SOUND SCAPES
Close my eyes, cross the ocean
AR Rahman on the mind, music and his grand plans for Bangalore
Bangalore Times
THE signature all-black garb is still there, as is the long flowing hair. But
fame sits lightly
on music maestro AR Rahman. He comes across humble and grounded and the smile
which flashes
periodically is genuine and wide as he discusses his grand plans for Bangalore.
Its one of the
centres chosen for his 2005 grand world tour, which will cover cities like
London, Vienna,
Sydney and Singapore. Why Bangalore?
Its been my desire to play here for a long time, but it didnt work out.
Im glad it
finally has. Its one of my favourite cities, he says. Rahman has the
reputation of
transcending musical boundaries. His music finds fans from Bollywood right to
New Yorks
Broadway and Londons West End, where his Bombay Dreams had a dream run.
Ultimately, its all
about a song. It has to reach out to audiences everywhere, whether in Tamil,
Kannada or Hindi.
To me all audiences are important and equal. A song is like an offering. And
which of his
offerings is dearest to his heart? For me... Roja the entire score. Its
also been
selected by Time magazine as one of the best movie soundtracks of all time.
The magazine also referred to Rahman as the renowned and preeminent
composer of modern
Bollywood. Do these accolades give him a sense of his own genius? Every day,
when I stand and
pray, Im nothing I dont exist. After all, I dont know about tomorrow.
Every day there are
deadlines, scores to finish. I just close my eyes, cross the oceans and do my
work. Each day is
a new day, he says. So how does he cope? When you take things onto your head
it becomes extra
luggage, which prevents progress. So open up your mind then anything can be
filled in
quality work or even rubbish, he smiles.
Hes excited by his new Lord of the Rings project. Then theres Shekhar
Kapurs Buddha
which he calls really interesting. I hope it works out. How does he shift
gears from
Bollywood to Broadway? The magic word is open. Keep an open mind. The minute
you define
yourself you get static. You need to travel in your mind.
Clearly, while he can work anywhere and with anyone, his empathy with
directors like Mani
Ratnam is evident. He nods. Two minds working together can do it. Break out of
the formula.
The ultimate mindset should be to achieve something good. And it works, he
points out. People
told me Vande Mataram/Maa Tujhe Salaam would never bring me money or fame. But
Bharat Bala and
I shared the same vision, so we could break barriers with it. He makes it
sound so easy. Is it
really? Not always, he smiles, Sometimes I get on a Chennai flight after
getting off a
London flight and the sensibilities are completely different. I ask myself can
I survive? Its
not easy, but if you try, you can get liberated. The mind is an amazing thing.
"We neglect our cities at our peril. For, in neglecting them, we neglect the
nation."
-John F. Kennedy
This August, Discover the Birth of Your Independence
and The Magic of A.R.Rahman's Music in
Mangal Pandey - The Rising
http://www.risingthefilm.com
http://www.mangalpandeythefilm.com
Music released: Jul 14, 2005 Movie releases: Aug 12, 2005
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