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A near-fatal accident during A.R. Rahman’s Oscar rehearsals came to light when the composer revealed it upon his return to India on Thursday. During preparations for performances at the Oscars, Jay Leno Show, and Oprah Winfrey Show, a massive chandelier crashed exactly where he had been standing moments before.
“I really don’t know what happened. Two days before the Oscars we were rehearsing at one of the theatres when a massive chandelier, covering portion of the ceiling crashed to the spot just a split-second after I moved away,” Rahman recalled.
The gravity of the situation wasn’t lost on the composer. “If I hadn’t moved away I’d have become history after making history in no time at all. It left me shaken but not terrified. I guess it was God’s warning not to take any of the good things that are happening to me too seriously.”
Rahman attributes his escape to divine intervention and well-wishers’ prayers. “I think the love and prayers of all those who love me saved me. As I walked from the left side of the stage to the right I could feel a heavy drop from the air, like water rushing down from a height of 30 to 40 feet.”
The incident gained deeper meaning when connected to his Oprah appearance. “When I did Oprah Winfrey’s show, she asked me what Jai ho meant. I said it meant, ‘May the victory be yours.’ She wished the same back for me and I could see she meant it. It’s the best wishes from the world over that saved my life that day.”
Philosophical about his brush with death, Rahman concluded, “What has to happen will happen. I believe one is constantly walking hand-in-hand with death. Death is like a constant companion. But let’s not go into dark spaces right now.”
