Why Rahman gave music to Bose
Arthur J Pais | March 28, 2005 13:38 IST
A R RahmanWhen A R Rahman was offered Bose: The Forgotten Hero, the composer
did not hesitate
to take it up.
Wasn't he concerned he had composed music for too many period films in recent
years --
including Lagaan and The Legend Of Bhagat Singh -- and also agreed to work on
the Aamir Khan
starrer The Rising? "What was important to me was that these films are made for
posterity," the
39-year-old music director told rediff.com in New York. "These films are made
by serious
filmmakers who are taking big risks. I find it very stimulating to work with
such talents."
Rahman's tunes bring Bose back
"There are times I take up a project even when many people in the business feel
that the film
may not become a hit," he said, adding he does not regret having worked in
films like M F
Husain's Meenaxi and Shyam Benegal's Zubeidaa.
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"Those films have very good reputations and people have appreciated their
music. It is
important to remember that money is not everything, even in this business."
Even as he got busier with the British musical version The Lord Of The Rings,
he still made
time for films that he thought were challenging. The musical in which he works
along with a
Finnish folk group opens in Toronto in March 2006 and a few months later in
London. A Broadway
version is also under discussion. Each edition reportedly cost $20 million,
making them the
most expensive shows to open in London or Toronto.
Another important reason he took up Bose was because he was going to work with
Shyam Benegal
again, more than three years after Zubeidaa.
Rahman considers his music for Zubeidaa among his strongest and he attributes
some of its
success to Benegal's vision.
"On my way to New York, a gentleman recognised me and started chatting about my
music," Rahman
recalled. "He wanted to tell me his favourite numbers. He surprised me when he
mentioned
Zubeidaa. I thought he was going to mention Taal or Lagaan."
Benegal had let him be on his own, Rahman said with a smile. Benegal had
perhaps thought the
composer worked best when he was alone. "But I really wanted him to sit with me
and feel how
the music was working out," Rahman said, smiling. "Once we had that
understanding, everything
worked out fine."
For Bose, songs that had fuelled the Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National
Army had to be
presented in such a way, Rahman said, that the integrity of the originals were
preserved.
The movie also gave him a unique opportunity to compose several instrumental
numbers. He did
have a small regret: He wanted Lata Mangeshkar to sing a number but she was not
available.
"However, we found a newer singer, Swapna Mukherjee, and she worked out very
well for the
film."
Rahman has also used voices most movie fans may not be very familiar with --
Vijay Prakash,
Nachiketa Chakraborty and Satyanarayana Mishra.
Many filmmakers in Bollywood like Subhash Ghai, Rajkumar Santoshi, Govind
Nihalani and Benegal
have appreciated his soft melodies. "But in Chennai, producers want fast and
louder music,"
Rahman said. "Sometimes, it is difficult to convince them that soft music has
its merits."
"I love composing the kind of songs I grew up listening in my younger days. In
the Hindi
movies, I admired the songs of Madan Mohan, S D Burman and Naushad in
particular."
His respect for Naushad's work in Mughal E Azam is so intense, Rahman said,
that when feelers
were sent to him if he would compose a theme song for the film, he rejected the
suggestion
outright.
When told that Naushad, while criticising the current state of music, had also
found fault with
him, Rahman smiled. The senior composers are like elderly family members, he
said. You hug
them, you touch their feet, and they will welcome you in no time. They are like
children, he
added.
He had made several attempts to meet with Naushad late last year, but something
or the other
cropped up. Missed opportunities, Rahman said with a sigh, often fuel
misconceptions and
misunderstandings.
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2005/mar/28rahman.htm
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