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 is a perfect song for you?
ARR: A combination of a great voice, good lyrics, and a memorable tune. We all love songs that evoke feelings and have multiple layers of inspiration.
Good lyrics need a good tune. But words with great meanings can’t appeal if they don’t sound right in the tune. I think lyrics work well when they have a phonetic and poetic appeal. So when people hear a song, they should think: “What’s that? I like it.”
The whole impact is important, the feel, the vibe. You know if a song is pleasing because it makes you feel good. You also know when it’s irritating. When lyrics and tune achieve a perfect mix, that song usually finds a place in the history of music. Take R.D. Burman’s great number “Dum maaro dum” in Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), we didn’t know Hindi, but in South India, we were all singing it.
External things ultimately don’t really matter. You don’t have to be good-looking, tall, and fair-skinned. These things hardly matter at all. Your soul and inner energy are more important and music flows from that energy. You will find the best tunes come from an ease of feeling.
NMK: You have said a perfect song must have great lyrics. You’ve worked with many fine Urdu songwriters. Do you always discuss song ideas in great detail with them?
ARR: Yes, we always do. I have had the chance of working with exceptional lyricists and poets of Hindi cinema, including Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshi, Gulzar, and Javed Akhtar. The experience has been enriching for me.
I remember Majrooh Saaheb used to come to me with perfect lyrics. I didn’t immediately realize just how perfect they were. It would take me some time before I would tell him: “Ah, beautiful lyrics.” He was a very charming man. Lyrics with great potential immediately transform the tune into a long-lasting feeling. Majrooh Saaheb’s lyrics had that quality.
The lyrics of Anand Bakshi were powerful in the way they expressed direct emotions. His words would touch people’s hearts. Like the other fine lyricists, he could write a song that could match any situation.
Gulzar Saaheb combines phonetics and poetry in a most unique and exciting way. He has an unusual choice of words and vocabulary. When I don’t understand a particular word in Urdu, I ask him to explain. We have worked on many songs together that have become very big hits, including “Chhaiyan chhaiyan” and “Jai ho.”
Javed Akhtar is a man of ideas. He writes beautiful songs too. He’s an encyclopedia on many subjects. I love his guts. When we work together, we have a lot of fun because he has a great sense of humor. He was the one who wrote a favorite song of mine: “Ye jo des hai mera” from Swades.
At the end of the day, it isn’t a question of comparing one lyricist with another. They all have tremendous skill and individuality that makes their songs stand apart.
NMK: Both Gulzar and Javed Akhtar have said that you revolutionized the way songs are written for the cinema. Gulzar explains: “Rahman has broken the mukhda-antara (verse and stanza) scheme of composition and replaced the traditional patterns of tuning. Instead of having the fixed format, the song can run like free verse with his kind of music.”
Can you explain how this happened?
ARR: It wasn’t intentional. I didn’t really plan to break with tradition but just thought a song could work if it had the engine of a hook. I suppose the idea was to create a different musical experience. The first song I wrote that broke this mukhda-antara pattern was “Rukmani Rukmani” in Roja.
But when you have very good lyrics and poetry, the traditional song pattern works best.
