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.
When people ask me what’s the best way to compose a song, I tell them: “A song has to come to you like the breeze.” In South India, we talk of the breeze that blows through the leaves of the coconut tree. It has a natural feel and makes the leaves rustle gently. It isn’t the same thing if you shake the tree violently. [A.R. smiles]
NMK: Starting with Roja in 1992, you now have twenty years of film music behind you. What do filmmakers still want of your compositions?
A.R.R.: They come to me because they want their music to be a little exotic. They know I like experimenting with sounds. They recognize a Rahman sound. That makes my job easier because I don’t have to convince them that the aim is to be original. I also believe in trying to make tunes that endure because true musicality is more likely to last.
I don’t really follow any style when writing a melody. I go by instinct. People might expect the melody will follow a certain progression, but then it goes somewhere else. That’s something I hear people in the West say — just how surprised they are at the way the melody develops.
NMK: Film critic Richard Corliss has in fact described your style as difficult to pin down when he wrote: “It’s hard quickly characterizing a Rahman song because it can change direction, tempo, and speed several times in its three to seven-minute span.” Can you define the Rahman sound?
A.R.R.: I don’t know if I should talk about my music in that way. I guess there is an inherent personality that comes through and that’s what people recognize. In the early days, I found it difficult to define a style because almost every song that I was composing was shaping my style. But I think all one’s emotions come through the music — love, devotion, anger, or sadness.
When it comes to defining a sound, I know I can immediately recognize a number of musicians, including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Peter Gabriel, Vangelis, who also wrote the music for Chariots of Fire, and award-winning film composers like John Williams, Craig Armstrong, and Hans Zimmer.
NMK: What challenges do Indian film composers face?
A.R.R.: An Indian film composer is expected to be a John Williams, Michael Jackson, and Tansen — all rolled into one. At least that’s what I’ve understood. People who know Indian popular cinema know that our films don’t stick to one genre. The same film can have many moods and can switch from action to comedy, with romance at the heart of the story. A love story will have popular numbers and yet the background score might need a symphonic, orchestral sound.
We’re expected to compose all kinds of music to match the many moods of an Indian movie. It isn’t a bad thing because it makes us composers widen our musical boundaries. Ultimately, you’re trusted to deliver music that works for a particular film.
NMK: What gets you excited about a film project?
A.R.R.: The story is very important to me. What is the film trying to say? Not all films have something to say. But you try and choose as many that do.
The script is the key to the whole process and that’s what interests me because the script is what I must primarily serve. I ask the director the kind of music he wants and what will work for the film.
There are some basic questions like — is the film set in a particular time period? Is it a costume drama? Does it have a contemporary or futuristic setting? You must know the narrative context in which the songs will appear in the story and the emotions the screen characters need to express through song. I hear the basic details of the film and then compose the music and add something current and innovative.
I believe we need to turn musical tastes 180° away from the predictable. Try and give people new directions. But if they like the new sound, it creates a new problem because people want me to push ahead and say: “Go, go!” [laughs] Though I may prefer to stand still or go back to an earlier sound. Being challenged is good because it makes me stay alert.
