Hi everyone i found something on a group called asianamericanartistry. Its another article on ARR.Dawn is breaking over a crowded neighborhood in Madras, and the murmur of early-morning prayers is dispersing the stillness of the night. A solitary light shines from the ground floor of a three- story house. Inside, a lone, curly-haired figure sits at a vast mixing desk, fingers skating across the controls.
A.R. Rahman's work is almost finished. For as long as he can remember, Asia's most successful composer has slept through the noise of the day and composed in the silence of the night. And the past eight hours have been especially productive: Rahman has completed six songs, four remixes, and the background music for a movie. It isn't just Rahman's phenomenal productivity that's so dazzling, but the quality�and success�of the work he's turning out. In 14 years, the 38-year-old has written music for more than 50 movies. And in an industry where the soundtrack is often considered more important than the plot, his scores have broken all records�more than 100 million of his cassettes and CDs have been sold. These days, he's so sought after that even Bollywood's deepest pockets are finding it hard to sign Rahman. Last year, he composed the martial score for Chinese director He Ping's Warriors of Heaven and Earth. This week, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams, for which Rahman wrote the music, transfers from London's West End to Broadway. And Rahman is currently writing songs for another big-budget West End production, a musical version of The Lord of the Rings. These projects are forcing Rahman out of his usual milieu. He says he knew nothing about Western musicals until he wrote Bombay Dreams and initially didn't even like the two Lord of the Rings movies that he watched before agreeing to do the project, saying he found them "too dark." But Rahman doesn't want to restrict himself to what he knows and loves. "This is not Bollywood," he says. "I'm not cashing in on what I have already been doing." India's film industry is the most prolific in the world, with about 1,000 movies made each year (compared with Hollywood's 750), and they attract a global audience of 3.6 billion�a billion more than their American cousins. But until recently, Bollywood's talents were considered too foreign to make the jump to Europe or America. A handful of Indian directors and actors are escaping that mold, and now Rahman is breaking out too. The composer has long been a musical magpie, borrowing freely from an array of traditions: South Asian, Sufi, Irish folk, rock, reggae, even ragtime. And the outside world is discovering that beneath the tabla and synthesized sitar, his music isn't strictly subcontinental. "The sound of Middle Earth has to be a unique sound," says West End producer Kevin Wallace, who chose Rahman to score The Lord of the Rings. "And Rahman is a great classical composer who has also absorbed different cultures to produce searingly beautiful melodies. Once you have heard his melodies, you can't forget them." Raised in a lower middle-class family in Madras, Rahman (whose real name is A.S. Dileep Kumar) grew up listening to his father's tiny but unusually diverse record collection, consisting of just three, wholly different LPs�one from China, one from Latin America, and the third by American country balladeer Jim Reeves. Rahman's Hindu family was also devoted to a local Muslim pir, or saint, who was a Sufi dervish. Sufis share the same devotion to Allah as other strands of Islam, but none of the rigid stoicism. Instead, Sufis believe the way to God is through vehement, ecstatic self-expression. With such a teacher, Rahman says he can't remember a time when music, and mysticism, wasn't his life. Rahman's father died when he was nine, leaving the youngster to spend much of his adolescence hauling his violin around local recording studios in a dismal attempt to support his family. "Whenever I think of that time," he says, "I think of failure." (He hasn't forgotten those hand-to-mouth days: unlike many of his peers, Rahman pays his musicians on time and refuses to recycle earlier recordings, instead ordering fresh takes�and thereby creating more jobs�with each new score.) His big break came in 1992, when Madras-based director Mani Ratnam wanted a new sound for Roja, a film set in violence-ridden Kashmir. Kumar took the commission with one, unusual condition: he wanted to be credited using the Muslim name Allah Rakha Rahman. When Roja's soundtrack became a runaway success, A.R. Rahman was born. Rahman worked with Ratnam on two more movies but by then was already trying to cope with a flood of offers from Bombay, capital of the Hindi film industry. Lloyd Webber heard of him three years ago while dining with Bombay-based director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth and Bandit Queen) to discuss a screen version of The Phantom of the Opera. Kapur played a selection of Indian movie music to break the ice. According to Rahman, "Andrew would stop every now and then and ask, 'Who is this composer?' And every time he did that, it was me." Kapur called Rahman to say that Lloyd Webber wanted to work with him. "It just happened," says Rahman, still somewhat bewildered at the series of events that led to his involvement in Bombay