A R Rahman: Slumdog millionaire in his own right
23 Jan 2009, 2141 hrs IST, Chandra Ranganathan, ET Bureau
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CHENNAI: "Chinna Chinna Aasai", a mellifluous Tamil
song<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/4023558.cms#>from
the 1992 movie "Roja", set in the backdrop of a village in Tamil Nadu,
is apparently
<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/4023558.cms#>
**<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/articleshow/4018198.cms>
about small desires. The soothing instrumentals coupled with a gentle
rendition made the song an instant hit, in the original Tamil version and
the dubbed Hindi version "Dil Hain Chota Sa." In the last decade and a half,
thousands of fans, as they hummed this song into the silence of nights, have
come to realise that the desires the song lists out are anything but small.
They are about reaching out to moon, and kissing it. They are about the
world coming around oneself.
The song, which announced the arrival of AR Rahman on the Indian music
scene<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/4023558.cms#>,
was prophetic. Almost like the song he first composed, Rahman's
compositions, which first found a place in Tamil cinema, have in a span of
17 years, transcended regional, national and international borders.
Even before the news of his winning the Golden Globe sunk in, there was news
about his getting three Oscar nominations for the
music<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/4023558.cms#>he
composed for The Slumdog Millionaire, a historic feat and a proud
moment
for every Indian.
The Slumdog Millionaire, a rag to riches story of a boy who grows up in the
slums of Mumbai, will probably strike a personal chord with the film's music
director<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/4023558.cms#>.
The tireless perseverance and struggle to reach the top, in a way, reflects
Rahman's own meteoric rise over the decades, after battling many a personal
and financial hardship.
His father, a music
composer<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Entertainment/A_R_Rahman_Slumdog_millionaire_in_his_own_right/articleshow/4023558.cms#>himself,
died when he was nine and his family had to rent out musical
equipment to make ends meet. But, his mother, a pillar of strength and
source of inspiration, ensured that financial strife did not come in the way
of her son's aspirations.
"You have to go through many a hardship before you see the kind of success
that Rahman has seen today," well-known percussionist A Sivamani told ET on
Friday. "His strongest influence during his early years was his mother, who
saw it to it that whatever Rahman wanted, was there for him," he added.
Sivamani has known Rahman since he was 12 years old.
About the changes that he has seen in Rahman over the last 21 years,
Sivamani said, "the only change is that he is very comfortable in front of
the camera now. But, in terms of Rahman the person, he is still the same
down-to-earth, simple person, who is in love with his art." On his long-time
friend's Oscar nomination, he said, "it's a big thing for the country. If
Rahman doesn't jump with joy, I will."
We can't be sure of Rahman winning an Oscar this time. But we are sure of
this: if he wins, he will quietly walk up to the stage, listening perhaps to
a beat that most others miss in the flamboyance of the event, recieve the
coveted award with a shy smile, and give a very brief acceptance speech. As
if he would rather have his music speak for him.
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--
regards,
Vithur
