The interview which appears below, was originally published on Hindustan Times in September 2007. ©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.
Although he hasn’t slept for nearly 40 hours, he wears his trademark smile. Over to the Chennai maestro. A.R. Rahman.
Are you ready to select new talent in the Fever 104 FM Voice Hunt?
I’m not selecting them. I feel bad when you say that. I love to hear fresh voices. I’m sure even people will be excited. It’ll be great to have Delhi’s talent while we perform there. We did that in the US too, and it worked very well.
You’re accustomed to working late in the night. What makes you look tired now?
I’m jet-lagged. I’m coming straight from a flight from the UK. I just finished recording the album of The Lord Of The Rings. Working on a stage musical is time and energy consuming.
Are films better than musicals?
I like the instinct of films. You finish them and move on. In musicals, you do your thing, you rewrite and do it till it’s perfect.
Any recent movies you’ve worked on?
Elizabeth II and Jodhaa Akbar. Come to think of it, it’s strange but both are 15th century historicals. They’re not dry subjects though. Jodhaa sounds fine to me. There are lots of songs in it.
Weren’t you approached to compose the songs of Om Shanti Om?
I love to hear fresh voices. I’m sure even people will be excited. It’ll be great to have Delhi’s talent while we perform there. We did that in the US too, and it worked very well.Farah (Khan) came to me but something went wrong in the contract. I appreciate what Vishal Shekhar have done.
Of late, you’ve also made an informal foray into some aspects of filmmaking. True?
Oh! Who spilled the beans? Well, it’s a great responsibility. Initially, I used to leave a song to its fate. But now, I feel a sense of responsibility. People trust you and you have to live up to their expectations. A song’s placement or treatment means a lot to the composers.. you can’t let it go wrong. So, I’ve become an alarmist. But, I’ve no plans to act. I just can’t do it.
Any angst regarding the industry?
Sometimes we are pushed. People want to release films on a festival day or on a particular date. Then your creativity gets affected. I don’t compromise, nor do I stop working with them because I can understand their situation too.
A lot of artists complain about the way you make them record on a dummy track.
(Laughs) Who told you that? You have to tell me. Actually, I know some of them are angry with me. I think, I don’t know what I’m doing. It all comes together in the end. But that process works for in a pop situation, not in the classical. When there is melody, you need to have everything done traditionally.
