I’VE A STRONG CONNECT WITH HYDERABAD’
Down-to-earth, warm and shy, global tunesmith AR Rahman was in town
recently. In an interview with Hyd Times he talks about music, his mom
and his dreams
SARAH SALVADORE Times News Network
Nothing’s changed about the man. If anything, Allah Rakha Rahman
is still the shy and humble person he was before Slumdog Millionaire
happened. The only difference is that with two Oscars and a BAFTA and
Golden Globe each, the security cover around him has thickened. And
rightfully so. If the crowd reaction in Hyderabad on Saturday night
was anything to go by, Rahman needs a barrage of bodyguards. In town
to be part of a ceremony to honour him for his achievements on the
world stage, Rahman was a picture of calm and dignity. India’s very
own Pied Piper who enjoys demi-god like adulation from zillions of
music buffs across the country and who was instrumental in showing the
world that music is not about language seemed overwhelmed with the
love and respect shown to him. “I’ve not come here for any gold crown,
but for the gold mine (Padmabhushan Dr P Susheela) sitting here right
next to me,” said Rahman. "After I came back from the Oscars, Susheela
Amma called and told me that she wanted to organise a ceremony for me.
I did not question her about anything. I just told her, ‘you can do
any ceremony. Just let me know when to come.’ That’s how much I adore
her.”
And just like the Oscars, Rahman was accompanied by his mother,
Kareema Begum and sister Rehana. “When my father passed away, my
mother took care of the family. I dropped out of school at the age of
11 and began working to help my mother out,” said the composer whose
famous oneliner (‘Mere paas maa hai’) at the Oscars wowed and won many
hearts. While speaking on work, Rahman does not forget to mention
people from the Telugu film industry who helped him during the initial
stages of his career. “Mom was working very hard for her three
children. We were going through a major financial crisis. That’s when
Telugu music director Ramesh Naidu took me under his wings and I
worked for him for a year. Later, I worked for six years for composer
Koti too. So you see, I have a strong connect with the people of
Andhra Pradesh who’ve always loved my music,” confesses the composer.
For the man who features in the Time magazine’s list of 100 most
influential people, Rahman never forgets to mention his influence —
his religious gurus. “It’s because of my guruji that I’m here today.
In fact, after this ceremony, I’ll be heading to Kadapa to pay my
respect to guruji,” quipped Rahman who visited the Ameen Peer Dargah
after his return from the Oscars.
Rahman, the man who wanted to be “left alone” after the Oscar win,
is now planning to “release music” on his own label, but has no idea
when he’ll be able to do it, because things seem a “little busy right
now.” Also coming up in 2009 are movie soundtracks, including the
soundtrack to a film called The 19th Step and some “interesting
collaborations” (reportedly Mick Jagger and Joss Stone have joined
hands with Rahman for a song slated to be released on United Nation’s
International Day of Peace on September 21).
Rahman who’s known to work on a film soundtrack for two years,
prefers to rotate projects to ensure he doesn’t “work too hard” and
claims that he’s still got much to “learn and achieve”. For the Mozart
of Madras, as he’s often labelled, whose albums have sold over 200
million copies (and still counting) modesty remains his middlename.
“Ten years ago Subbarami Reddy offered me a house in Banjara Hills
in case I decided to move to Hyderabad. That’s how much people here
love me,” said Rahman before being whisked off by his guards. If he
accepts the offer, it will definitely delight thousands of his fans
here in Hyderabad.
------------------------------------
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