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Best of Both Worlds: A.R. Rahman on His Global Projects [http://www.indiawest.com/onweb/data/upimages/AR-Rahman-1117.gif] By LISA TSERING India-West Staff Reporter A.R. Rahman may be considered India's leading "fusion" artist - he's equally adept working in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and English films, and he's composed the scores for two major stage musicals, "Bombay Dreams," which had three separate productions - and "Lord of the Rings," which opened in Toronto this March and will open in London in September of 2007. The 39-year-old composer feels his future lies not in fusion, but in the respectful compartmentalization of separate styles. Upcoming projects include a video set to Rahman's "Pray for me, brother," a song he wrote and sung for the UN's Millennium Campaign: Voices Against Poverty. "We have to push our governments to do what they have to do for us," he says in a promotional video for the campaign. But there are no immediate plans for a U.S. tour. "The tour we'd planned to have is not going to happen. There are so many films we have to finish." Excerpts from a recent freewheeling interview in Los Angeles follow: Q: You've been trained in Western music and Indian. In your mind, is it a challenge to switch back and forth? A: In the beginning, when I did compositions such as "Roja," I spent a huge amount of time trying to focus on one genre. People used to complain, 'Go to Rahman and he's going to take ages to do your music.' But all those things used to help me create a style. Ten years later, some of those songs are considered "textbook" songs today, which people want me to go back to over and over. "Bombay Dreams" was a huge shift again. I can't say that I'm comfortable yet, but I do have a little bit of focus and now I can compartmentalize it. The full story appears in the print edition of India-West. To subscribe, click on the Subscribe link on the India-West Web site or email [EMAIL PROTECTED] :by indiawest Regards, Shah Navas
