Santoor Seenu – Rahmania – Part II
Q :- How many songs would you have played with Rahman ?. Would it be around 100 songs ? SS :- I haven't counted yet. The most fav Re – recording piece would be Lagaan. The Last Ball sixer BGM was done with full orchestra. When the Indian flag comes to the top at that scene, he wanted a speed playing of my Harp and Santoor at 100 miles/hour. I haven't played in that speed in my lifetime. It would be a raining scene, and our flag would be hoisted, and the instruments were played at full speed. He was very happy, and the Director also was very happy. I also like the picturisation of that song very well. Q :- Your instruments are experiemental, and he is also very experimental. Has there been any clashes between you and Rahman anytime ? SS :- Till now, there hasn't been any occasion like that. But at times, he had become little upset with me. It happens, when he calls us for a recording, and when we absent ourself and go off to another recording. At that time, he would become little upset. He would say, " You were supposed to come to me, and went off somewhere else". There arose an occasion , where he discovered that I had been to another recording, without me disclosing the same. It was for recording of the song " Kulavallile " for Muthu. There were base guitars, chorus in the song, and my role was only that of playing the Harp in that song. So, I thought that my role was only of playing the Harp here, and that could be done with ease, and hence wished " Good Morning" to Sir, and went off to Deva Sir 's recording, for the film " Aasai" ( Maniratnam Production ) . After finishing my role there, I came directly here for the recording. He somehow found out that the truth. The way he found it out was like this. He asked me " Where did you go ?". I replied, " Nothing Sir. I had just gone on a walk to the Hotel.". He didn't reply back, and told me to take the Harp and start tuning in. When I was playing it, he said " What is this ?. The tone is not good. Its very bad today. Your feel is not there totally. Its worst today". Then I replied, " No Sir. Just now I played a piece and came back ( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)". He found it out from my own words and asked me " So, till now, you had gone to some other recording, without informing me. You shouldn't do like this. You could have informed me and went. Let this be the last time, you do this mistake". I replied, " Sir. I wont do this mistake again". >From that moment, if it is His work, I never used to go to another work. Q :- You have played for the film " Kadhal Desam". Could you tell me about that ? SS :- Before Kadhal Desam, he got me an instrument from Kuwait by name Oodh ( Pls correct me if I am wrong ) . I haven't seen that instrument with anyone in India. No one has even used it before. These are available only in Arabic countries, and they use it for the title music there . He came and gave it to me, and told me to check if I could get some sound out of it. I tried hard to get the " Sa" and went on till " Pa" ( in Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa). He told" This is enough". Then he called me and uttered " Sa Ga Ma Pa Pa Ma…………" ( Mustapha Song 's notations ) . He finished it in Sa Ga Ma Pa. He told " Take" in that lower five notes itself. It is the first time, that this instrument " Oodh" was used in India , and it was used by Him and I played it. It's a wonderful song. Q :- Other songs that you have worked with Rahman ? SS :- I had worked for Jeans. There was a Chinese Instrument by name Yengchen ( Pls correct me… ) . Chinese usually use the Mogana Ragam . This is in major scale. There is a humming which is to come in the beginning of the song, and it has to be done in a Japanese style with this instrument. There is a small object which has to be worn in our fingers for playing this instrument, and usually the Chinese put it, and also bandages before playing. But after playing the instruments, the tape can be removed from the fingers, using a solution. I didn't know all this, and put the bandage around my fingers in my own style. After the recording got over, when I wanted to remove the same, I couldn't do it, and my nails also started peeling off. Actually, I was feeling very hungry and didn't know what to do, But somehow, managed it and the recording got over at 3 : 30 pm . It took me two hours for removing the tape from my fingers. He told me " Don't hurry. Go to the doctor and get it removed". Patiently, I got it removed, and the pain lasted for a day to me. The song ( Adhisayam from Jeans ) came out very well. Whenever the song is aired or I listen to it, I just check all my fingers and remind myself of the song experience. Another Important event was that the song was recorded on my Birthday. July 13th. I left home only at 8 Pm on that day, and slept with the pain. But I am very happy that the song came out very well. My father is a Veena Player and also a Mridangam Player. He was the first one to introduce Santoor to India itself. His name was Mandolin Raju, and he had played for films like " Padagothi, Paarthal Pasi theerum, Pagal Nilavu etc". They used to call him as " Rajannna". He is a very senior in Films, and used to whistle Jadis for MGR, Sivaji etc . he had played the veena for Thiruvilayadal Film. He had played the Mandolin a lot, and had thus been addressed as " Mandolin Raju". It was Rahman who termed me as ' Santoor Seenu" to avoid confusion with other Seenus, who were in the same field. Duet – Mettupodu song There is a guitar bit. A lengthy bit. He had got the instruments from Bombay, and had tried it. He had also called a lot of people from Chennai for the same. Both the styles were different. But Rahman was telling a style of Keerthanam. It's a typical veena style of a notation, but he wanted the same to be in Guitar. Its very tough to play those bits in a guitar. Even professional Guitar players used to call me and ask as to how I managed the same. The song is an acoustic guitar , just like veena, and went on in full flow. He was very happy for the same, and told me to take Double Payment before leaving. I like Lataji a lot. I like S.D. Burman songs a lot. She had sung a lot of songs in Tamil also. And she sand a song in One 2 Ka Four. I couldn't imagine that I was standing next to her, when she came to sing that song " Khamoshi Haan". I had done Santoor backing in that song. Unforgettable moment and song in my life. Recently, I had played in Jodha Akbar. There is an Arabic bit. I had played the Rubob and Oodh ( Pls correct me ) . Playing One Instrument itself is tough. And playing the both in a rhythm was very tough. Its in the song, that Rahman Sir himself had sung.. After the song is over , he called me and wanted me to play that in the Re – recording also. The Bit was highlighted in the Re recording also in a nice manner. -- regards, Vithur ARR -- The Sweet Cube always
