The interview which appears below, was originally published on The Hindu in December 2006. ©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.
Music director A.R. Rahman, who likes to compose music albums and film music with “like-minded” people, asserts that his goal is to make people enjoy his music, says Madhur Tankha.
He has composed music that will forever remain etched in music lovers’ minds. From the melodious “Chhoti Si Asha” in the much talked about film “Roja” to the foot-tapping number “Chaiyya-Chaiyya” in “Dil Se”, A.R. Rahman’s music has touched the hearts of people not only in the subcontinent but across the world.
Here in the Capital this past week to launch an English music video “Pray for Me, Brother” composed and sung by him, Rahman revealed that the album had come about as a result of the Nokia Nseries association with A.R. Rahman Foundation.
Speaking about his association with ace director Mani Ratnam, Rahman says: “Actually Guru’ is a continuation of my association with Mani Ratnam. Mani wanted me to sing for Abhishek Bachchan in Guru’ but I was not sure whether my voice would suit Abhishek. Finally, I agreed to sing the song Tere Bina’. But this is not my first Hindi film song. I had earlier sung Ma Tujhe Salaam’.”
Revealing that he discovered his singing style in “Roja”, Rahman claims that the film taught him what music was really all about and what he had to give to the rest of the world. While it is important for Rahman to compose music albums or film music with “like-minded” people, it is equally important that he must enjoy his music. “My ultimate goal is that people should enjoy my music,” says Rahman.
As for his upcoming Hindi film projects, Rahman says he has already completed two songs for “Akbar Jodha” that is all about Tansen and Akbar. “We have all grown up watching classics like Mughal-e-Azam’ and other Mughal era films. But in Akbar Jodha’ we have tried not to make a re-make of the great classic. At the same time, we have seen to it that we give the same amount of respect and dignity to that era as was done in the earlier film. In the songs, I have incorporated Rajasthani tunes.”
Rahman says music is in his genes. His earliest memories are of his father, a well-known musician, teaching him to play harmonium. Now his daughter is learning piano.
About the difference between composing music for films and composing as well as singing for a music video, Rahman says: “While making a film, you have to be married to the script and also give your individual touch. Now that my latest music video is completed, I feel truly liberated in the sense that I had complete freedom to express myself. It was certainly a better experience.”
Stating that two years ago, his friends discussed with him the idea of creating an album for people stricken by tuberculosis and poverty, Rahman says: “I wrote lyrics on the lines `Are you Searching for a Reason to be Kind’. Director Bharat Bala filmed the song in Los Angeles. Besides highlighting the fact that charity does not necessarily mean money or materialistic things, the song is about praying for people who are suffering.”
Rahman says his latest music video is for a noble cause. “The money earned from the music video will be utilised for opening schools and creating leaders in music and other fields of specialisation.”
On the importance of religion in his daily life, Rahman says: “Religion teaches a person what his or her real self is, why he has been created and it also tells a person about his relation with his father, mother, wife and daughter. For me religion is a personal journey to other things.”
Surprisingly, Rahman does not watch many Hindi films. “I watch a lot of Chinese, Korean and Iranian films with sub-titles,” he says.
