You shouldn't dream of the impossible So A R Rahman believes
A R Rahman has a flight to catch to London. But before that he has hazaar interviews to go through, innumerable phone calls to attend to and a long line of people to meet. I watch as the tousle-haired composer copes patiently with it all, wait for my chance and finally manage to pin him down for a quick one-on-one. Q: So Bombay Dreams will finally come to India late this year. Is this something you've been asking for? A: Yes. We urged the producer to stage it here since the play is about India and they now plan to take the show several Asian countries as well. So we will reach out to a far bigger audience. You want the world to listen to your music but you think, they already have great music, they may not be interested in listening to yours. But I was lucky that God howed me the way with Bombay Dreams. And that they accepted my music. Q: What other international projects are coming up in 2005 for you? A: I'm currently composing music with the Finnish folk group Varttina for JRR Tolkien's theatre production of Lord of the Rings: The Musical. We've just completed the basic tunes that make up 40 per cent of the music. So, there's loads left to do. It's been a very refreshing experience, totally different from anything I've done earlier. The production will debut on London's West End this year. And I'm working on my symphony. Q: You've done a Chinese film, Tian Di Xiong (Warriors of Heaven and Earth), directed by He Peng. How difficult was it working in an alien language? (smiles) You know something? I love watching Chinese films. After you've done quite a few films in regional languages and Hindi too, you want to broaden your horizons. Please don't misunderstood me, I'm not saying I've achieved all there is to here. I just look on this as taking a step in one more direction, exchanging ideas with new people. The only difficulty was learning the language, but the translator who made me understand the soul of the language solved that problem. As for the music, they are out neighbours and there isn't much of a difference between their music and ours. Most ofthen they use Raag Pahari, which is known as Raag Mohanam in Carnatic music. The instruments they use are different of course, and I learnt to play them, so that helped. Q: Closer home, Swades had great music but the film itself didn't fare too well at the box office. What do you think went wrong? A: There are two kinds of people: those who are focused on commercial success (nothing wrong in wanting to make money) and those who want to make a statement and enjoy commercial success too. Ashutosh belongs to the second category. I admit Swades was a bit slow but its heart was in the right place. To give another example, Mani Ratnam's films always have a moral. He doesn't care about their box office fate. But he's also clear that he doesn't want to limit himself to an audience that watches only offbeat films. He wants his films to be seen by everyone. That's why he insists on great music, great picturisation and creates excitement about his movie. Q: Did you like the film? A: Many people liked the film. I liked the script; that's why I scored the music for it. Q: Why did you score only two songs for Kisna A: After I had recorded four songs for Subhash Ghai's Motherland, he changed his mind and decided to make an entirely different film. At that time I was busy with Bombay Dreams, Lord of the Rings: The Musical and so many other projects. So, I told Mr. Ghai that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on his new film right away. But I didn't want to let go of the project either. So, I offered to score two songs for it. Q: People keep complaining that the quality of Hindi film music is deteriorating. What do you think? A: I don't think it's going down. The music of Devdas, the songs and their picturisatiion infused vitality into the product. In Lagaan, too, there were little gems here and there. If a producer wants to make a successful film today, he needs to have a very strong idea to work on as well as the conviction and the team to pull the product through. Else he has go for soft porn. And that's exactly what's happening today. Q: Speaking of Devdas, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and you were supposed to work together. What happened? A: I respect Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the incredible work he has done. We were supposed to work together on Bajirao Mastani and I was about to let go of Lord of the Rings for Bajirao.... when he suddenly announced my name as music director for Black. I asked him, "What's going on? This isn't the film I was supposed to do and it has not songs!" He explained that there was a slight change as he wasn't ready for Bajirao Mastani. I promptly sent a fax to the producers of Lord of the Rings to say I was on. Q: You are the only Indian film music director to have tasted success outside India. Are you satisfied with what you've achieved abroad or do you hunger for more? A: I still yearn for different kinds of work. But I think everything should come to you naturally. You shouldn't dream of the iimpossible; if it doesn't happen that leads to frustration. If God wants the impossible to happen, it will. So I don't keep thinking about it, I wait for opportunity to knock on my door and make full use of it. And I do work very hard. Get Firefox! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rKxVKC/SOnJAA/n1hLAA/iyUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
