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: Some people might be proud to announce they’re learning another language, so why disappear and tell no one?
ARR: I think it spoils the chances of things happening if you talk about it. Some things are personal too. I think it’s important to be discreet. You don’t have to talk about everything. Or show off too much. I don’t hide things, but prefer discretion.
NMK: Did you ever want to learn any other language?
ARR: I bought Teach Yourself Mandarin, but never found the time to study. [smiles]
NMK: You once said you were nervous performing in public. How did you get over your nervousness?
ARR: It took a while. I’m still nervous on tour during the first show but slowly get used to it. As long as you rehearse, you can build confidence. I close my eyes on stage if I’m singing “Khwaja mere Khwaja”, and disappear into my world. Keeping my eyes closed allows me to break free of the pressures and deadlines and be fully in the moment. Audiences seem to enjoy that. If I sing a lighter song like “Humma humma”, there’s more interaction with the audience.
NMK: How do you know if the audience like what you’re playing?
ARR: You can’t hear the abuse, but you get the vibe. [laughs] Either they love you or hate you. When people attend a show, they have spent hard-earned money, bought tickets and made the whole effort, so they want to like you. You must be likeable. It isn’t a free show. They come out of choice and we need to respect that.
NMK: What is the largest audience for whom you have performed? Which city was it?
ARR: 100,000. In Kolkata.
NMK: Last year you toured with the “Jai Ho: The Journey Home” show, directed by Amy Tinkam. How were the shows received in the UK and North America?
ARR: The expectation of non-Indians is higher as they don’t have the same connection to the music as an Indian audience. The only thing they know is the Slumdog Millionaire score. They may only account for three or four per cent of the audience, but that’s fine. I think the Indian audience liked the stage production. Some people told me they had seen the show more than once. People seemed to enjoy the musicality and variety of entertainers.
We had performers from many countries, including Mongolia, America and Japan. The audience always like the popular tunes and these are considered “paisa vasool” [money’s worth]. Changing languages adds variety too. So we alternate between Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film songs.
The audience is made up of many communities, so each group identifies with the song in their mother tongue. I didn’t expect magic to happen. But I did want to improve the production values of a show — how to provide entertainment with more finesse. There’s greater curiosity in the world about our music now. I remember an American artist, who saw excerpts of the Jai Ho show, commenting on YouTube: “I’ve never seen anything that’s spiritual and sexy at the same time.” Interesting observation. [smiles]
NMK: There was a time when European and American audiences did not like the songs in Indian films, but today they’re regarded as the highlights. Do you think your fans in the West get something different from your music than your Indian fans?
ARR: They all love the big numbers. I think Indian and Western listeners do perceive the vibe of music differently. What is good for our ears doesn’t always appeal there — a happy tune sounds too happy for European ears. And what’s good for their ears is too noisy for us. There are songs like “Latika’s Theme” or “Jai Ho” that have been loved across continents. But it isn’t necessary that everyone must like everything.
NMK: Why do you think “Jai Ho” had such a huge impact in the West?
ARR: The impact of the song is thanks to Sukhwinder Singh’s powerful singing and the placement of the song in Slumdog Millionaire. The scene leads you away from the dark moments in the story and you think: “Yes! The boy has made it at last.” You feel good that he has achieved his ambition and his dreams have come true. You want to celebrate with him. “Jai Ho” is a cry of triumph. It’s a dance number, but the words, which mean “be victorious” have great power. Even if you don’t know Hindi, you want to shout “Jai Ho.”
