The interview which appears below was originally published in Nasreen Munni Kabir's book, A.R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music. ©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.
NMK: You have millions of fans worldwide and they experience your music at a deep emotional level. They have developed a close relationship with you through your music, even though they don’t know you personally. And if they meet you in person it is a big moment for them. I’m thinking of the fan who had tears in his eyes as he rushed into the green room at the Royal Festival Hall.
A.R. Rahman: He said he had been trying to meet me for ten years and went to many venues hoping to see me. That was the first time we met. I have great respect for my fans and try to understand things from their point of view. But occasionally I may see things from my perspective. If I’m with my family and don’t want to be disturbed, or I’m jet-lagged and I’m looking awful, I might tell the fans: “Please don’t photograph me now.” Most of the time, they’re sweet and kind and respect my privacy. But some people don’t care and say: “No, I want a photograph with you. I want an autograph now.”
I had a wrist sprain once because I had signed over sixty autographs. I thought I’d end up damaging my hand if I didn’t stop. But some fans wouldn’t listen to me, even when I said: “And what if I die?” “Before you die, first sign sir.” [both laugh]
NMK: Do you have many online sites?
A.R. Rahman: There is an online fan community founded and managed by Gopal Srinivasan and Vijay Mohan Iyer. Thousands of fans worldwide subscribe to that site, as well as my Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Net is a great medium to connect directly with fans. I remember a group of Japanese fans followed my 2006 tour all around India. My tours have been organized for over fifteen years by my friend Deepak Gattani and his team. One thing I can never forget is that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my fans. I appreciate their love and always will.
NMK: Do you ever lose your temper?
A.R. Rahman: I’ve lost my temper with my team at home and the studio. I act as if I’m angry so the job gets done—don’t show this to my guys! [smiles] My team at home and at the studio is made up of wonderful people, including Samidurai, Noel, Sivakumar, Krishna Chetan, Vivienne Chaix, Deepak, and Faiz. They have put up with me all these years. Simon Long, Guy Rippon, and Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, who are my London team, are also very supportive.
I have friends in London who are always there for me, including Mohan Chopra, Rashid Ali, Taz, Ashanthi Omkar, Kashif Merchant and his family. I don’t get mad at the family—that’s usually pretend anger—but at times it’s necessary. [laughs] My children are sensitive and know when I’m upset. That’s very important. I only have to show my irritation, that’s all I need to do. Kids are so switched on these days. But I must say I’m not crazy about being mobbed. I prefer some quiet time. I prefer being alone.
NMK: What do you do when you’re alone? What’s fun for you?
A.R. Rahman: I enjoy watching movies. I think the first film I ever saw was The Wizard of Oz. I was so impressed. Years later, I became a fan of the Bond movies. I liked The Who’s Tommy and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In the early days, my friend Ganesh Balachandran, who now lives in Toronto, used to bring me DVDs of world cinema films and I enjoyed watching them. I love seeing my old friends, but most of them are scattered all around the world, some are in the US and others live in Japan. I like going for walks when I’m alone, especially in London. I love Regent’s Park. There’s no alone in India! The only place I’m alone in Chennai is in my 5×7 meditation room at the music studio. Being with the family is good too.
NMK: Family life is hugely important to you. Can you tell me how you met your wife Saira? I believe she’s the daughter of a Chennai businessman and sister-in-law of the Tamil actor Rahman.
A.R. Rahman: In 1994, when I was about twenty-seven, I decided that it was time to get married. For some reason, I started to feel old. [smiles] I was always very shy and never talked much to girls. I met many young women singers in my studio when we used to work together. I had great respect for them. But I never looked at a girl thinking that she could be my wife one day. I didn’t have the time to think about girls. I was working round the clock.
It was my mother and my sister Fathima who saw Saira for the first time, at the shrine of the Sufi saint Moti Baba in Chennai. My mother didn’t know Saira or her family, but as they lived five houses away from the shrine, they walked over and talked to Saira. It was all very easy.
NMK: What was your first impression of Saira?
A.R. Rahman: She was beautiful and gentle. We met for the first time on 6 January 1995, on my twenty-eighth birthday. It was a brief meeting. After that we mostly chatted on the phone. Saira speaks Kutchi and English and I asked her in English if she wanted to marry me. Saira was very quiet in those days. Now she’s anything but quiet. [both laugh]
NMK: Where were you married?
A.R. Rahman: Good question. Saira and I were married in Chennai on 12 March 1995, in the same building where I opened the AM Studios in 2006. I had a fixed smile on my face on my wedding day and at the end of those three hours, I remember every muscle in my face ached. [both laugh]
NMK: How did your family react to your being married?
A.R. Rahman: We are South Indians and Saira comes from a Gujarati background and was brought up in the traditions and culture of North India. You know it’s always difficult for any family to adjust to anyone new coming into the fold. Like all mothers, my mother was possessive about me and as we all lived together as a joint family, a period of adjustment was necessary. In 1995, my eldest daughter Khatija was born and everything was fine after that.
