I read in today's Mumbai Mirror that AR would pen his own autobiography and has called this one an Unofficial biography and has not given the 'go-ahead' signal to.
So, is this biography just to mint money? Do I have to buy this?! --- In [email protected], $ Pavan Kumar $ <pawancum...@...> wrote: > > http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/jun/09/slide-show-1--ar-rahman-as-you-did-not-know-him.htm > > > A R Rahman, as you didn't know him > > > > > > > > > > The struggles and celebrations of A R Rahman's life will be documented in his > first ever biography, titled A R Rahman: The Musical Storm, which releases > June 10. It has been penned by Chennai-based Kamini Mathai, who has worked in > newspapers like Indian Express and The Times of India. This is Mathai's first > book. > > The 32-year-old tells Patcy N how she got the shy Rahman to open up to her, > and reveal himself. > > How did you decide on writing about Rahman? > > I had no plans of writing a book. Penguin Books India contacted me in 2003 > and commissioned me to write this book. Actually, they were looking out for > people to write the book on Rahman. They had short-listed some journalists; I > was among them. They had seen my articles in the Indian Express. Christin > Sabraini, from Penguin, asked me to give her a brief, and how I would go > about it. I did, and was selected. > > How did you go about it? > > I read up as much as possible on Rahman. I read whatever material I could get > on him, so that I would know where the biography would start from. I jotted > down names mentioned by him in his interviews, like Sudarshan master [music > director], M K Arjunan master [music director, and his father R K Shekhar's > colleague], L Vaidyanathan [music director] and Thomas Isaac Kathukapli [ad > filmmaker, who composes music as well]. I started tracing these people and > found managed to talk to most of them. I also spoke to people who knew his > father. > > I bought Rahman's music as well. > > What was the toughest part of the biography? > > Rahman's past -- his childhood and growing up years. Getting details on his > father was difficult. But as I met more and more people, I started getting > the details I needed. > > 'Rahman wants us to call it an unauthorised biography' > > > > > > > > > > How much time did Rahman give you? > > It's very difficult to meet Rahman, so I would keep waiting at his studio. I > got to know a lot of people while waiting for him, so my research continued. > I met him about three-four times. With Rahman, when you interview him, you > have to be very specific of what you're asking him > > Rahman is such a shy person. Was he okay with the okay of his biography being > written? > He wants us to call it an unauthorised biography although he knew I was > writing a book on him and meeting people for it. > > He does not open up. You have to try hard. But suddenly, Rahman opens up and > starts talking, and then all of a sudden, restricts himself from saying more. > But the times when he did open up, he would tell me good stories. Like he > said, as Dileep, he was a big failure. Whatever he did before he embraced > Islam failed. For instance, he did badly in school, his father died when he > was nine and he had to drop out of school, he had to work from a young age > even though he liked to play, his music bands flopped, his music albums > flopped > > How much time did it take you to write this book? > > The process of writing the book started in 2003. It took me 10-11 months just > to be able to meet Rahman and tell him that I was writing a biography on him. > I met him next after six-seven months. In-between, I had a baby so the > research took longer. > > I made three drafts of the book, and finally sent the fourth to Penguin. > > 'Rahman said I can write about his music and his life but not about his wife > and children' > > > > > > > > > > Did you get to meet his family? > > He made his mother available to me. But he made it clear that I should not > write about his children. He doesn't want his children to be exposed to > anything. He did not allow me to meet his wife either. > > He said I can write about his music and his life but not about his wife and > children. He asked me to respect his privacy. I saw them around in the studio. > > I have written stories about his wife and children, as told to me by the > people who worked with Rahman. But the book is mostly about Rahman and how he > came to be. > > What did Rahman's mother have to say? > > His mother is free and open. She gave me nice information about Rahman's > childhood, about the family embracing Islam, Rahman's spiritual guru, his > father's illness and how they did not have