A.R. Rahman is scheduled to fly to London. Prior to his departure, he is inundated with countless interviews, numerous phone calls, and a lengthy queue of individuals to meet. I observe the composer, with his tousled hair, patiently managing all these tasks. I wait for my opportunity and finally succeed in securing a brief one-on-one interview with him.
“Bombay Dreams” is set to debut in India later this year. Is this something you’ve been advocating for?
Yes. We encouraged the producer to stage the play here since it is about India. They now plan to tour several Asian countries as well. This will allow us to reach a much larger audience. You hope for the world to appreciate your music, but you realize they already have great music and may not be interested in yours. However, I was fortunate that “Bombay Dreams” paved the way for me and that my music was accepted.
What other international projects do you have lined up for 2005?
I am currently collaborating with the Finnish folk group Varttina on the music for JRR Tolkien’s theatre production of “Lord of the Rings: The Musical”. We’ve completed the basic tunes, which constitute 40% of the music. There’s still a lot to do. It’s been a refreshing experience, unlike anything I’ve done before. The production will premiere on London’s West End this year. I’m also working on my symphony.
You’ve scored music for a Chinese film, “Tian Di Xiong (Warriors of Heaven and Earth)”, directed by He Peng. How challenging was it to work in a foreign language?
(smiles) You know what? I enjoy watching Chinese films. After working on several regional and Hindi films, you want to expand your horizons. I’m not saying I’ve achieved everything here. I just see this as another step in a new direction, exchanging ideas with new people. The only challenge was learning the language, but a translator helped me understand the essence of the language.
As for the music, they are our neighbors and there isn’t much difference between their music and ours. They often use Raag Pahari, known as Raag Mohanam in Carnatic music. The instruments they use are different, of course, and learning to play them was beneficial.
Closer to home, “Swades” had great music, but the film didn’t do well at the box office. What do you think went wrong?
There are two types of people: those who focus on commercial success (there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make money) and those who want to make a statement while also enjoying commercial success. Ashutosh belongs to the second category. I admit “Swades” was a bit slow, but its heart was in the right place.
To give another example, Mani Ratnam’s films always have a moral. He doesn’t care about their box office fate. But he’s also clear that he doesn’t want to limit himself to an audience that watches only offbeat films. He wants his films to be seen by everyone. That’s why he insists on great music, great picturization, and creates excitement about his movie.
Did you like the film?
Many people liked the film. I liked the script; that’s why I scored the music for it.
Why did you score only two songs for “Kisna”?
After I had recorded four songs for Subhash Ghai’s “Motherland”, he changed his mind and decided to make a completely different film. At that time, I was busy with “Bombay Dreams”, “Lord of the Rings: The Musical”, and many other projects. So, I told Mr. Ghai that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his new film right away. But I didn’t want to let go of the project either. So, I offered to score two songs for it.
People often complain that the quality of Hindi film music is deteriorating. What’s your take on this?
I don’t think it’s declining. The music of “Devdas”, the songs and their picturization, brought life to the product. “Lagaan” also had little gems scattered throughout.
If a producer wants to make a successful film today, he needs to have a strong idea to work on, as well as the conviction and the team to see the product through. Otherwise, he has to resort to soft porn. And that’s exactly what’s happening today.
Speaking of “Devdas”, you were supposed to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. What happened?
I respect Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his incredible work. We were supposed to work together on “Bajirao Mastani”, and I was about to let go of “Lord of the Rings” for “Bajirao Mastani”…. when he suddenly announced my name as the music director for “Black”. I asked him, “What’s going on? This isn’t the film I was supposed to do and it has no songs!” He explained that there was a slight change as he wasn’t ready for “Bajirao Mastani”. I promptly sent a fax to the producers of “Lord of the Rings” to say I was on.
You are the only Indian film music director to have achieved success outside India. Are you satisfied with what you’ve achieved abroad, or do you aspire for more?
I still crave for different kinds of work. But I believe everything should come to you naturally. You shouldn’t dream of the impossible; if it doesn’t happen, it leads to frustration. If God wants the impossible to happen, it will. So I don’t keep thinking about it, I wait for opportunity to knock on my door and make full use of it. And I do work very hard.
