The interview which appears below, was originally published on Rediff.com 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.
Since the Oscar nominations were announced on January 22, A.R. Rahman told Rediff India Abroad’s Arthur J Pais that he has trained himself not to have expectations.
“When you truly try to tell yourself not to expect anything, you don’t get disappointed if you don’t get an award,” he says in the second part of the interview, the first segment published on Thursday.
Every six-foot space in Chennai has a poster of him from the Oscar event, he says. “I often go to a dargah in Cuddapah district (Andhra Pradesh) to pray. I am planning to go there in a day or two,” he continues. “I get my spiritual sustenance there, and most important, I continue to learn of humility.”
Humility was very much on his mind when he recited a line in Tamil in his Oscar acceptance speech which declares that without God’s help nothing could be achieved.
“In my success and failures, I tell myself that,” the composer who was nominated for three Oscars in two categories, arguably an Oscar record, says. “I have been uttering the Tamil saying at practically every award I have received since Roja was released. I grew up believing that we are all instruments in the hands of God. The main source of creativity to me lies in being spiritual.”
In his second thank you speech, he also spoke about choosing between hate and love.
“Right from childhood, I had been told especially by my mother, and later by Sufi saints about the importance of purging oneself of hateful and conflicting thoughts,” he explains.
“In our daily lives and work, we are confronted with negative thoughts. There are divisions based on religion, ethnic backgrounds, languages… Unless we learn to rise above them and embrace true spirituality, how can we produce something really beautiful?”
“At least I cannot think of composing something when there is bitterness and anger in my heart,” he said. “And that is what I meant when I said that because I chose love I could be here (in Hollywood and at the Oscars).”
He prevailed at the Oscars over heavyweight Hollywood composers like Danny Elfman (Milk), Thomas Newman (WALL-E) and James Newton Howard (Defiance), not to forget the distinguished Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) from France.
“I wish my entire family could have been there,” he says. “My children were unable to join us.” He appeared on major television programmes including the celebrated Today and Oprah shows. Oprah Winfrey asked him to perform “Jai Ho,” and also asked him what it meant.
The week-long Oscar sojourn in Los Angeles was so hectic that he cancelled coming to New York for the world premiere of Delhi 6, for which he composed the music.
Rahman wore a flowing sherwani at the ceremony. “I usually don’t wear black,” he says laughing. “But Oscar rules said if I wasn’t wearing a tux (which I wore for the red carpet), I should wear something black and it could be Indian.”
His wife Saira has been choosing his clothes in the past two years. “I am very happy with that for it gives me time for my music,” he says.
“I wanted Sukhi (Sukhvinder Singh) there to sing ‘Jai Ho’,” he says ruefully. “I wanted Sivamani (the talented percussionist) to be part of the show too. But then I had no control over the creative aspects of the show. The dances were choreographed by Fatima Robinson (a big name in Hollywood). I could not coordinate anything. Also, Sukhi’s schedule could not fit our schedule.”
Rahman sang not only “Jai Ho,” but also “O Saya” which he performed for the film with hip-hop artist M.I.A. She could not make it to the Oscars because she had to take care of her newly born son. At one point, there was speculation whether she would sing from her bed in her New York home.
“So there were a few disappointing moments,” he continues. “Gulzar (who wrote ‘Jai Ho’) could not come either. I am very angry with him,” Rahman says, quickly adding a chuckle. “He had the air ticket, the invitation, and the hotel room. But a day or two before flying to Los Angeles he hurts himself while playing tennis. I really missed him.”
The Slumdog Millionaire nominees walked the red carpet and then there were the artists from the film including Irrfan Khan and Anil Kapoor. “But what made me really happy, what moved me very much was that the seven children from the film were there,” he said.
“There were two who lived in the slums. But they were all treated equally — watching that was an unforgettable experience.”
