The interview which appears below, was originally published on Outlook in January 2003. ©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.
Your stints abroad seem to be getting longer. How much time do you spend in India these days?
It all depends on the nature of my project abroad. On average, I spend six months of the year outside the country. This year, it has been a little more due to Bombay Dreams. However, London is not my base as some people seem to think. Chennai will always be my home as that is where my family and studio are. London has become a cultural center for me, halfway between Mumbai and New York.
How important has Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams been for your career?
It came as a surprise. I always thought I would do film compositions and maybe some non-film albums, but never a play. I did not understand the importance of a musical until I watched a few after I was signed for Bombay Dreams. That’s when it hit me that there is so much I can do in this area as well. Bombay Dreams has been a rewarding experience. Although the critics were not too kind to the play, they liked the music.
Anyway, all the criticism has now faded. I think Bombay Dreams has its own charm. It has certainly made a strong impact in England. When I step off a flight in London, Asians tell me, “We were thumbs down before Bombay Dreams. Now we are thumbs up.” And when I speak to Andrew now, he scares me a little. He keeps telling me I have to establish a base in London.
Are you contemplating that possibility?
There are unlimited opportunities, but my roots are in Chennai, so it is a bit confusing right now. The problem is that the whole music industry in India is going through a slump. My music is selling, but when the whole business is on the blink, I cannot prosper. On the other hand, there is a lot happening in the West, including soundtrack offers from Hollywood. It is a tough decision to make. I cannot leave everything behind in India and leave just like that.
Ten years ago, it was my dream to study music and work abroad. It is a different high to see your work being appreciated there, but more important is the work I’ve done at home in the last ten years, as that is what has got me Western attention in the first place. I cannot leave my home behind, but at the same time, I must move on. Anyway, I guess life has a way of working itself out. I always feel that God decides the right time for everything that happens. If He does not will it, nothing happens.
What kind of offers do you have from the West?
There have been quite a few, including a cross-over movie for Columbia Pictures. I got offers for two films with major directors in Hollywood, but they did not excite me. I also have the offer to do a philharmonic album. I am toying with various ideas. I am off to London again to do a couple of songs for an artist called Karen David from Toronto. This is my first attempt at composing in English, and I hope I succeed.
What according to you ails popular Indian music?
Popular film music in India has reached a dead end, because people are playing it safe. Durable melodies and good poetry have a lasting effect, as seen when even children can sing the most hummable songs on TV talent shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. However, composers often take the easy way out, creating tunes that hit the charts for a short time and then exit, resulting in nothing memorable being created. The album “TLOBS” didn’t work as well as I had hoped, possibly due to the element of terrorism in Bhagat Singh’s story.
Well, your new Hindi score “Saathiya” is one of the few winning albums of 2002.
Hmmm, that’s good. After “Taal,” all my music, such as for “Lagaan,” “Zubeida,” and “TLOBS,” was period-specific. With “Saathiya,” a music soundtrack of mine has been liberated from a specific situation, which is why it has been liked. A lot of the music is from the Tamil original, as it is the same story, but there were two tunes that didn’t fit in the Hindi version, so I composed two new tunes.
After “Saathiya,” I have “Meenaxi” by M.F. Husain coming up in a couple of months, with a qawwali, a romantic song, and an abstract song.
How do you connect your work in Indian films to an international sound?
For me, music is music and doesn’t belong to any region. My theme in “Bombay” was done in Tamil and then Hindi, and soon it was playing all over Europe and Australia. If a tune comes to me, it takes wings. The problem now is the shrinking film market in India, which affects the funds for composing music, so my creative vision has to be tailored to the altered financial state. This is the first time I am facing this situation in the last 10 years, and I don’t relish it. For one recent Tamil film, I had a mental block for 10 days because my vision was far bigger than what the film required.
Every major filmmaker in Mumbai wants to work with you.
I am honored and flattered. I am always in Chennai and Mumbai, and I am open to more offers in Mumbai. I don’t know why they find me hard to reach; I am easily accessible. I am currently working with Subhash Ghai on a very interesting project, and we have recorded one song.
How are you selecting your assignments in Mumbai and Chennai?
A good producer is a must. Between 2000 and 2002, nine of my projects in Hindi and a couple in Tamil never took off, so 70% of my output during that period has not been released. It was frustrating, as there were so many people waiting to work with me, and I had to turn them down to do work that never got released. I know what the industry is going through, but I am hoping that something like my work in Deepa Mehta’s “Water” will get released.
Did she offer you Hollywood Bollywood?
Yes, she did. But I had to do “Bombay Dreams.” Shuttling between London and Toronto was difficult. It takes me a week to get my bearings after I go to a new place. I have to decide where to put down my coffee mug before I get down to creating music.
Are you going to collaborate further with Andrew Lloyd Webber?
He wants to do an opera with me, though I don’t know what he has in mind. I’ll know soon, I guess! Then, Shekhar Kapur wants to do a film called “Panni.” It’s a futuristic film set in Mumbai. Let’s see if it happens. Shekhar has started working on the script.
How is life treating you?
I take every day as it comes. Every day is manned by destiny. There’s no point in going against what’s destined, but when you get the chance, you shouldn’t goof up. I have to live up to my commitments constantly. Millions of rupees are invested in these projects, and I don’t want to be the cause of any delay.
How much is your family life affected by your constant workload?
Not much. My studio in Chennai is in the house. We also spend time together in London. I take the children there during their holidays. I’ve never been away from home much. Right now, I spend about 15 days in London after every two months in Chennai to maintain my links abroad.
