The interview titled "Birthday Special - Saal Se Taal Mila" which appears below, was originally published on The Asian Age in January 2002. ©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.
Destiny, striking as a flash of tragedy had plucked away the breadwinner in the family and forced this 11-year old boy to give up school and take up a job as a keyboard player for a film musician. Perhaps feeling ashamed of what it had done, destiny launched the little prodigy on a track of triumph to conquer millions of hearts with his music that was both soulful and foot-tapping , crossing one milestone after another and finally emerging as Indias greatest ambassador in the world of music.
Coming a long way since the tragedy of losing his father, that boy has now matured as a music maestro of 35 summers. In the process, he also embraced Islam after being blessed by a Sufi preacher and changed his name from Dilip Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman, better known as A.R. Rahman.
Now he is all set for yet another plume in his crown, scoring his music for none other than the legend Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber for his next musical Bombay Dreams opening in a London theatre next June. I am very excited, naturally, Rahman said in an exclusive interview to The Asian Age. Bombay Dreams will be a big opportunity for me, at the same time, God Willing, I believe it will introduce the Western audience to the richness of Indian music.
He has much reason to feel confident about his good work, having spent a good part of the last two years in London working hard on this project of a lifetime. For all the fame and wealth he could accumulate over the last 10 years of churning out one hit after another in the Indian film industry, A.R. Rahman remains a simple soul, God-fearing and deeply spiritual.
The memories of those difficult days when he had to carry his keyboard to play in the film orchestra, when other neighborhood kids were busy playing, have sobered this man in the midst of all those accolades pouring in from far and wide. The biggest compliment in recent days has come from none else than Webber himself, when he hailed Rahman as the most extraordinary melodic composer who is still true to his cultural roots and deserves t be heard by an international audience.
That is a big hug coming from the most successful theatrical composer in the last three decades, with albums of his musicals having sold 130 million copies globally, including the masterpieces Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Sir Webber had become an instant Rahman fan when good friend Shekhar Kapoor played him the video of Mani Ratnams Dil Se.. after first seeing on a TV channel the Chaiyya Chaiyya song choreographed on a moving train in that movie. But then, Dil Se.. and Chaiyya Chaiyya have been only a miniscule part of the hugely popular creative work Rahman has produced in his 60-odd Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films since that maiden hit Roja in 1992 for Mani Ratnam He was barely 25 then and had been doing jingles for TV and radio commercials for three years when Dame Luck knocked on the door, or the keyboard.
Even while earning the bread for his family of mother and three sisters as a keyboard player for other film musicians, mostly Illayaraja, the little master pursued his lessons after earning a scholarship for a degree in western music from the famed Trinity College of Music. He was a prodigy. Even as a kid, he would sit with my father R.K.Shekar while the latter composed music for Malayalam films and help him in the work.
He would come up with great ideas for dad. He was all the time involved in music, one hundred percent. No diversions such as games or outdoor friends, recalls Rahmans elder sister Rehana, herself a musician. The entire family, says Rehana, was focused on providing the best possible environment for Rahman to develop his talent, ensuring he ate well and was not disturbed while practising music. It was perhaps this strong family bond that ensured that Rahman evolved himself as a perfectionist, not just in his music but also as human being.
It is barely a 30-second walk from my studio to the family. I work in the ground floor studio comprising mother, three sisters, wife and two daughters live upstairs. I do not miss them and I guess they do not miss me much, says Rahman with a broad grin. He usually works on his compositions through the night, preferring to sleep during the daytime, so that I can escape from disturbing phone calls and other distractions.
Rahman is a teetotaler and does not smoke. Music is in itself capable of being intoxicating, so where is the need for external agencies like liquor and pot for producing a kick? he laughs, when asked about his clean habits that do not quite fit the jacket as the most famous composer in this part of the world. His friends point out that being a very religious person, Rahman found it very easy to keep off from such vices while concentrating all his energies on improving his awesome repertoire. I was lucky with my first step, making music for Mani Ratnam’s Roja.
That film score set a high standard for me and I could get not turn back. I had got tremendous encouragement from Ratnam and then God helped me, says Rahman.
His long list of awards include two National Awards, besides the Padma Shri. And his Taal was in the Top 20 of the UK Music Charts. Asked about the secret of his success, Rahman says when he does a song, it first sounds like noise. I remove things, add several new elements and make sure it will not go out of my studio unless it has a soul to it, he says There are scores of his hits from Hindi to Tamil to demonstrate Rahmans prolific creativity: Chhoti Si Asha(Roja), Humma Humma(Bombay), Ishq Bina(Taal), Tanha Tanha(Rangeela), Chaiyya Chaiyya(Dil Se..).
I think for a musician like me, prayer lifts my spirit and enhances my creativity. I can feel that happen as prayer gets me into a trance and music happens. I forget the whole world as I close my eyes and concentrate on my music, Rahman says, pushing back his long locks from his face. No one can plan the future and be sure of that, he says philosophically. I am like a boat without its sails.
I keep going wherever the breeze set by God takes me. I believe in destiny. Each step that one takes must be a very clean one and make the heart purer. One must advance without getting hurt and hurting others.
What about working in Hollywood? Not at the moment, he says. He wants to complete Bombay Dreams and return to work full-time on his Hindi and South Indian films. If I stay in London I could get more offers (from Hollywood) but I would prefer coming back here and working on films which change the industry in India.
There is more pleasure doing that kind f films than working anywhere else. But then, if Cate Blanchett has her way with Shekhar Kapoor, she might finally succeed in getting Rahman do music for Hollywood as well, pretty soon. She had been badgering him to get the Indian master over ever since she grabbed a few samples of Indian sounds and was clean bowled by what she heard, And Cate could soon have several fan-mates.
Sir Webber recently claimed that Rahmans music for Bombay Dreams has such good tunes not heard in the last 20 years. And mind you its only the little masters maiden venture into British theatre.
