http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/04/29/stories/2007042900160500.htm
PROFILE
Will the songster outlive the studio?
SHARADA RAMANATHAN
As Rahman's career hits the halfway mark, where does he go from here?
Photo: R. Ragu
Innovator: A.R. Rahman riding high.
AS Allah Rakha Rahman crosses the 40-year mark in 2007, this
mid-career whizkid peaks as the uncontested national trendsetter in
contemporary film music.
He has, arguably, introduced the new sound that is the chic-techno
film music; music that gets created in the intimacy of the music-maker
and his machine with the song visualisation as their common purpose.
Mixed milieu
Rahman is perhaps the third generation novelty in film music, a
novelty that emerged from the fertile backdrop of south Indian and,
specifically, Tamil film music. Rahman emerged from a milieu that is a
curious mix of Carnatic and western fusion, quintessential of the new
globalised Tamil Nadu sensibility; a trend set by the likes of L.
Subramaniam in classical fusion, and Ilayaraja in film music. By his
own admission, among Rahman's early influences are Zakir Hussain and
his fusion group, Shakti, which has a strong presence of Carnatic
rhythm. And there is no mistaking the subliminal influence of his
predecessors in his musical impulse.
M.S. Viswanathan immortalised his first forays into experimental film
music in Kollywood in the 1960s and 1970s, when he introduced genres
ranging from bhangra to western jazz and pop. MSV's repertoire was
mostly real-time compositions by full-fledged orchestras. MSV's
contemporaries include musical giants like S.D. Burman, Naushad Ali
and Madan Mohan.
Ilayaraja's arrival was heralded by the nascent new-techno music of
the 1980s. He is acclaimed as the pioneer of multi-track techno music
and sounds in composing and orchestration. Ilayaraja's best-known
Bollywood counterpart was R.D. Burman. MSV and Ilayaraja have left a
legacy of composition-value film songs, which served the requirements
of their films and yet hold their own as creations for posterity.
Emergence
After MSV the creator and Ilayaraja the pioneer came Rahman the
innovator. The 1990s belonged to him. Rahman emerged at a time when
technology was a given, and was creating global access to musical
sounds from anywhere to anywhere. He was moulded by the age of jingles
and music videos, downloads and virtuality.
Rahman is the innovator of what may be described as `Studio music'. It
is often critiqued that while Ilayaraja controls the machine, it is
the machine that controls Rahman! Harsh as this criticism might be,
Rahman's music is the outcome of separately and distinctively worked
out multi-track musical phrases and sounds that are subsequently mixed
and patched together as one layered musical piece. The lyric is often
fitted in.
In contrast to MSV and Ilayaraja's virtuosity, Rahman's music reflects
his effort to synergise his musical vision with the possibilities of
technology and musical arrangement. His is studio music that does not
easily accommodate a sense of the `live'. One is often amused by
Rahman's stage shows where the technical sound is cleverly managed,
but the singers struggle to cope with their breathless songs simply
because the songs were never meant to be sung live. They are musical
phrases pieced together for a cinema trend that itself is
predominantly cut-and-paste.
What makes Rahman the numero uno of Indian film music? Despite
contemporaries like Anu Malik, what has made Rahman the first among
equals?
It is clearly a combination of his audio and visual appeal. His
musical arrangement is technically excellent and justifies his musical
vision. He has the special talent to enhance the digital ambience to
produce sound with a three-dimensional feel. He has the ability to
evoke energy and mood through a song, and create touching moments
through sound. He is intuitive in picking on the right inspiration for
the right musical moment, say, Arabic for Hamma Hamma ("Bombay"),
Indian raga-pop for Que Sera Sera ("Pukar") or Turkish for Maya Maya
("Guru"). And even if he is not the first to pick on the right
inspiration, he will ensure some kind of a `first' a new voice, a
new instrument or just a new turn of phrase. And he is the best at
wrapping and delivering sound so that a nation swings to it.
International profile
And then there is the international profile to boot. Rahman packages
what is now known as global music. He simplifies the main melody,
fuses it with sounds from world music and arranges it skilfully. This
has made his music more edible and sought after in the international
scene. From the remixed versions of Vande Mataram and the Indian
national anthem to the Broadway musical "Bollywood Dreams", Rahman is
the mascot for new-age nationalism and international merchandising.
In an era when people see rather than hear music, Rahman is also
camera-friendly. He comes across as an eclectic fusion of spirituality
and youth. He is casual and yet not informal. He exudes humility and
confidence at once. He is the cool dude that the young can identify
with, and the elderly find endearing. Along with the likes of Sachin
Tendulkar, he has fulfilled the great Indian populist need for a
`national hero'.
What next?
As Rahman's career hits the halfway mark of his life hitherto, one
wonders, where does he go from here? He is still riding high, but his
audiences are somewhat over-familiar with his sound, which is also
easily imitated and replicated by others. And cinema and its music is,
almost reflexively, looking for a dark horse to emerge and take on its
new trends of reality cinema, docu-drama, and an "Indianness" that is
seemingly less enamoured with the great American dream. A multiplying
Indian, middle-class global audience that wants to "go back to its
roots" or desires to explore the "Indian" narrative; and an
increasingly aware slum, small-town and rural audience that is
celebrating its own robust rhythm.
Will Rahman be able to think outside his box and reinvent himself to
synchronise with future cinema? Will he cope with the changing face of
audiences? Will he be able to churn out never-before surprises and
sounds yet again? If his musical acumen is any indication, we can
certainly hope that the songster will outlive the studio. But as the
adage goes, only time will tell.
