The interview which appears below, was originally published on Times of India in June 2008. ©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 genius has done it again. A.R. Rahman has come out with yet another winner with his music for the soon-to-be-launched Jane Tu Ya Jaane Na, the much talked about launch film of Aamir’s nephew Imraan Khan. In the album, Rahman — no novice to singing his own songs — has sung the title track Tu Jane Na Bolo, a peppy jazz tune.
A brilliant score accompanied by soft drums, saxophone and other instruments, the track can indeed be called the USP of the album. The other tracks too have a very vibrant and youthful feel to them and can be quite addictive when he or Rashid Khan hit duets belt by newcomer Kailash or Jaane Tu Mera Kya Sang by Runa Rizvi. The track Pappu Can’t Dance has gone on to become a sort of a college rage. Then there is Kailin To Sung by Rashid Ali and accompanied by Vasundara Das. A soft, romantic track with a very soothing feel to it, one can’t but help wanting to play it on repeat mode.
So is the musician making it a habit of singing his own songs? “Well actually, it’s the directors choice, they like my voice and hence,” he says very matter of factly.
The Aamir Khan – A.R. Rahman relationship goes back a long way with Rahman having done the music for many of Khan’s films including Lagaan, Rang De Basanti and Mangal Panday. A name synonymous with good music, Rahman has catered to possibly every genre of Indian movies, be it period films like Jodhaa Akbar, youth centric movies like Rang De Basanti or even cult hits like Lagaan.
Talking about how he has managed to sustain himself over such a long period, Rahman says, “It’s a nightmare sometimes, and odds are it’s all about teamwork. The good part is I work with different teams and there is different vibrations.” Rahman admits that the feeling of ‘Oh my God! Such a big movie, how am I going to make the music for this one’ is a recurring one for him. “I guess that’s why I am so spiritual,” he says with a grin.
“We sit to work and something happens. Whether it’s most bad, thankfully good or I been good,” he explains. From Roja to Dil Se, Guru and now Jane Tu Ya Jaan… it’s been a long journey spanning over a decade for this maestro, who is considered a genius in the Indian music industry.
Shy and reclusive, not only has he wowed the Indian audience with his work, Rahman has Hollywood directors raving about his talent with his works like Bombay Dreams and Lord of the Rings. His message for the growing breed of young Indian music directors is to carve their own spots in the industry.
Says Rahman, “We should emulate the 60s style of working. There were many excellent music directors but they all co-existed in the industry while each of them maintained their own unique style of making music. It should be like that.”
