The interview which appears below, was originally published on Gulf News in October 2009. ©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.
Indian music maestro A.R. Rahman is known to retreat into a shell at public functions, but his visit to the capital for the 3rd Middle East International Film Festival revealed a different side to him.
Contrary to his appearance in a stiff collared black Indian tunic on Wednesday, he was in a relaxed, tell-all mode. His life-altering film Slumdog Millionaire, which won him double Oscars, was taken up based on his instincts.
“I work mainly on instincts. I actually dropped Ashutosh Gowarikar’s project when the proposal to work in Slumdog Millionaire came up. There was no cast or anything in place at that time. Thirty thousand pounds was what I was given and that eventually won me an Oscar,” said Rahman.
He was in conversation with artists Richard Horowitz and Sussan Deyhim and spoke at length about his passions, dreams and projects. However, his instinct-based mechanism is far more challenging after his glorious Oscar reign.
Post the Oscar-win, Rahman says it may not be as easy to take decisions in a snap.
“Now with the Oscar, expectations have gone up. Now whatever I do, it will be blown out of proportions,” said Rahman.
True to his word, Akshay Kumar-led magnum opus Blue is creating a buzz for its musical composition. In the film, Rahman has collaborated with Australian singer Kylie Minogue. He says composing music for Bollywood’s first underwater adventure flick was a tricky affair.
“My first instinct was to make the music watery,” says Rahman laughing at his own joke.
“I wanted to go against the water, create something new,” he added.
His song with Kylie Minogue Chiggy Wiggy is also creating quite a stir among the Bollywood buffs. Speaking about his freshman days as an Indian musician, Rahman also recounted his days when he used to cringe at hearing his music on the mono system.
Panel discussion head Horowitz was commenting on the rich musical heritage that he inherited from India.
“It is a good thing. But in the days when I started out, I used to cry when I heard the music I made for my first six films in mono speakers. I used to work in a system with three tracks, while my own house had more than 16 tracks. But things have changed for the good. It’s more technologically advanced,” says Rahman.
Hailed as a pioneer in bringing new sounds to Indian cinema, Rahman also adds the ball game has changed drastically. His recent Hollywood project Couples Retreat, featuring Vince Vaughn, was an eye-opening experience.
“Working in Hollywood is different. You have to go through a system. They needn’t always listen to me.”
But he has managed to insert a few of his signature Indian elements. His compositions for his latest Hollywood venture will have a distinct Indian flavour with Sanskrit and Tamil verses woven into it. His talent is not limited to a good ear, but he also has a keen eye for scouting fresh talent.
“There are many who stand in front of my house looking for a chance. Sometimes I try them and if they are good, then they stick on. If they are not, we replace them with someone else.”
