Noisy but nice' *By:* Madhusudan Maney *Date:* 2009-02-10 <http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/feb/100209-Slumdog-Millionaire-seven-awards-AR-Rahman-South-Splash-Bangalore.htm#discussion> <http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php>
*Bangalore:* *Seven awards and counting. Slumdog Millionaire and A R Rahman are the current flavours of the season. Here's what musicians closer home have to say* Rahman being nominated for the Oscar is like Bindra winning the gold for India. People who have grown up listening to Rahman may not find anything great in his music, but people listening to him for the first time will love his music as it sounds different. I like the Indian and Western blend that he has put together. *Vasu Dixit, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Swaratma, a folk fusion band* I listened to Rahman in Roja. I liked him then. I lost track of his music after that. *Neecia Majolly, concert pianist, conductor, singer, teacher and composer* I loved A R Rahman's work in Slumdog Millionaire. I watched the film only for his music. The background score is fantastic. The music is a bewitching blend of Indian and Western. I don't think that anyone else would have been able to achieve this. *DJ Ivan* Rahman is a well-known figure, but you should ask youngsters what they think of his music not seniors like me. I haven't yet listened to the music of Slumdog Millionaire. *V Manohar, music director* Rahman's score is a revelation because it shows that noisy can be nice. With his work in Slumdog Millionaire, he made mainstream film music accessible to Hollywood. He has created an opportunity for the rest of us. *Ricky Kej, music director* I feel Rahman has produced far superior music before Slumdog Millionaire. I think his earlier tracks were much better. No doubt that the Slumdog tracks are good, but they don't match up to some of his early work. However, he deserves awards for his original approach and ability to try out different kinds of music. *Chris Avinash, music composer and teacher http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/feb/100209-Slumdog-Millionaire-seven-awards-AR-Rahman-South-Splash-Bangalore.htm *-- regards, Vithur
