Wizard behind Rahman sound no more
CHENNAI: Four-time national award-winning sound engineer H Sridhar, whose technical mastery defined the music of film composers, including A R Rahman and Harris Jayaraj, died here on Monday. He was 48. According to his family, Sridhar had returned home around 2 am after working with A R Rahman on the Hindi film ‘Ghajini’. Sridhar went to sleep, but never woke up. He was taken to a private hospital, where he was declared dead at 10. 15 am. "Rahman knew him for 25 years and he was an excellent technician," said a source close to Rahman. "He is the man whose final nod meant a lot to the music director," he added. A talented guitarist and self-taught audiographer, Sridhar’s love of music made him a much sought-after technician by film music composers. "I joined his team as a keyboard player. He was a musician-friendly audiographer and a pleasure to work with," music director Harris Jayaraj, who worked with him in ‘Satyam’, said. It was Sridhar who first brought Harris to Rahman’s notice. ‘Mahanadhi’ (1994), ‘Dil Se’ (1999), ‘Lagaan’ (2001) and ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’ (2003) were the films which fetched him National Awards. Speaking to TOI, Mani Ratnam said Sridhar was not only the sound engineer of his films, but also a critic and an observer of details in every department. "I can’t believe that I will not have him with me anymore at the mix," he said. "Sridhar was a good friend of not only the film fraternity, but of musicians of all genres. George Harrison of The Beatles flew to India so that Sridhar could work on his album. Sridhar worked in over 200 films including ‘Sivaji’, ‘Guru’, ‘Dasavatharam’, ‘Provoked’, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, ‘Rangeela’ and ‘Bombay’. "We are in a state of shock, and he was a rare blend of a musician who could also be a technician, and be passionate about both," said Senthil Kumar of Real Image. The funeral is scheduled at 10 am on Tuesday. His wife Gowri and two sons, Vinay and Vishal, survive Sridhar.
