The interview which appears below, was originally published on Screen Magazine in October 2004. ©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.
The first time I was exposed to A.R. Rahman was almost a decade ago. I had gone to interview the reigning queen Sridevi in the wake of her new release Gumrah. As I rang the doorbell of her apartment, I could hear faint notes of the melody. When the maid ushered me inside the living room, I was engulfed in the extraordinary music emerging from Sridevi’s bedroom.
For ten minutes the entire house reverberated with the sound. A little later, Sridevi sauntered out of her room, still swooning over the effect. “The music is from Mani Ratnam’s new film Roja…,” she explained, “and it is composed by a boy who is only 25 years old. He is simply sensational! And this is only his debut film. Wait till the Hindi filmmakers hear this music, they will never let go of A.R. Rahman.”
A few months later, Roja, dubbed in Hindi, was released and true to Sridevi’s prophecy, A.R. Rahman became a household name. In a few years, Rahman had picked up all the distinguished trophies connected with show business.
In quality and versatility, his output was unmatched by any of his competitors. Music companies yearned to release his albums. Television channels fought to stage his concerts. And filmmakers clamored to get his dates for their projects.
Everyone wanted a slice of A.R. Rahman, but what did Rahman himself want?
Screen chatted with the music composer on the eve of the Swades audio release. The setting was perfect. The grandeur of The Gateway of India is in the background. Lush grass around us and a full moon in the sky. Not surprising that for once, Rahman was with his defenses down. Over to the creative genius.
Are you really as unsocial as everyone makes you out to be?
I’m shy but not unsocial. I have my close group of friends with whom I let my hair down. But yes, I’m not over-friendly. My work calls me to meet all kinds of people, so it’s not as if I’m not used to strangers. How I interact with them depends on my mood and circumstances. Sometimes, you can have the best conversations with people you don’t know.
Everyone who comes into contact with you describes you in superlatives. What are your assessments of yourself?
I deliver my best but it is not fair to give me all the credit for my tunes. My team works equally hard and so does the director who projects my creation into a visual medium. I’m open to constructive criticism and encourage my team to tell me when they feel a particular tune is not working, which they do. My assessment of my work stems from their responses and from the approval of my filmmakers. I make sure I provide them with different variations for every tune. Depending on what they eventually choose, the music of the film is shaped.
And how do you make the crucial decision of choosing your filmmakers?
It is tough and it is becoming increasingly difficult in the last few years. Earlier it was easier because I was not well-known and could rely on my instincts. But now, there are greater expectations from me. The easiest way out, of course, is to work with people you’ve already worked with, so you are familiar with their talent and their temperament, as in the case of Mani Ratnam and now Ashutosh Gowariker. The credibility of the director and the lyricist is most important. At this stage of my career, it is embarrassing to be attached to people who don’t deliver. In the past, I’ve trusted producers and delivered music, which after all these years, remains in the cans. It is a colossal waste of time, energy, and the involvement of my team. It is not a comfortable feeling.
It’s difficult to believe that any producer in current times will not fulfill a promise made to A.R. Rahman.
I’m not saying that they do it deliberately or out of manipulation. It’s circumstances. They probably lack finance or are facing some other problems. Let me give you an example. A few years ago, two filmmakers approached me around the same time. The first was an established banner and the second, was talented but new to the business. Both wanted immediate tunes.
I had in my stock of compositions, two ready tunes. The first, by my own admission, was an average composition. And the second, above average. On instinct, I provided the average composition to the established banner which turned it into that year’s superhit song. The second, which was in fact the better tune, never got released. It’s something I’ve always wondered about. There is a possibility that had I exchanged the tunes between the two filmmakers, the superhit would have been an even bigger success.
There is a possibility that it may not have worked at all?
Sure, there is that possibility too. Till the tune is ready and finalized by the director, the music composer is never completely satisfied with his creation. He can never enjoy his own music until much later, sometimes maybe even years later.
All your compositions be it for Hindi or Tamil films have an unmistakable Rahman stamp. Do you think this is an asset?
I have to admit that it is not deliberate but if it still exists, I take it as my identity. As long as my identity does not come in the way of my versatility I’m okay. There is a difference in being characteristic and in being typecast. So far, I think I’ve refrained from being typecast.
Most of the time directors signing you for an assignment are looking at you for inspiration. Where do you draw your muses from?
From life, from faith… I don’t know. I don’t want to analyze too much. Thinking too much takes me away from the natural process of seeking my journey. Probably the faith comes from my religion. Nothing is possible without His will… neither my talent nor my innumerable compositions. He is secretly guarding it all and guiding me in my pursuits. The only time I feel I’m all alone and nobody can help is when I’m before a live audience at my concerts (Laughs).
