The interview which appears below, was originally published on Times Of India in January 2009. ©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.
A.R. Rahman and the team of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ are celebrating their Golden Globe triumph in Los Angeles – and there’s a young girl in Chennai who can’t stop jumping with joy. She’s not just a Rahman fan, but has sung two songs for his score in the movie.
“The calls have not stopped coming. I am one super happy chic,” says Tanvi Shah. “It is amazing, and the entire team is thrilled,” adds the 20-something singer. Tanvi has sung `Jai Ho’ and `Gangsta Blues’ for the film.
“Rahman has taken Indian music to the next level. By winning a Golden Globe, he has put India on the international music map,” she says.
“Working with Rahman is always amazing. He is constantly encouraging me to do something different. For `Jai Ho’, for instance, he kept saying, `Tanvi, change your voice. Sing it differently’, which I had to do. The song was a challenge for me since I don’t sound like my usual self in it. It is a pleasure to work with him as he gives his singers complete freedom, and is always open to others’ ideas,” she says.
Though Tanvi has now hit a high in her career, it was by chance that singing happened. “I was singing karaoke with my friends for fun. The whole thing was recorded, and someone gave Rahman the CD. Then one fine day, he calls up and asks me to come and meet him. I was very tense but thought the worst thing they could do is kick me out of the studio. So I went, and before I knew it, I was singing `Fanaa’ for `Yuva’,” she says.
Since then, everything has been a dream for the Stella Maris graduate, who initially thought of helping her father with his business. Tanvi has sung for movies like `Guru’, ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, `Sivaji’, `Jillunu Oru Kadhal’ and done the background score for `Rang De Basanti’.
“I’ve learnt so many things from Rahman – determination, dedication, patience and most importantly humility. Without that, one can never go places. When I have to work with him, I just long to get into the studio because he does something interesting even with a small thalam. He keeps saying, `Think out of the box’,” says the self-confessed workaholic, who also dabbles in interior and jewellery designing.
