( For the benefit of new members ) "I have spent all my life playing second fiddle.. it is only through my son that I can hope to win some day..." *R.K. SEKHAR, father of the musical phenomenon A.R. Rahman*
------------------------------ "I think he has an incredible tone of voice. I have seen many Bollywood films, but what he manages to do is quite unique -- he keeps it very much Indian. For me as a Westerner, I can always recognize his music because it has got a rule tone of voice of its own. It's very definitely Indian, yet it has an appeal which will go right across the world. He will hit the West in an amazing kind of way; that is, if he is led in the right way." *Andrew Lloyd Webber* ------------------------------ "The total submission of his life for the cause of music; his thirst for creating not any chaff but only grains appeals to me the most!" *Vairamuthu, Lyricist* ------------------------------ "The best part about singing for Rahman is the freedom he gives the singer. Even for my first song he let me sing the way I was comfortable with, even though I was a nobody then." *Harini, Singer* ------------------------------ "Rahman has a strange kind of spirituality within which he lives. He knows technique, has a rare sense of sound and a great ear. He has a sharp intellect and understands not just the sound of music and quality of voice but also the market forces and how to move from post to post. That is the need of the hour. I love him both as a composer and as a friend. He is very sweet to talk to. The only thing is you talk and he listens!" *SUBHASH GHAI, Director* ------------------------------ "His music transcends all barriers - linguistic, geographical and chronological. He is a phenomenal success. He is incredibly talented. He is Allah Rakha Rahman, popularly known to music lovers world over as A.R.Rahman." *Screen* ------------------------------ "If a music artiste wants to blossom into a full-pledged person, it's not enough if he knows only classical music; nor it's enough if he's well-versed only in raagaas and techniques. Instead, he should be a knowledgeable person interested in life and philosophy. In his personal life there should be, atleast in some corner of his heart, a tinge of lingering sorrow." *A.R. Rahman* ------------------------------ "His strength is the way he designs sound. He has revolutionised film music. He is perpetually on a quest to get the best out of you and makes you feel at ease which is important. I have sung some of my best songs for him." *HARIHARAN, Singer* ------------------------------ "I wanted to go beyond the restrictions of language, religion and caste, and music is really the only thing that allows you to do that." *A.R. Rahman* ------------------------------ "Rahman was initiated into the world of films while still a toddler named Dilip Kumar. His earliest memories are of tagging along to studios with his father R.K. Sekhar, an assistant music director in Malayalam films. Once a music director overheard the four-year-old trying out a tune on a harmonium. He quickly spread a cloth over the keys. Undaunted, the child repeated the tune, this time running his fingers confidently over the cloth. "Who would have thought then that he would scale such heights?"" *Film chronicler 'Film news' ANANDAN*, who knew Rahman as a gawky youngster. ------------------------------ "His music has that international quality which is absolutely stunning." *DOUCHAN GERSI, Director* ------------------------------ "Rahman never ceases to amaze me. He is a fine musician as well as a techno-junkie. Give him a set of headphones and he'll rip it apart to understand why it works so well!" *S. SREEDHAR, Sound Engineer* ------------------------------ "Thanks to Rahman, a new trend in music was introduced. The audience for Malayalam films is limited to Kerala and so, horizons don't widen and we get no mileage. Rahman says that the trend he started will last only for three or four years more. After that he predicts another Rahman will come along in the scene" *Unni Menon, Singer* ------------------------------ "I think he (A.R.Rahman) is an absolute genius and is one of the few music directors who completely knows what he is doing. It's an absolute pleasure working with him as he is a cool and modest guy." *Shankar Mahadevan, Singer * ------------------------------ "Along with variety in music, it's important to package music well. That'll be the mantra of the millennium. Good music always lasts." *A.R. Rahman* ------------------------------ "People become immediately entranced by whatever he composes. Rahman is a phenomenon. He's young and talented. And he has his fingers on the pulse of the young generation. My hopes (for the future) are pinned on A.R. Rahman." *Bhupen Hazarika, Singer / Composer / Lyricist* ------------------------------ "In most cases it is Rahman's music which carries the film." *a veteran film journalist* ------------------------------ "I appreciate A.R's work. He has a penchant for being international. I think he is talented. A.R. has taught me the value and meaning of sound in my recording and thanks to him, today I am my own arranger." *Anu Malik, Music Director* ------------------------------ "We admire Rahman's work. He is a different kind of music director and has genuine knowledge about the art." *Jatin-Lalit, Composers* ------------------------------ "I think he (Rahman) is the consummate composer that I know of in the world. His music comes from the characters and is an extension of them. I think he is the best." *Deepa Mehta, Film maker* ------------------------------ "I believe that every individual, even an atom, can move only with the will of God. I don't take credit for doing all this. If I did, then I would fall flat." *A.R.RAHMAN* http://www.geocities.com/shanmugavelbabu/arr.htm -- regards, Vithur ARR -- The Sweet Cube always