You seek peace in religion?
I surrender to my religion. It believes in one God. That is why I converted to Islam. Those were turbulent times for the family. My mother and I were seeking an anchor and we found it in Allah. By embracing a new religion I felt I had acquired a new identity. It was a liberating feeling and a tremendous opportunity to get rid of the excess baggage I had collected over the years. It’s a decision I have never regretted.
Swades is a film about the common man. How does someone who lives in an ivory tower associate with the sounds of everyday life?
The ivory tower makes the same demands out of me for a living, as it does out of a slum dweller. We see the same skyline from our window at the end of the day and hear the same bells jangle. I’m not out of touch with reality. I go out wherever my heart tells me to, be it to a restaurant for a meal or to a dargah for a public prayer. An artiste gets noticed in public only if he wants to be noticed. With my height, I’m quite inconspicuous and by the time people recognize and approach me, I’ve usually accomplished my mission and I’m out of the arena.
How do you rate your music in Swades? There are a lot of expectations from the Lagaan trio of Ashutosh, Javed Akhtar and Rahman.
It is for Ashutosh and Javedsaab to say if they are satisfied. I think it’s a sincere effort on my part. Ashutosh has been very co-operative and encouraging. It has been a very healthy relationship of give and take. He has spent days with me in Chennai and I have spent days with him on the sets at Panchgani.
Subhash Ghai once referred to you as mercury, do you agree with the description?
I’m not sure what Subhashji was thinking when he said that. This must have been during Taal. He could not be referring to my temperament because I’m very calm and far from mercurial. He probably meant someone you cannot hold on to.
Is this true? Are you that inaccessible?
Well, I’m attending this music release and talking to you right now, so I’m accessible (Laughs).
Producers say that if you want to work with Rahman you should be able to do two things: park yourself in Chennai and be able to keep awake all night.
Look, I’m not forcing anyone to work with me but if I live in Chennai, that’s where they will have to come. About keeping awake, I am comfortable working at nights but that does not mean that the filmmakers have to keep awake with me as well. Shyam Benegal did not when I was composing Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He would be in the studios till midnight and then come the next morning to listen to the compositions. But Subhash Ghai, because he is a music lover, wanted to wait and watch the creative process during Taal. So it’s their individual choice.
How did you get into this strange pattern of working?
Many years ago, when I was working for outside composers, my day was devoted to them and the only time I could call my own was the nights. That’s when I played instruments and created my own compositions. I loved the stillness of the night when I could create peacefully without interruptions. Gradually, the process formed into a habit. After so many years I have got so used to it that psychologically that I cannot start working till night falls. The adrenaline does not flow until then.
And how do you manage to catch up on your sleep?
I work through the night, starting at dusk and ending at dawn. The five o’ clock namaaz is a precious slot and if I sleep at a normal time, there is no way I’d be able to wake up for it. So I wrap up my recording at 5 a.m., say my prayers, and retire to bed. I wake up anytime in the afternoon after two o clock, have my bath, read the papers, eat lunch, talk to the family and am ready to visit my studio again at 6:30 in the evening. That’s the way my system works and now that of my staff as well. It is a precious pattern for this way I’m able to catch both, the sunrise as well as the sunset. I’m not sure how many people are as fortunate as me.
About A.R. Rahman
Son of an arranger and conductor in Malayalam movies, A.R. Rahman (then Dilip) started learning the piano at the age of four. At the young age of 11, the gifted Rahman joined maestro Ilayaraja’s troupe as a keyboard player.
After his father’s early demise, his mother Kareema Begum stood behind him and encouraged him to follow in his father’s footsteps. This had an adverse effect on his education, forcing him to drop out of school. But his music career soared and he played in the orchestra of MS Vishwanathan.
He also accompanied Zakir Hussain and Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan on various world tours. All these experiences enabled him to earn a scholarship to the famed ‘Trinity College of Music’ at Oxford University. Besides holding a degree in Western classical music, Rahman was a part of local rock bands like Roots, Magic and Nemesis Avenue.
His first professional tryst with the ad world got him visibility. Rahman composed for popular ads like Parry’s, Leo Coffee, Boost, Titan, Premier Pressure Cooker, Hero Puc, and Asian Paints. He also did a couple of non-film albums like Deen Isai Malai and Set Me Free.
His film career took off when he composed for Mani Ratnam’s Roja, taking the Tamil film industry by storm. Scoring tunes for numerous films like 1947–Earth, Bombay, Taal, Rangeela and Dil Se, the prodigy is responsible for taking Indian music to new heights as in Shekhar Kapur-Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Bombay Dreams. Rahman is presently working on The Lord Of The Rings for the London stage again with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
