Nusrat's influence on A.R. Rahman: The surprising story behind 'Tere Bina' song in Guru

A.R. RAHMAN STORY PICKS By Rahmaniac.com May 20, 2023

A.R. Rahman shares his admiration for the legendary Pakistani Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and how his influence shaped Rahman's musical journey. Rahman reveals the inspiration behind the Guru song "Tere bina" and how it was initially deemed unfit for the film by director Mani Ratnam.

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The other Guru song, "Tere bina" is dedicated to the brilliant Pakistani Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Did he influence you? "As I mentioned, he sang "Gurus of Peace" on the Vande Mataram album. And much before that, for over fifteen years, I had listened to Nusrat Saaheb's music. You can feel his personality in most of his work, especially in "Mast Mast." No one can escape being influenced by other artists. The influence can be direct and tangible and sometimes it can take another form. Musically, a composition may undergo change, but the soul of the artist who has influenced you remains at the core."

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"When working on Guru, I thought why not write a song on the lines of Nusrat Saaheb's popular "Sajna tere bina". The feel of "Tere bina" is similar to the original but somewhat transformed. It is a love song and when we made a template, I added a chant. Mani sir heard the song and said: "I don't think it will fit in Guru." He didn't use it. Just a month before the music album was released, he said: "Play me that song again." This time he told me to go ahead and edit "Tere bina." Then he filmed the song on Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. Things like that have happened too.

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When you compose a song, is it often shot in a drastically different way than you had imagined it? "With Mani Ratnam you can never expect the expected. [laughs] The way, for example, the song "Tere bina" in Guru was used did surprise me a bit. When I first saw it, I said: "The song doesn't match the scene. The characters are sad and this is a happy song." So I eliminated sixteen bars off the beginning and gave the song a slow start. Now I'm fine with it. Mani sir gets these wild ideas, which you don't get at first, but end up accepting".""

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Nusrat's influence on A.R. Rahman: The surprising story behind 'Tere Bina' song in Guru

A.R. Rahman shares his admiration for the legendary Pakistani Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and how his influence shaped Rahman's musical journey. Rahman reveals the inspiration behind the Guru song "Tere bina" and how it was initially deemed unfit for the film by director Mani Ratnam.

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