Dreams. "I thought Shekhar was pulling my leg." Rahman's future projects include the film 1857: The Rising, a big- budget historical epic based on the Sepoy Mutiny and starring Aamir Khan and British actor Toby Stephens. Ratnam has also booked the composer for his latest production Yuva, which is set to be released later this year. Hollywood, too, has beckoned. Rahman won't reveal who has made offers, but says he turned them down, mainly out of trepidation. "Things work in a different way there," he says. "Even big composers get changed. I don't want to be in that mess." He even admits to being terrified by the Lord of the Rings job, but producer Wallace is confident that Rahman will come through. "It is very clear to me he knows how to take direction and briefing," he says. "He responds to story, he responds to character, and he knows the music has to enhance the drama." Although Rahman's music has made him rich and famous, he remains something of a Sufi ascetic. He wears handloom shirts and jeans (though he admits to owning "suits and things" for special occasions), and drives a modest Toyota Qualis because "I don't need anything else." Gesturing at his studio, stuffed with the latest mixers and synthesizers, he says: "This is my BMW." He shares his house in Madras with his wife, his three children and his mother, who still handles his finances; Rahman asks her for money whenever he is short. "I like to be a musafir [vagrant] without any baggage," he says. Unlike other artists steering themselves on a predetermined career path, Rahman is a strong believer in taking a backseat. "Life is a journey, but I don't hold the steering wheel," he says. "Somebody else is controlling it. I just handle each day as it comes." Each day, maybe. But come the night, as the world is beginning to hear for itself, it's very much A.R. Rahman at the controls. =============== Birth name Dilip (before converting to Islam) Rahman, Allah Rakha (name after conversion to Islam), Kumar ----------- Nickname The Mozart of Madras ----------- Mini biography http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006246/bio Allah Rakha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras (now Chennai) India, to a musically affluent family. Dileep started learning the piano at the age of 4 and at the age of 9 his father passed away. Since the pressure of supporting his family fell on him, he joined Illaiyaraja's troupe as a keyboard player at the age of 11. Dileep Kumar dropped out of school as a result of this and travelled all around the world with various orchestras. He accompanied the great Table maestro Zakir Hussain on a few world tours and also won a scholarship at the Trinity College of Music at Oxford University and obtained a degree in Western Classical Music. Due to some personal crisis, Dileep Kumar embraced Islam and came to be known as AR Rahman. In 1987, he moved to advertising where he composed more than 300 jingles over 5 years. In 1989, he started a small studio called Panchathan Record Inn which later developed into one of the most well equipped and advanced sound and recording studios in India. At an advertising awards function, Rahman met with one of India's most famous directors - Mani Ratnam. Rahman played him a few of his music samples. Mani loved them so much that he signed Rahman to compose for his next film - Roja (1992). The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to compose several great hits for Tamil films before composing his first Hindi film album for Rangeela (1995). The enormous success of his first Hindi venture followed by chart topping albums such as Bombay (1995), Dil Se (1998), Taal (1999) and recently _Zubeida (2001)_ (qv) and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) (which was nominated for best foreign film at the Academy Awards, 2002). He is currently believed to be working with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth (1998)) on a musical called Bombay Dreams. At 36 years, A R Rahman has revolutionised Indian film music and one can only expect this musical genius to reach greater heights. ============= http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006246/ Composer - filmography (In Production) (2000s) (1990s) Engineer (2004) (in production) Heart of India, The (2004) (in production) ... aka Taj Mahal: The Great Indian Experience (2004) (India: English title) Return of the Thief of Baghdad (1999) (in production) Yelelo (2005) (pre-production) 9:30 to 10:00 (2004) (pre-production) Paani (2004) (pre-production) ... aka Water (2004/III) (USA: literal English title) Kisna (2004) (filming) New (2004) (filming) 1857: The Rising (2004) (filming) Water (2004/I) (filming) Swades (2004) (filming) Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004) (filming) Hari Om (2004) (post-production) Ennaku 20 Unakku 18 (2004) Kangalal Kaidhu Sei (2004) ... aka Arrest with the Eyes (2004) (India: English title: informal literal title) Yuva (2004) Ayitha Ezhuthu (2004) Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities (2004) Naani (2003) Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu (2003) Parasuram (2003) Udhaya (2003) Tehzeeb (2003) Tian di ying xiong (2003) ... aka Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2003) (International: English title) Boys (2003) Saathiya (2002) Baba (2002) Spotlights & Saris: Making Bombay Dreams (2002) (TV) ... aka Omnibus: Spotlight & Saris: Making Bombay Dreams (2002) (TV) (UK: series title) Legend of Bhagat Singh, The (2002) Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) ... aka Amritha (2002) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Peck on the Cheek, A (2002) (USA: literal English title) Paarthale Paravasam (2001) ... aka Paravasam (2001) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Nayak (2001) ... aka Nayak: The Real Hero (2001) (India: English title) Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) ... aka Lagaan (2001) (India: Hindi title: short title) ... aka Land Tax (2001) (International: English title: informal literal title) One 2 Ka 4 (2001) Zubeidaa (2001) Alai Payuthey (2000) ... aka Sakhi (2000) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Waves (2000) (International: English title) Rhythm (2000) Thenali (2000) Fiza (2000) (prayer "Piya Haji Ali") Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) ... aka I Have Found It (2000) (International: English title) ... aka Priyuraalu Pilichindi (2000) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Dil Hi Dil Mein (2000) Pukar (2000) Kadhalar Dinam (1999) Love You Hamesha (1999) Mudhalvan (1999) ... aka Oke Okkadu (1999) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Padaiyappa (1999) Sangamam (1999) Taj Mahal (1999) Thakshak (1999) Taal (1999) Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998) Jeans (1998) Earth (1998) ... aka 1947: Earth (1998) (India: English title: alternative title) ... aka Terre (1998) (Canada: French title) Dil Se (1998) ... aka From the Heart (1998) (USA) ... aka Prema Tho (1998) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Uyire (1998) (India: Tamil title: dubbed version) Kabhi Na Kabhi (1998) Sapnay (1997) Vishwavidhaata (1997) Daud (1997) Iruvar (1997) ... aka Duo, The (1997) ... aka Iddaru (1997) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Minsaara Kanavu (1997) ... aka Merupu Kalalu (1997) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Indira (Priyanka) (1996) ... aka Indira (1996) Kadhal Desam (1996) ... aka Duniya Dilwalon Ki (1996) (India: Hindi title: dubbed version) Mr. Romeo (1996) Fire (1996) Indian (1996) ... aka Bharateeyudu (1996) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Hindustani (1996) Karuththamma (1995) Bombay (1995) ... aka Bombayi (1995) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Rangeela (1995) ... aka Full of Colour (2003) (USA: TV title) Gentleman, The (1994/I) Kadhalan (1994) ... aka Gentleman (1994/II) (India: English title) ... aka Humse Hai Muqabula (1994) (India: Hindi title: dubbed version) ... aka Premikudu (1994) May Madham (1994) Thiruda Thiruda (1993) ... aka Chor Chor (1993) ... aka Dongaa Dongaa (1993) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Thief Thief (1993) Roja (1992) ... aka Roja (1992) (India: Malayalam title) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Yodha (1992) ----------- Filmography as: Composer, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself ----------- Miscellaneous Crew - filmography (2000s) (1990s) Yuva (2004) (playback singer) Ayitha Ezhuthu (2004) (playback singer) Saathiya (2002) (playback singer) Legend of Bhagat Singh, The (2002) (playback singer) Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) (playback singer) ... aka Amritha (2002) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Peck on the Cheek, A (2002) (USA: literal English title) Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) (playback singer) ... aka Lagaan (2001) (India: Hindi title: short title) ... aka Land Tax (2001) (International: English title: informal literal title) Fiza (2000) (playback singer) Taal (1999) (playback singer) Jeans (1998) (playback singer) Dil Se (1998) (playback singer) ... aka From the Heart (1998) (USA) ... aka Prema Tho (1998) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ... aka Uyire (1998) (India: Tamil title: dubbed version) Daud (1997) (playback singer) Iruvar (1997) (playback singer) ... aka Duo, The (1997) ... aka Iddaru (1997) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Kadhal Desam (1996) (playback singer) ... aka Duniya Dilwalon Ki (1996) (India: Hindi title: dubbed version) Bombay (1995) (playback singer) ... aka Bombayi (1995) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) Rangeela (1995) (playback singer) ... aka Full of Colour (2003) (USA: TV title) Kadhalan (1994) (playback singer) ... aka Gentleman (1994/II) (India: English title) ... aka Humse Hai Muqabula (1994) (India: Hindi title: dubbed version) ... aka Premikudu (1994) ----------- Filmography as: Composer, Miscellaneous Crew, Himself ----------- Himself - filmography 100 Greatest Musicals, The (2003) (TV) .... Himself Spotlights & Saris: Making Bombay Dreams (2002) (TV) .... Himself (composer) ... aka Omnibus: Spotlight & Saris: Making Bombay Dreams (2002) (TV) (UK: series title) Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) (uncredited) .... Himself ... aka I Have Found It (2000) (International: English title) ... aka Priyuraalu Pilichindi (2000) (India: Telugu title: dubbed version) ------------------------ 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! 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