If you are used to buying anything that has AR tagged, then you can buy this one, else wait..
On Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 11:43 AM, ramakrisha laxmana subramanian siva gopala acharya iyer .aiyooo amma idli wada dosa sambar chatni . < [email protected]> wrote: > > > 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] <arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com>, $ > 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. > > > > > -- regards, Vithur
