thx for the Info On Tue, Dec 30, 2008 at 7:25 PM, arr_raghu <[email protected]> wrote:
> Slumdog Millionaire CDs are available in US local stores > Bestbuy, Circuitcity and Walmart. > > --- In [email protected] <arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com>, > Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> > wrote: > > > > Composer's big score > > By Aseem Chhabra > > For The Inquirer > > A.R. Rahman may be one of the most successful musicians in the world. > > As the leading composer of India's popular Bollywood film industry, > he has been featured in international projects - from Bombay Dreams on > Broadway to Lord of the Rings in Toronto and London, and his music has > also appeared in Hollywood movies, including Lord of War. But until > recently his name was not widely known among Americans. > > That may change with British director Danny Boyle's critically > acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire. In a holiday season cluttered with > movies, Slumdog, > > with its underdog theme and message of hope and redemption, is > > receiving awards and nominations from film critics' associations all > > over the world. And Rahman's exuberant score, layered with both > > Bollywood and Western sounds, plus a couple of numbers by the Sri > > Lankan hip-hop artist M.I.A., is drawing accolades and recognition, > > including a Golden Globe nomination. > > MTV's Kurt Loder called Slumdog's music "hip-hop fusion of a very > up-to-date kind." > > "It's very edgy, younger; it's more today and contemporary, and it's > > taking a complete risk," the soft-spoken Rahman said recently from Los > > Angeles. About working with M.I.A., who is far better-known than he is > > in the West, and was Boyle's choice to be included in the soundtrack, > > Rahman said: "She is really an inspiring person." > > Oscar buzz for Slumdog now includes the film, director Boyle, and > also Rahman. "It will be > > nice if India wins an Oscar," Boyle recently said. "They will be so > > delighted in Mumbai because they really do look to American movie > > culture, and it would mean an awful lot to them." > > India may produce more movies than any other country, but the only two > > Indian film workers to receive Oscars were the celebrated Bhanu > > Athaiya, who shared the 1982 award with England's John Mollo for > > costume design in Richard Attenborough's highly decorated Gandhi, > and filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who received an honorary award in 1991. > > "Let's hope," Rahman, 42, said. Given the recent terrorist attacks > on Mumbai, Slumdog is a perfect film to watch, Rahman said, calling > Boyle "almost like an ambassador for India." > > He's delighted that the Slumdog soundtrack might let American > critics and listeners discover more of > > his music. "I think if they love a piece of work, then they want to > > follow the composer," he said. "This could be the biggest bridge, > > connecting them to all my work. > > "In America, they typecast a musician," Rahman said. "He is a > > horror-music soundtrack composer, he is a good pop music or a classical > > music composer. But in India they expect everything from a single > > person. That has pushed me to do whatever my clients want. I compose > > music, I sing songs, I have worked on jingles. I write Indian music and > > Western music, and after a point of time you mature into it, sometimes > > falling down, and then walking properly." > > Allah Rakkha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar to a Hindu family in > > Chennai (formerly Madras) in southern India. He learned piano at the > > age of 4, and after dropping out of school he joined a musical troupe > > as a keyboard player at age 11. Rahman does not like to talk about it, > > but for personal reasons he later converted to Islam. > > By the mid-1980s he was composing radio and television jingles, until > > he was picked by Mani Ratnam, one of southern India's best known > > filmmakers, to compose music for Roja in 1992. > > The enormous success of his early films led to offers from Bollywood - > > the popular Hindi language films produced in Bombay, now Mumbai. He has > > composed some of the best-received Indian film soundtracks, from the > > Oscar-nominated Lagaan (2001) and Water (2006) to the dance-hall hit > "Chaiyya Chaiyya," featured in Bombay Dreams and used in the opening > and end credits of Spike Lee's Inside Man. > > When Boyle sent Rahman a rough-cut DVD of Slumdog, > > the musician jumped at the opportunity. "I always wanted to work with a > > Western director who would be sympathetic toward Indian culture," he > > said. "It was important for me to do something that was connected to > > our culture and at the same time can appeal to the Western audience." > > For the Slumdog soundtrack, > > completed in three weeks, Boyle provided a great deal of feedback. > > "It's a great screenplay with so many different elements, and the music > > had to change," Rahman said. "You couldn't do the same thing again and > > again. > > "I was surprised to hear the whole soundtrack in the end," Rahman > > added, calling it "quite different from what I have ever done." > > > > > > > http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20081230_Composer_s_big_score.html > > > > > -- Cheers, Pradeepan. "All you need to do is, decide what to do with the time that is given to you !"
