‘It feels good to meet fans, but not 6,000 at once’
... says music director AR Rahman, who made his first public appearance in the
city post the Oscars
SHILPA BANSAL
HOW would you feel if AR Rahman dropped by at your place just like that? It
happened to Mr and Mrs Mohammed Rafi, the first lucky Airtel digital TV
customers who won Airtel’s ‘Bring Home the Magic’ contest. “When AR Rahman won
the Oscars, I was wondering if I’d ever get a chance to congratulate him in
person. And it happened thanks to Airtel digital TV,” said Mohammed Rafi, whose
wife baked a cake for Rahman.
The Rafis’ neighbours were even more excited at the prospect of seeing the
Jai Ho! boy. The children were carrying posters that read ‘Welcome to our home
AR Rahman Uncle’. Many brought bouquets and other mementos. When Rahman got out
of the car, the building echoed with Jai Ho! The maestro was overwhelmed.
“Coming back from the Oscars and visiting a home like this — I love it. It
feels good to meet fans, but not 6,000 at once,” Rahman smiled. All praise for
Airtel’s efforts to bring the stars home to fans, Rahman said, “It’s a great
way to interact with customers.”
This ‘Bring Home the Magic’ promotion offers Airtel digital TV customers an
opportunity to have their favourite stars AR Rahman, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena
Kapoor, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir come to their homes. Customers can also
win other prizes like LCD TVs and cellphones. Chandrashekar Radhakrishnan,
head, brand and media, Bharti Airtel Ltd said, “Airtel digital TV was launched
with the objective of enhancing the TV viewing experience for Indian consumers.
The proposition of ‘Magical Entertainment’ was brought to life by
top-of-the-line product features and the creative idea of ‘Come Home to the
Magic’. The prospect of a legend like AR Rahman walking into Rafi’s home would
certainly have been a magical experience for him and his family!”
BT also chatted with the maestro about life after the Oscars. Tired of the
Slumdog Millionaire hype, he had said in an interview, “Leave me alone.” “I
know everybody’s excited, kind and loving. But it can get too much. And you
have to get on with life, work, family and music. It’s tough when you get 300
SMSes and 500 mails and people get upset because they didn’t get a reply,” says
Rahman, who fell ill when he returned from the Academy Awards. “It was all the
travelling, jetlag and felicitation functions,” he says.
His son was unwell of late too — the reason Rahman left the Filmfare Awards
early. Is it tough to find time for family, especially for someone who keeps
his public and personal lives separate? “I’ve always wanted to keep my personal
life separate so that my family can have a peaceful life. I don’t want to take
them everywhere and pose. They need to have their own space,” Rahman explains.
After the Oscars, he finds his creative efforts in the middle of election
fever. Political parties are using filmi songs for their campaigns and one of
them is Jai Ho!, the rights of which have been bought by a political party.
“When I came back, Jai Ho! seemed to belong to everyone. I couldn’t say
anything; it was used everywhere — for remixes, fashion shows and even for some
event in Singapore. But using it for a political campaign is interesting. I’m
not with any party and will support anyone who does something for the people. I
hope voters choose qualified and deserving candidates. And if the songs make it
easier, then why not?” he asks.
Rahman, now known as the ‘Oscar Tamilian’, is also composing a new Tamil
anthem for Tamilians across the globe. Lyricist Vairamuthu, who’ll pen the
lyrics for this anthem, had said when he and Rahman were performing in
Malaysia, they got to know that the Tamils there have their own anthem. So, the
duo decided to create one anthem for Tamilians everywhere. “Yes, of course, I’m
from Tamil Nadu but I want to make it clear that I belong to everyone,” he
says.
When asked about reports of him composing for the next James Bond movie,
the composer blushed and softly said, “I don’t know what you are talking
about.” He didn’t say no, you see!
