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: What was the difference between working on Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours?
ARR: Slumdog was done in a big hurry. I didn’t even know if Danny would use all the music I sent him. But he used every bit, which was great. I had complete freedom and could do whatever I wanted, even when it came to making the album. You always think some A&R guy is going to come and tell you what to do. Nothing like that happened. Everything was put together in my Chennai studio and in a Mumbai studio.
When it came to Danny Boyle’s next film, 127 Hours, after the success of Slumdog, I was freer to choose the English singer-songwriter Dido for “If I Rise.” Dido’s No Angel was a top-selling album in 2001. She is a big star but she came alone to my studio in London. She’s totally down to earth. I think people who stop thinking we’re all ordinary people, lose it all. It’s very important to stay grounded.
NMK: You’ve worked with the top names in India and in the West, didn’t you also perform with Michael Jackson at some point?
ARR: We shared the same stage for a show called “Michael Jackson and Friends.” It was in Munich in June 1999. Unfortunately he was seriously injured and suffered terrible burns while performing the “Earth Song” and was rushed to hospital. Naturally, we couldn’t meet at that time. Almost ten years later, in 2009, I met him in Los Angeles. We talked for two hours. Michael said he liked the chord progression in the “Jai Ho” chorus.
He introduced me to his three lovely, bright kids and told me that his dance moves came from his soul. He gave me a five-second demonstration. It was like watching lightning strike. I met him a second time and wished him luck for his “This Is It” concerts. It was at that meeting he was kind enough to ask: “AR, I want you to compose something on the lines of ‘We Are the World.’” But it never happened. Then I heard the sad news that he had passed away. The strange thing was, in 2010, his voice was on the track when we all were recording “We Are the World” in aid of the Haiti earthquake victims.
NMK: Did you like Michael Jackson’s music?
ARR: Ah, everyone loves his music. The whole of India loves his music. If a person has true talent, the really good thing is that people don’t care where he or she is from. When we talk about music transcending boundaries, it’s about people appreciating other cultures. Talent crosses generations and borders. Who does what in a song also has nothing to do with whether people like it — the emotional connection is what matters. A good song is like water. No one cares how much oxygen or hydrogen it has, people don’t bother analysing it. I just think they drink it, if it’s good and clean.
NMK: Had you seen any of Michael Jackson’s videos?
ARR: I remember my sound engineer H. Sridhar, who has sadly passed away, brought me a video of Jackson’s “Remember the Time” in early 1992. We were working on Roja and we all stopped to watch it. We were totally inspired by Michael Jackson. Sridhar worked with me as senior sound engineer for twenty years. Now Sridhar is no more. I miss him. I lost another friend, the singer Shahul Hameed. We must learn to respect and value people more when they are around.
NMK: You’ve won a host of awards and sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide. Isn’t it enough to make your head spin? How do you deal with all the success and fame?
ARR: I think I’ve had the right kind of guidance. Fame and money can destroy if you don’t have proper guidance. You need to be aware and cautious. We don’t really need fame or lots of money. Of course they help, but they shouldn’t be the only priorities in life. I think you should only buy what you need. The stuff you don’t need becomes a burden — excess baggage that turns into an enemy later. Money creates jealousy. Families argue over money and property. I know some film families in India whose descendants fight over a studio and the land it stands on. It makes me sad because that studio has the soul of someone whose dreams helped to build it. Being driven by money and fame is destructive.
NMK: You mean if money is the main objective?
ARR: And fame too. It’s wrong to think: “If I do this, I’ll be famous.” Someone once told me a man asked the Holy Prophet, Peace be upon Him: “I want the whole world to love me.” His answer was: “Then renounce it.” That answer is full of irony. It’s hard, if you aren’t connected in your heart to God and to Truth.
NMK: Your life has changed dramatically since you were young. In fact, your journey has been extraordinary. How have you experienced the amazing changes?
ARR: I have gone through major changes almost every three years. I get bored every three years. From 1991 to ’94, I worked mostly in Tamil cinema. The following three years, it was Hindi cinema. Around 1997, I started making non-film albums like Vande Mataram. In 2002, the musical Bombay Dreams took me in an altogether different direction. The three years that followed were a downer. It was probably the most confused period of my life.
NMK: Why was that?
ARR: Many things had happened. I was disturbed by September 11th and the Iraq war, and the way the world was getting divided. It was then that I met my new spiritual teacher who gave me a new perspective on life. By the way, he wrote the words of “Khwaja Mere Khwaja” under his pen name “Kashif.” He has great vision and helps me to prioritise what I should and should not do. He made me think, in my small and humble way, that I could be a bridge between the two divided worlds.
NMK: How does one find a spiritual teacher?
ARR: That’s classified. [both laugh] But I know it’s very important to find the right spiritual teacher. They say otherwise the devil becomes your teacher and then you get everything wrong.
NMK: Do you think people need a teacher if a father figure is absent from their lives? Is there a connection?
ARR: No. Not unless your father has spiritual leanings. My mother has a spiritual instinct. She guides me in many ways.