money when he died, as he was the > only breadwinner > > When Rahman's father died, Rahman had to work. Rahman was a session musician, > who played instruments for music composers and got paid by the day. So he > would leave home early in the morning for the studio and return late at > night. He had to go to school too -- he was studying in Padma Sheshasdri > school, which is one of the toughest schools in Chennai. They are very strict > about performance. > > Rahman's father wanted him to be in that school, since he himself did not get > much of an education. So even after his father's death, he continued > studying. His mother would take his breakfast and uniform and wait for him at > the gate of the studio, feed him in the studio van, get him to change into > his uniform and send him to school. Sometimes, he would have to go to the > studio after school too. It was tough for an eleven year old child. > > Some people insisted that Rahman was very talkative as a teenager' > > > > > > > > > > Did you speak to his sisters? > > I spoke to Rehana and Ishraat. But not Fatima because she's quiet and away > from all this. I did not get much information from his sisters. Ishraat did > not speak much and Rehana just gave me the birthdays of all the family > members. > > What did his close associates have to say about him? > > MK Arjunan is from the Malayalam film industry and worked with Rahman's > father. He knew the family well and gave me a lot of information. Rahman's > band members, John Anthony and Paul Jacob, also spoke to me. I met Subhash > Ghai too. But the most valuable information came from the people who knew him > as Dileep; those guys have given me a lot of interesting information. > > Some people insisted that Rahman was very talkative as a teenager. But most > of them say that he was shy. For example, if his band was touring, all the > band members would change in the same room but Rahman never did that. But I > saw, from my interaction with him, Rahman has a very nice sense of humour. > > Where does the book start? > > The book starts with Rahman's father -- how he was very poor and got a break > into the Malayalam film industry as a music arranger, how he died of cancer, > what effect that had on Rahman, how Rahman dealt with it and how he came up. > It ends at the Oscars. > > > Discuss | Email | Print | Get latest news on your > desktop > > > > > > > > > Back > | > More > > > > 'There's a chapter on why Mani Ratnam picked Rahman for Roja' > > > > > > > > > > Rahman usually works at night. Did you have to interview him then? > > Yes. I would reach his studio by 9:30pm, and wait until after midnight. I > would leave his studio by 3am. But I met many people while I was waiting. > > Once I met Naresh Iyer (who sang Rubaroo, Rang De Basanti). I saw a skinny > boy sitting in a corner with his mother. He was reading a book called Seven > Habits Of Highly Effective People. He wasn't so famous then so I asked him > what he was doing there. He said he was a part of a music reality show which > he didn't win but Rahman had asked him to meet him. He had been waiting for > the past two weeks. He would come everyday religiously, and sit with his > mother until he finally got a break. Nowadays, when I see Naresh Iyer, he has > put on weight and 's wearing a leather jacket! > > According to you which song or film do you think really made his career? > > Rahman had different phases. Roja launched him, but he did good films with > Tamil director Shankar. Later, his songs in Kadhalan Muqala > Muqaabala and Rangeela built his roots in Bollywood and everybody started > knowing him. Subhash Ghai met Rahman afterRoja but Rahman did his > film Taal much later, after he was famous. > > There's a chapter on why Mani Ratnam picked Rahman for Roja, how he found > him. Before Roja happened, Mani Ratnam was working with Illaiyaraja. > Illaiyaraja gave Mani Ratnam the biggest hit of his career Talapathi. There > are different reasons why Mani Ratnam chose to work with Rahman after that. > You should read the book to know more. But I can say is Mani Ratnam was > looking for change and a new composer. > > Which is your favourite part of the book? > > The first part, where he's Dileep. That really tells us how Rahman came to > be. My favourite chapter is the last one, called At Work. It's an interview > with Rahman. > > Has Rahman read the book? > > I mailed it to him but he has not commented on it yet. He said his team > members have read it but he has not had the time to go through it fully. > > The book has some rare photographs. How did you get them? > > Rahman's office gave me some. I got some -- like Rahman's father's picture - > from different sources. >
