http://www.masala.com/9711-we-are-very-proud-of-rahman
Bollywood music director A.R. Rahman has become the first Indian to win
the Golden Globe Award, for best original musical score in Danny
Boyle's movie "Slumdog Millionaire". The honour bestowed on the maestro
has brought much cheer to the Indian film industry.
"The Golden
Globe is a coveted award and it is a rare honour for an Indian music
director. By winning it, competing with composers from around the
world, Rahman has not only proved his worth, but has also conveyed to
the world that, given a chance, an Indian music director can deservedly
vie with any composer in the world," fellow composer Anu Malik told
IANS.
Rahman won the prestigious award for his musical score in
the song "Jai Ho", for which Gulzar penned the lyrics. The song is a
typical Rahman number and the composer stuck to his signature style
while composing it.
Sukhwinder Singh, who has sung the song,
told IANS: "Rahman has churned out great songs even in the past but he
did not get an award so I feel that he truly deserves this one. I am
very happy for him and when he comes back to India, I will meet him.
I'm sure he will definitely ask me, 'Are you happy?'. The song 'Jai Ho'
is a very naughty and playful number; it has a good combination of
poetry and music and and I enjoyed singing it."
"The
international recognition that Rahman has earned for himself makes
every Indian proud. He deserves it more than anybody else for his
wholehearted dedication to music. It's a rare honour. I congratulate
Rahman," said director Aziz Mirza.
"Slumdog Millionaire" bagged
four Golden Globe awards. Apart from Rahman, the movie won the awards -
considered a precursor to the Oscars - for best motion picture, best
screenplay and best director.
That "Slumdog Millionaire" will
sweep the Golden Globe Awards was a foregone conclusion after critics
from around the world, Hollywood in particular, hailed the film.
Most
Indians expected Rahman, known for scoring soul-stirring music in
Bollywood and other Indian films, to emerge victorious. And that was
exactly what happened Sunday night, making the 43-year-old music
composer the first Indian to bag a Golden Globe.
"We are very
proud of Rahman. He is an internationally recognised music genius and
Golden Globes is a significant win for the music fraternity in India
too. Though I haven't worked with him as much as others, I admire him
from a distance," said singer Shaan.
"Rahman is truly the king.
He is one of the finest composers in the country. He has carried
India's name on the global map and has achieved something, which no one
from this country could do. He deserves every award that exists,"
singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan said.
Based on Vikas
Swarup's novel "Q & A", the film starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
and Anil Kapoor, is releasing in India on January 23.
Rahman got
his first big break in Mani Ratnam's "Roja" and later composed music
for many films in southern India. His first full-fledged Bollywood
project was Ram Gopal Varma's hit "Rangeela". Most of the songs,
including "Tanha Tanha" and "Hai Rama" and "Yaaro sun lo Zara", were
chartbusters. After that there was no looking back for him.
Later,
Rahman became a name to reckon with through his soulful compositions in
"Dil Se…", "1947 Earth", "Taal", "Lagaan", "Guru", "Rang De Basanti"
and "Jodhaa Akbar".
Rahman not only won hearts in India, but
also made a mark on the global music scene. He got his first
international break when Andrew Lloyd Webber invited him to compose
music for Broadway musical "Bombay Dreams", which won him immense
international fame. He also composed for the stage adaptation of J.R.R.
Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings" that premiered in Canada in 2006 and in
London in 2007.
Rahman launched his first full-fledged
orchestra last year. It has been named 'Global Music' and is the first
homegrown orchestra.
After winning the Golden Globe, Rahman is looking forward to bagging an Oscar
for his soundtrack for "Slumdog Milloinaire".
"For
the people of India to get an Oscar is a big thing. So for their sake,
more than mine, I hope my song 'Jai ho' and my music score in 'Slumdog
Millionaire' win the Oscar," said Rahman, whose latest hit back home
was "Ghajini".
He is all set to enthral his fans with his upcoming projects "Delhi-6" and
"Blue".
