'He Liberated The Film Song'
He changed the age old format of the film song-- the asthayi and the antara and
then a cross
line to match the asthayi -- that has been our format since the inception of
film music
GULZAR ON A.R. RAHMAN
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When Rahman entered the Tamil and Telugu film industry I do not know how it
affected them, but
when he came to Hindi films with Roja his entry was noticed and much talked
about. Detractors
started saying, "Hes repetitive" etcetera, but Rahman quietly continued doing
his work and
they fell silent and his music grew on them.
Here people take a lot of time in accepting anything new. Thats a peculiar
quality we seem to
have. He used folk and classical and blended it beautifully. He used western
sounds and
electronics and used them in Hindi music and they didnt sound foreign at all.
He blended them
so well into our music..
For the lyricists, he made a very important contribution. He changed the age
old format of the
film song-- the asthayi and the antara and then a cross line to match the
asthayi -- that has
been our format since the inception of film music. Rahman let it go and I for
one felt greatly
elated because I have always used blank verse and I was very comfortable with
this form. He
liberated the film song from the earlier shackles. I had used this kind of
writing earlier in
songs like meraa kuchh saamaan tumhaare paas paRaa hai etc but his coming made
it acceptable.
In our music today, Rahmans presence has made a whole lot of difference. What
else can we ask
for? Not only in India, he has opened up the horizon in the west also. It needs
courage to
experiment the way he does. His Bombay Dreams was an experiment which succeeded
beautifully.
He is totally obsessed with work and, whatever the platform, he enjoys trying
new things.
Thats how he has reached a level where he hasnt lifted one but two Oscars.
When he lifted
one, he lifted two!
I must add that in the Jai Ho song which won the other Oscar, there was a magic
voice whose
contribution cannot be missed -- that of Sukhwinder Singh. There have been
times when the
singer and the lyricist have won awards and the composer has not but that
doesnt lessen the
role of the composer.
Rahman is this era.
Jai Ho
As told to Lata Khubchandani
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IN THIS STORY:
Sukhwinder Singh
'One time, one job'. This is something I have learnt from Rahman.
Pyarelal
I don't think he's outstanding.
Prasoon Joshi
He has a way of breaking the meter, it gets freshness into the song.
Sivamani
'For him, every song is an Oscar or a Grammy'
Shankar Mahadevan
What RD Burman did in the 70s, Rahamn came and did in the late 80s.
Mahalxmi Iyer
With his first album he revolutionized the sound, the style and the content of
Indian film
music for the future, all at once.
Sonu Nigam
His honesty has given his music a certain ingenuity, a certain simplicity. And
the better the
talent, the more I see God influencing the work.
Shantanu Moitra
He himself is a technician, so he actually works with textures of voices.
Rahman's mixing
really stands out -- be it on a transistor or a hi-fi system.
Anu Malik
When I first heard Choti Si Aasha it was mindboggling -- a composer was born to
my mind.
Vishal
Of Vishal-Shekhar: If even his average work can get him on a global platform
and fetch him two
Oscars, just imagine what would Dil Se deserve
at least six!
Salim
Of the Salim-Suleiman duo: Rahman has done for film music what Ravi Shankar or
Zakir Hussain
have done for classical music or Zubin Mehta for Western classical music.
Harshdeep
Whenever Rahman listens to somebody, the voice registers in his mind and when
he has a song fit
for that voice, he calls you
Kavita Paudwal
To him, a voice is also another sound--a wonderful sound to which he gives due
prominence
Madhushree
He is always searching. He's very creative. He wants to work with new people,
make new sounds,
do new things
Shaan
He refused to shift to Mumbai, stayed in Chennai, recorded in his own way. That
aura as a
composer works for him.
Mohit Chauhan
There are silences, spaces in his music. His music borders on spirituality.
Chinmayi Sripada
His music is all about the magic of sound. It has divinity; you connect at an
emotional level.
Benny Dayal
He plays with the texture of the voice but lets the singer be. Recording is
more impromptu than
rehearsed.
Anil Srinivasan
Illaiyaraja is brilliant but he is more about music while Rahman is all about
sound.
Kailash Kher
Like new recipes of food, he keeps trying out new voices, has an innovative
mind and is
constantly experimenting.
Srinivas Bhashyam
He bridged the North-South divide. He has been a patriotic, not regionalistic
person. He sees
India as one entity.
Shaleen Sharma
He doesn't make music into a khichdi. He understands silences, the dynamics of
the song.
Naresh Iyer
Everyone talks about how his music is all technology but crucial thing is how
he uses it, gets
the best out of it.
Khayyam
Convey my congratulations to him.
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