The man behind the music Express Features<http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/searchresult.aspx?AliasName=qK1tLBLX|pLCicyHXqeBIm/zFtYkho3f> First Published : 06 Feb 2010 05:19:29 AM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Experimentation was literally unknown to Indian music till 1991. Bollywood had its own series of filmi hit songs which were mostly mediocre, while Tamil music was unknown to Bollywood. All of it was to change in a matter of weeks. A R Rahman has probably brought India together in a way noone else has been able to in recent times; his is a music which has been enjoyed equally by the young, old, the die-hard conservatives of Indian music as well as the pub-goers. For those who grew up listening to Roja and Bombay, it is difficult to imagine what music would have been, had director Mani Ratnam not invited the young unknown musician to his studio 19 years ago. Singer Unni Menon recalls the day he received a call in the wee hours of the morning, in 1991. He was asked to come to the recording studio immediately, to record a song. Menon was puzzled at the oddness of the hour, but on hearing that the director of the movie was Mani Ratnam, he set out. He found a young, unimpressive composer in charge. By his own admission, Unni Menon went back home after the recording and thought no more about it. Neither he nor any of the crew present, could have imagined in the wildest of their dreams that they were a part of history, that the quiet youngster before them would take the music world by storm and transform it beyond recognition in the span of the next two decades. The movie being made was Roja and the song Pudu Vellai Mazhai. Even after 20 years, it never fails to raise goosebumps in anyone who appreciates good music, plain and simple. It was purely by chance that Mani Ratnam chanced upon a young man who received the award for the best ad jingle which he had composed for the popular Leo Coffee ad. Mani was curious and requested Rahman for a sample of his music. At his amateur studio, Rahman played out a tune which he composed when he and his friends were disturbed over the Cauvery issue. On listening to the tune, which was none other than Tamizha Tamizha, Mani Ratnam did not have second thoughts and signed him instantly. Rahman’s journey from Roja to the Grammy awards 2010, has been nothing less than phenomenal. Compartmentalisation was a word he hated; Tamil folk, Punjabi, Western classical, Carnatic, Hindustani, Jazz, there is little in world music which Rahman hasn’t experimented with, or fused. Off beat and unconventional became mainstream as far as Rahman was concerned. He is reputed to do recordings at unearthly hours like 3 in the morning and has for try out new, unknown voices, many of whom later became top singers. As singer Sreenivas describes it - “With Rahman, when you go in, nothing is ready. He just feeds in some basic chords. When you listen to them on your headphones, you are transported to another world. Within two minutes, he creates a masterpiece of a loop. Those chords are just magic. You feel like singing so much! He incredibly motivates you when singing, which is also the reason why artists (singers and instrumentalists alike) give him the very best. “ In the last 19 years, Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide during his career. After two Oscars, one Golden Globe, one BAFTA award, one Critics Choice award, the Padma Bhushan and now a Grammy, A R Rahman the person remains the same, rooted firmly to the ground as always. “This is insane, God is great again,” was all he had to say. http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=The+man+behind+the+music&artid=Ep5oWsHh3sM=&SectionID=lMx/b5mt1kU=&MainSectionID=lMx/b5mt1kU=&SEO=&SectionName=tm2kh5uDhixGlQvAG42A/07OVZOOEmts -- - Regards ~ ~ A.R.Rajib ~ ~
