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: Did you know much Hindi or Urdu as a child?
ARR: You know our language is Tamil. And it was only when I was older that I realized how much I was missing out by not knowing Hindi or Urdu.
When I met Subhash Ghai in 1994-95, we were working on a Hindi film called Shikar, which never got released. He asked if I knew Hindi and I said: “No.” He said: “Why don’t you learn?” He believed that knowing the language would be an advantage for me.
Most of Mumbai cinema is really made in “Hindustani,” which is a mix of Hindi and Urdu. Hindi and Urdu are sister languages, but the majority of songs favor Urdu. So I studied Urdu for two years between 2001 and ’03. I can’t speak Urdu fluently, but understand it well enough to get the nuances of the song words and interpret them through music.
My wife Saira speaks Urdu and Hindi and that helps me too. And of course working with great Hindi and Urdu poets has helped enormously in my understanding of both languages.
Knowing and not knowing can be helpful at every stage in life. Even though I know Hindi and Urdu better now, I still prefer composing tunes first.
NMK: Are you good at languages?
ARR: It was my weakest subject at school—whether it was Tamil, Hindi, or English. [laughs] But I think it was a blessing in a way. You know why? The less you know about something, the more energy you devote to it.
The songs in a film like Rangeela may not have been the same if I had understood every word. The moment you master a language, the greater the chances are that it dictates what you must do with it. This can add to the danger of making predictable music.
NMK: How different is it working with English lyrics because now you’ve composed so much for the British stage and Hollywood productions?
ARR: It’s a big challenge because we all know there are so many songs composed in English. But I feel there’s an ocean of songs yet to be written. Bombay Dreams and the stage version of The Lord of the Rings were in English. I recorded a song called “Pray for me, Brother,” which was also in English.
Dido and I worked together on “If I rise” for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. It’s been nominated for an Oscar this year [2011]. Whether it wins or not, it’s encouraging that people have liked the song. I’ll be performing “If I rise” at the Oscar ceremony on 27 February 2011 with Florence Welch of the band Florence and the Machine.
NMK: What are the British or American song words that you have liked?
ARR: Some songs have a wonderful quality despite the fact that their lyrics may be about something negative. Take “Hotel California” by the Eagles—the lyrics are all about hell and the devil. I didn’t realize what the words were saying at first. It has such an amazing melody and fabulous voices.
“Sandman” by America is another song that has a dark subject. But the quality of the voices and the guitar is so magical.
NMK: The songs by the Beatles have magic too.
ARR: Strangely enough, I never listened to the Beatles, except for a very few songs. I was once supposed to do a commercial twenty-five years ago based on a tune by the Beatles. I think it was “Girl” from Rubber Soul. Then of course there’s that famous track with Ravi Shankar. [hums the tune]
NMK: I think that’s “Norwegian Wood.” I am reminded of a comment on YouTube that stunned me, but says a lot. The Beatles fan wrote: “This song is the reason I know how to spell Norwegian.”
ARR: Oh yeah?
Those were the only two Beatles tracks I knew. Many years later I read the lyrics of “Imagine.” I liked the band Queen because I loved Freddie Mercury’s voice. But you know living in Chennai, we were influenced by different kinds of music. You’re not always switched on in the same way.
When I was in America recently, I asked my agent and friend Sam Schwartz: “Have you seen Mackenna’s Gold?” He said: “What’s that?” “Mackenna’s Gold, man. It’s a cult film in India like Enter the Dragon is a cult film here in the States.”
Sam had never heard of it. Then he checked Wikipedia and found out that Mackenna’s Gold was a 1969 Western with Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif with music by Quincy Jones. [both laugh]
NMK: Do you like having an agent?
ARR: It’s good to have Sam Schwartz, Amos Newman, and his team in the US. Sam represents many top Hollywood composers, including Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and James Horner. I never had an agent before Sam. Most of the deals were done on trust and everything went well, at least 99 percent of the time.
I do not understand the business side of things very well. In a personal capacity, my friend Karan Grover advises me. He has helped me understand the intricacies and nuances of the music business.
