The interview which appears below, was originally recorded on Kamla Bhatt Show in February 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.
This is Kamla Bhatt. Today my guest is A.R. Rahman, who has been nominated for three Oscars for his work in Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian music composer to be nominated for three Oscars. In 2005, Time Magazine listed the musical soundtrack from his first film Roja as one of the top 10 movie soundtracks of all time. A.R., as he prefers to be called, is also one of the top-selling recording artists in the world.
Welcome to the show, A.R.
A.R. Rahman: Hi, nice to be here.
Kamla: When you won the Golden Globe, who was the first person you called?
A.R. Rahman: I texted from my agent Sam Schwartz’s Blackberry to one of my friends to tell my wife. Because we were sitting there and phones were not allowed, and I think they saw it on TV.
Kamla: After you got out, whom did you call then?
A.R. Rahman: I spoke to… Oh, I forgot—too many awards. I spoke to her after I came out.
Kamla: What was your reaction when you got nominated for the Oscars? Where were you?
A.R. Rahman: I was with my family. Actually, I was in Chennai and we saw these three nominations for director, best film and stuff. My agent Sam Schwartz called from Los Angeles (LA). He said, “Did you see those three nominations?” I said yes, directors. No, he said music nominations—three—and then I was really surprised. It was great news.
Kamla: Why should you be surprised after you got the Golden Globe?
A.R. Rahman: Surprised because we entered two songs and both got nominated. It’s a big deal. Also, the score… it’s not a very conventional kind of score, and even the songs become score in most places, blurring the line between score and songs. I didn’t analyze all those. Initially, I didn’t even think I should submit it, but then they said everything becomes a score together. Sometimes creatively, you never analyze and calculate things, but it happens.
Kamla: And was Danny Boyle surprised?
A.R. Rahman: He was thrilled, actually. I couldn’t go for the premiere in Mumbai because I was prepared but suddenly had to finish Dilli 6—a pre-commitment. So, I was stuck in Chennai doing the stuff.
Kamla: Now, is it true that Dilli 6 has been postponed because of all the Oscar buzz and you being in LA?
A.R. Rahman: I have finished almost 60% when I came, and I’m going back tomorrow to finish the other portion. I think the background score is almost over.
Kamla: A quick question about “Jai Ho.” How did you come up with the idea of getting different sounds—you have Spanish, Hindi, and English? How did you compose that “Jai Ho”?
A.R. Rahman: Well, I think it was almost like a celebration. I don’t know, we just wanted to do a crazy song, and this song was already choreographed for another kind of song. So, I wanted to write an original song, and sometimes you get this instinct and you just go with it.
Kamla: Tell us about Slumdog Millionaire. How surprised are you by the success and why do you think it succeeded?
A.R. Rahman: First of all, the optimism and hope of the film, which we all need—all of us are in trouble. When I saw the movie, I loved that aspect. When I came out of the film, I felt positive, not depressed or questioning why I went to this film. It’s not a normal film where you just see the usual thing—it enriches your intellect, makes you think, and takes you for a roller coaster ride. I loved the screenplay. Two points are proven in the film: there are no stars at all, showing that any well-made film can have its own fame. Also, feelings like empathy and love are universal—the way you can relate to it.
Kamla: You mentioned to Danny Boyle that the movie reminded you of Shawshank Redemption.
A.R. Rahman: Yes.
Kamla: I asked Danny Boyle that question. He says, “I don’t know, you need to ask Rahman.”
A.R. Rahman: Why I told that is… There’s a parallel—there’s so much suffering there and how life is mean to this family, these two brothers, and how when he comes out, he feels so good. That’s the same kind of feeling I felt in this. I said, “This is it, man—you’ve done it in a very different way.” So he couldn’t get why I was mentioning that film.
Kamla: Do you think in some ways you were able to empathize with the movie and the characters because of your early experiences, the struggles that you went through as a child and teenager?
A.R. Rahman: I think everybody goes through something. I took it as a universal feeling, not as a personal thing. These days you see so many suicides happening after the recession, after business collapses. There is always hope, I think, and whenever something goes wrong, there are probably three times better things going to come in the future. We need to have that hope in our mind that something better is always there for us and never lose hope. We always think about the present and worry about what will happen. Tomorrow is never the same—it may be good or bad, but it’s never the same. Of course, if we follow the right path, we can probably foresee what’s coming, but the future is bright.
Kamla: What kinds of music do you listen to? How do you relax?
A.R. Rahman: How do I relax? I come here to L.A.
Kamla: And what do you do in L.A. when you come here?
A.R. Rahman: I’m just getting up at the right time in the morning, sleeping at the right time, eating right food.
Kamla: But seriously, how do you relax though?
