MUMBAI It strikes midnight midway through our talk on the hotline to Chennai. But these are normal working hours for A.R. Rahman. What is important is not this reporter's lack of sleep, for this is the first time Rahman has finally obliged India-West after repeated calls since he won the Oscar and so many other trophies at home and abroad.
We clocked 50 minutes, and when we were through I was sure that Rahman had never opened up so candidly on topics spanning everything from "Yuvvraaj," his unique studio ritual, the failure of "Delhi-6," his future moves and many more and the fact that he's left no award unturned in the last six months, of course. Excerpts from an interview: Q: Apart from the Oscars and awards abroad, you have been annexing awards at home left, right and center in a virtual grand-slam. A: Sometimes things just fall into place! Just a few years back, the reverse was happening. Mani Ratnam's "Lajjo," Shyam Benegal's "Chamki," Krishna Shah's "Baiju" and one or two other musicals had inspired me, but none of them even took off! This year, "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na" got me so many trophies, but did you know that it was almost shelved till Aamir Khan took over its production? Last year, a lot of my films came all together: "Jaane Tu...," "Jodhaa Akbar," "Yuvvraaj," the music of "Ada," "Ghajini" and the music of "Slumdog Millionaire." So I have stopped expecting anything in life. If good things happen, it's okay, but if they don't, at least you are not frustrated! (Laughs) Q: You have won multiple background music awards for "Jodhaa Akbar" too. A: Background music is something that I love to do, and I would hate someone else doing it if I have composed the songs, even though it needs 10 times more energy than making songs. Only two Hindi films of mine, "Lakeer" and "Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa," had someone else coming in. Actually, you can do 15-20 more songs in the time you take for composing a background music score for one movie! In the West, they are amazed that we Indian film composers do both songs and background scores. But over here, it is almost a culture. For me, doing both is a matter of my credibility, and sometimes I get both right! Q: You use the word "sometimes." Why are you almost Bachchan-like in modesty? A: I have so much to learn, so much to achieve. And things can go wrong despite hard work so often. You can't orchestrate results; the magic just happens sometimes. You try to do your part right, but it may or may not happen. Or things can just go wrong elsewhere. Just one wrong expression on the face of one actor, or in the way a director expresses himself, or even some technical point can prevent everything from falling in place. So when everything turns out perfect, you feel blessed like an angel. Q: Gulzar-saab tells us that you light a candle when a singer enters the recording cabin. A: I began to do it after my first visit to Khwaja Gharib Nawaz at Ajmer Sharif. The candles lit there have an effect I cannot describe. In my studio too, a burning candle is so inspirational and organic amidst all the gadgets. Q: You seem to be finally at home with the Hindi film temperament since "Rang De Basanti." A: I have become more conscious of the language. Subhash (Ghai)-ji and some other associates made me conscious about that. I always believed that music has no language and that my tune could be converted by extraordinary lyrics into a great song in any language. But Subhash-ji taught me otherwise. In "Taal," I made most of the tunes only after Anand Bakshi-saab wrote the lyrics. The same was the case with Sameer-ji and "The Legend of Bhagat Singh." I realized that you cannot express certain words just anyhow. The elongation of syllables or of words the syntax, that is is peculiar to every language. So I have been learning Urdu for the last two or three years and my Hindi vocabulary too is up by 40-50 percent! Q: Did you think of this aspect while taking up "Bombay Dreams"? A: English came easier for me, though when I took up "Bombay Dreams," I did not know whether I could pull it off. But I managed, I think. Q: When a film like "Delhi-6" does not work and your music does not get its due, how painful is it? A: Initially I would find such things very painful, but now I have learnt to be detached. When the next assignment is waiting, you can't spoil it by brooding! When a film does not work I think that all of us should admit that we have gone wrong somewhere. Besides that, it's all about the right timing. Society's state of mind and its concerns are all important. People do not like darkness in films because I guess there is so much of it in real life! (Laughs) Q: Coming to "Slumdog Millionaire," a cliché that you will have to answer again for us: Did you expect the film and your songs to reach where they have? A: No way! (Laughs) But yes, I loved the film when I watched it. I just wanted to work with a filmmaker as loved and respected as Danny Boyle. There was something strangely positive about the film. I worked on the music after the film was complete and after putting in the songs Danny re-cut the film. Q: How do you react to "Jai ho" being slammed as far from being your best work? A: Well, I had to make something that was right for the film. It wasn't a situation that demanded a Beethoven symphony or a "Baa baa black sheep"! Composing for films is not about showing the world what you can do. You have to get something right first, and only then try and excel in it if you can. The reverse way would be disastrous. Q: You told the Indian media that you have reworked "Choli ke peeche" from "Khal-Nayak" as "Ringa ringa." But it only has a similar flavor. A: I was misquoted: I never said that I was remixing the song. I only said that I was influenced by it as the most important anthem of the 1990s, which is the timeframe when "Ringa ringa" is used in the film. That was the reason why I chose not to compose a completely diverse song for this situation and also why I took the same singers, Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun. It was my ode to Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Subhash Ghai and the song's team. Q: And don't you feel that Subhash-ji's "Yuvvraaj" was very underrated among your scores last year? A: I agree. "Yuvvraaj," on which we worked for almost two years and made some extraordinary music, went unnoticed for various reasons, while "Slumdog," on which I worked for two weeks, went so far. Life can be so unpredictable! Q: What were your very first thoughts not what you spoke there when you won first one trophy and then another at the Academy Awards? A: My first thought when the first award was announced was nothing; my mind went blank, since I was due to sing on stage in some 20 seconds! (Laughs) When the second award was declared, I just wanted to take the trophy, go into my room and sleep!! (Laughs again) One week of anticipation, rehearsals and tensions all dissolved into that! Q: Sorry again for the clichéd query what do you feel about being the first Indian to clinch two Oscars? A: I can't gauge anything now. Maybe I will know after a couple of years! Q: And how will you divide work in India and over there? A: After "Bombay Dreams," I did have scope to do work outside but never used the opportunity. I was not ready then not that I am ready now! (Chuckles) I came back here then, and ended up doing some pretty ordinary work. But now I do want to work there. For me, it's more about developing relationships, collaborating, culturally connecting and doing the right organic stuff. I have taken up one major assignment that I can reveal only after a while because of a non-disclosure clause in my contract. It is a proper American film, and the music will be the kind that I am at home with. Back here, I have Anthony D'Souza's "Blue," Mani Ratnam's "Ravan," Abbas Tyrewala's "1-800-Love," one more film in Mumbai, and "Robot" and the animation film "Sultan," both with Rajnikanth, and a film with Gautham Menon. Q: Have any of the newest composers who have come in the last few years impressed you? A: I like their spirit and desire to experiment. At the same time, however, I miss excellent melodies and life-changing lyrics in today's music and I am looking forward to hearing some of those. Lyrics, for example, should be much more than about "Soniye" and "Maahiya"! Visit This Link .... To Get A Superb Pic Of ARR & And The Article .... http://www.indiawest.com/readmore.aspx?id=1073&sid=3
