The interview which appears below, was originally published for Visually Impaired Children in December 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.
Q: What is your opinion about sound?
A.R. Rahman: Sound is our world. There are many aspects to sound, more than just sight. There’s a feeling, a realization in the heart (which is termed as the “eye of the heart”), something spiritual that lies within. I believe in this very much. There’s an eye in the mind which is very important. There are many things in music, the language, God… (he smiles)
Q: Which was the first lyrics for which you composed music?
A.R. Rahman: I think it was for a commercial called “Colour Lab”. After constructing my studio, it was “Deen Isai Maalai”, an album that had songs like “Allah Oh Akbar” and “Ellam Un Arul Vallamo”. For cinema, it would be “Chinna Chinna Aasai”.
Q: Can you tell us something about music therapy?
A.R. Rahman: Actually, I don’t know much about music therapy. There are some melodious songs and ragas which calm our restlessness and confusion. But there are also songs that make us angry. It could be a song we like, a prayer, or even an instrument. Sometimes, even a tambura or a flute can be therapeutic.
Q: What sound do you like the most?
A.R. Rahman: I like the sound of rain. Sometimes, when we’re in a forest, the sound of birds. Sometimes the tambura sound. There’s nothing in particular; it depends on the state of mind at that moment.
Q: What’s the difference between Indian classical (folk) music, international folk music, and ancient folk music?
A.R. Rahman: Folk music has heart, not intelligence. That’s why we tend to get attracted to whatever folk songs we compose. The core of melody, the soul, and the thought are the same thing, whether it’s Tamil Nadu folk, Andhra folk, Gujarati folk, Spanish folk, or Turkish folk. Spanish folk has a magic that connects with us very easily.
Q: How did you feel when composing music for films like “Kizhakku Cheemayile”?
A.R. Rahman: When we start hearing folk songs, it automatically comes into our system. After I completed “Roja”, many had the opinion that I didn’t know folk style and had landed from abroad. So, when I sat with Bharathiraaja Sir and Vairamuthu Sir, I tried my best to do that movie differently.
Q: What do you feel about the period films you’ve composed for?
A.R. Rahman: I’ve composed music for films like “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose”, “Jodhaa Akbar”, “The Legend of Bhagat Singh”, and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”. It’s more orchestral music. We have to guess the style of music that would suit that era and compose accordingly.
Q: Which musical instrument do you get involved with the most?
A.R. Rahman: The instrument I mainly play is the keyboard or piano. Apart from that, there’s a new instrument called the Continuum. It doesn’t have keys like a keyboard, but just the front part. We can play Hindustani and Carnatic gamakam using it. Recently, I bought another instrument called the Arabian Oud.
Q: Which generation of music is your favorite?
A.R. Rahman: Actually, I keep my mind very open. If you take the sixties, we have music composed by K.V. Mahadevan; in the North, we have S.D. Burman and R.D. Burman. There are a lot of keerthanas, and in the Western world, there have been many great composers. There’s a lot happening recently that we might not be observing properly. We see many talents on YouTube. Keeping an open mind is my philosophy. It’s very difficult to judge which is good or not.
Q: What’s the specialty of Indian music?
A.R. Rahman: Music can be termed as a reflection of Indian culture. India’s culture goes back 1000 years. So, the roots are in Hindustani, Classical, and Carnatic music (according to me).
Q: Can you talk about Bharathidasan and Bharathiyar?
A.R. Rahman: Sometimes, when we’re pushed to a corner or undergo a torturous situation, the best in us comes out. Bharathiyar and Bharathidasan underwent such trauma and were subjected to such hardships. Most people who get tortured will have opposite creativity. I’m very proud of both of them.
Q: What’s your inspiration?
A.R. Rahman: My inspiration is nature. The team which works with me, including the director, the lyricist, the producer, and the hero. All movies have this, but some teams give extra inspiration.
Q: What thoughts come to you when you’re in silence?
A.R. Rahman: At different phases of my life, there have been different thoughts. Initially, I liked it very much, and after some time, it started boring me. At times, I miss my family. Whenever I go abroad, I like the silence and feel it’s creative.
Q: There’s music latent in one’s sorrow and happiness. Can you elaborate on that?
A.R. Rahman: “Roja” came out in 1991. If you read the blogs, you can see what people have felt about music when they were young, when they grew up and fell in love, and how it changed over time. They write about the songs they heard when they were in love, when they grew up, or the lullabies sung to them. Music is such a thing that after we create it and it leaves us, it no longer belongs to us. It belongs to the people and is the property of the listeners. So, when anyone asks what song I like the most, I usually don’t reply. Many times, people start arguing about preferences, and I prefer to leave it at that.