A.R. Rahman: I relax when I do music too. It’s no work kind of thing. I think we’re in a profession which is very satisfying, at least so far, and doing stuff is itself like therapy for us.
Kamla: Now, what does the Golden Globe award mean to you?
A.R. Rahman: I don’t know. Probably after a year, I’ll look back and know what it means to me. It gave a reason for celebrating along with so many Indian people there, which is a great thing. Because after all those Bombay mishaps and the horrible things that happened—Sridhar passing away and the flood inside my studio—after this incident, I don’t know why it came from my heart that I wanted to share this with one billion people here. I thought it’s a great moment to rejoice with all the people rather than take it as a personal victory. That was good, that was memorable. It’s going to be a memorable moment in my life.
Kamla: So, after the National Film Award that you got in 1992, is this the next most significant thing?
A.R. Rahman: Yeah, I would say because even that was a surprise. Nobody ever expected when I made Roja that I would get the National Award—an award which old people get. I was 23 or 24 years old and in my first film, I got a National Award. It was a great surprise. In fact, a lot of people said, “Don’t you think it’s too early for you? Won’t you lose your motivation to do more music?”
Kamla: And then how did you answer them?
A.R. Rahman: I don’t know. They gave it to me and I am enjoying it.
Kamla: So, how are you preparing yourself mentally for the Oscars?
A.R. Rahman: Oh God. I don’t even think about it. I’m just enjoying these days now. Probably two days before, I’ll get all tensed up and then think about it.
Kamla: There have been reports that you may be performing along with Sukhvinder?
A.R. Rahman: Well, we don’t know yet what the scene is, what they want. I’m just going to have a meeting and decide.
Kamla: And what about the news that you are going to be working with the Pussycat Dolls?
A.R. Rahman: Nothing confirmed yet. I think if something is there, I’ll let people know.
Kamla: OK, let me ask you about “Jai Ho”. There is an interesting story about that song.
A.R. Rahman: The whole music of Slumdog Millionaire was done very secretively. I didn’t tell anyone that I was doing this film. One main reason is, since I was doing so many other films, this was the first time I was working with a director like Danny Boyle who is so reputed. I didn’t know how well we were going to vibe, whether he would accept the music I was making for him. There were too many question marks. So nobody, not even writers, knew which film I was scoring. Even the musicians didn’t know. I was just doing stuff.
Only me and probably Sridhar knew about it. Only when the Toronto Festival happened and the film got great reviews, they saw my name and said, “Oh! You did music for that film.” There were too many speculations about things like this song being from that film and all that stuff which is all false. I want to make that very clear. All the music in this film was made for this film—that’s very important.
Kamla: OK, so how did you get to work with M.I.A? Whose idea was it? Was it yours or Danny Boyle’s?
A.R. Rahman: It was Danny’s idea that both of us should do something together. We met in London and finished the track.
Kamla: How was it working with her?
A.R. Rahman: She is great. I admire her work also, and she wanted me to write something a year back.
Kamla: Coming back to the Oscars and the Golden Globes, what was it like sitting in the same room as people like Clint Eastwood, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, and James Newton Howard… people that you probably wanted to meet?
A.R. Rahman: I think everybody has that little “Oh my God, Oh my God, he is there, he is there.” Actually, when I first came to L.A. for the promotion of Slumdog Millionaire in December, first trip I had, I met Hans Zimmer, then Danny and Howard, I met Alexander. After that, I got used to all of that. We’re in the same room and “Oh yes, it’s Clint Eastwood, hi! How are you?”
Kamla: Oh, so you spoke with them?
A.R. Rahman: Yes, I spoke to Spielberg too. All of them loved the film. After that, you kind of lose that childlike “Oh yes, he is there” sort of excitement to “OK, hi how are you?”
Kamla: So, who is that one person that you have not met and that you would like to meet?
A.R. Rahman: I met almost everybody. I met Peter Gabriel, whom I admire. Then I met Sting also during the Golden Globe, so almost all of them.
Kamla: If you do win the Oscars, how is that going to change your life?
A.R. Rahman: I don’t know, let me win it. And then let’s see if something changes. It will definitely be a great honor if we get one of those.
Kamla: Whether you win or not, your life has changed?
A.R. Rahman: Yeah.
Kamla: Because I am assuming that you are going to get offers from Hollywood now?
A.R. Rahman: Yes, I’m not jumping the gun. I just want to make sure that I put the energy into the right thing because now it’s all over the place—lot of offers, lot of different collaborations coming now. But they want to make sure that there are only certain things I can handle properly, you know all those things.
This is Kamla Bhatt. You were listening to A.R. Rahman. Tune back in for part two of our conversation where A.R. talks about his journey from Kodambakkam in Chennai to Hollywood. And as always, thank you for tuning in
