly. He says that singing is like breathing to him, hence he never finds it difficult.
Rahman made him cry at moments, saying “Sariya Paadu Ayya (Sing properly, man!)”.
Then he would encourage him by saying, “You are getting it near.” Rahman used to say, “Only if I scold, your songs will become a hit.”
Once, when Aslam’s show was scheduled, his younger brother passed away, but he managed to cover up that tragedy and perform the show. He believes that any artist must cover the tragedies in their life but make the audience happy. Like an actor who acts in front of the camera, a singer has to act in front of the microphone.
Whenever Aslam tours with Rahman for concerts, he maintains discipline. He says that Rahman’s troupe consists of class musicians, and the ambiance is very different. Both young and old generations come to listen to Rahman’s music. The specialty of Rahman’s music is that even pop music contains melody.
He says, “I enjoy Rahman’s music and feel honored.” At times, Rahman would tell him to learn music or even come notation so that he could catch up with the tune a little more easily.
Regarding the recent song “Ponmagal Vandhal” from Azhagiya Tamizh Magan, he hadn’t heard the older version before. Just before recording, he heard it once. He sang in his original style, but Rahman wanted a young, boyish voice for that song. He says that the younger generation also likes old songs but with new touches. It’s like “old wine in a new bottle.”
