Yes, Truely.. Thanks GOPS for posting the link..
Peace Shivakumar V.A. --- Sunil VG <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This has got to be one of the best write ups about > ARR...absolutely > inspiring...Thanks for posting Gops! > > - Sunil > > > On 3/19/06, Gopal Srinivasan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > Unarguably India's best music composer today, AR > Rahman is back in the hot > > seat with his score in Rang De Basanti. Jitesh > Pillaai exchanges notes with > > the maverick musician TIMES NEWS NETWORK > > > > > > He's pushing 40, going on 25. His chocolate > mousse voice gently glides > > through the room. A bit like his entire demeanour. > "Sorry for the delay, > > just have a lot of things to catch up on," he > apologises as I grab a few > > minutes with the man who is unarguably India's > best music composer today, on > > what is yet another whirlwind stopover for him. > His current topnotcher, Rang > > De Basanti, has yet again perked up the stagnant > genre monopolised by the > > nasalcrooning variety of musicians. > > But that's another story. There's yet another > apocryphal tale which > > bears repetition. At the height of the film > industry strike in Chennai about > > five years ago, his mentor, Mani Ratnam, was > waiting for the music wiz to > > complete the soundtrack of Alay Payuthe. Ratnam is > reported to have > > deadpanned, "I can either handle the strike or > Rahman. Not both > > simultaneously, please." > > That then is the magic of Allah Rakha Rahman. > Another industry joke > > that's often pulled is that after God, Rahman is > the greatest leveller. Be > > it Mani Ratnam, Shyam Benegal, Ashutosh Gowariker > or Shankar, they all wait > > for him. Time no bar. Music bar bar. You've heard > the story about him > > playing the piano when he was all of four. Years > later, after rigorously > > dabbling in the world of 30-second jingles and > moonlighting as a musician > > with composer Illayaraja, he was ready to fly solo > and test his m�tier. Came > > Roja in 1993. Rahman smiles, "The songs were > composed in a small room. I > > kept thinking that people would hate the music. By > the grace of God, it was > > liked so much that I even went on to win my first > National Award for the > > film." > > About Ratnam, Rahman says that he just allows > him to do whatever he > > wishes and then chooses the best. Rahman recalls, > "Even when we were > > composing Jiya jale in Dil Se, I felt a lot of > Mallu 'Moplah' tunes coming > > into my head, Mani said, 'no problem, I'll change > my character (Preity > > Zinta) into a Malayalee girl' and it all sort of > fell into place." > > It all also fell into place with Rang De > Basanti circa 2005. When > > Rakeysh Mehra greenlighted the film about two > years ago, Rahman had given > > him a scratch tune. When Mehra started the film, > he was stuck for a > > background tune in the climax, miraculously, the > tune which Rahman had > > composed earlier became the leitmotif. Just like > that. Rahman smiles that > > gentle smile of his, "Mehra is a lot like Mani. He > just lets me do my own > > thing. When I composed Paathshala with words like > 'lose control', I thought > > he'd change it into Hindi. But Mehra stuck to it, > saying that the only time > > his assistant came into his room was when he > played that tune. So obviously > > he was sticking to the vibe." When Rahman > composes, synthesisers meld into > > guitars, the dholaks blend with the keyboards. > Fusing the music of different > > traditions, Rahman straddles the world of Bach and > Carnatic music with easy > > facility. Among his oeuvre, his personal > favourites include Roja, Muthu, > > Lagaan, Dil Se and > > Taal. But it was also the musical cadences of > Gentleman, Kaadhalan, > > Rangeela, Thiruda Thiruda, Kandukondain > Kandukondain and Alay Payuthe that > > burned up the barcodes in music stores. Born a > Hindu, AS Dilip Kumar > > converted to Islam and the AR Rahman moniker a > decade ago, his music is > > inspired by Sufi mysticism. It's reported that > after all the hard times > > after his father's death, Rahman and his family > found solace in Karimullah > > Shah Kadiri, a Sufi spiritual healer. > > Reportedly, he's sold more than 100 million > albums, won scores of Filmfare > > and National awards. His success prompts him to > stay connected to his God. > > "Your faith keeps you focused. You never grow big > by putting other people > > down," he sallies. Talk again veers to the > drubbing of > > Mangal Pandey, > > when it was loudly asserted that Rahman had lost > his touch. He is > > unequivocal, "I did my best. Maybe, it was too > folksy, too much of > > in-your-face patriotism�" > > But in a capricious industry dictated by the > ticket windows, all's well > > after Rang De Basanti. The self-effacing composer > tells me that he's just > > read a signboard outside a church in Bandra, > Mumbai. He says casually, "It > > says, 'If you start judging people, you won't have > time to love'. That's so > > true, the mind then loses its serenity, its > naivete. I think to compose you > > need to have a purity of being. I also try to find > that purity in music. > > Just before I compose, I'm a total mess, I don't > know if I'm coming or > > going. And then through some divine intervention, > it all falls into place. I > > guess you should just move lightly through life, > carry no excess baggage at > > all." > > He should know. Apart from the Padma Shri and > collaborations with > > artistes like the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and > Peter Gabriel, he still > > travels light. His music for Andrew Lloyd Webber's > musical Bombay Dreams and > > the Chinese film Warriors of Heaven and Earth won > him plaudits. He's also > > wrapped up the stage version of Tolkien's The Lord > of The Rings, which > > opened in London to great reviews. He says, "For > Bombay Dreams, they wove > > the story around my music, but for LOTR, I had to > integrate the music with > > the story. For the Warriors, it was great to work > with the live Symphony > > Orchestra. I didn't mercifully have to rely on my > keyboard. Isn't it strange > > that India, with such diverse cultures, so many > states, so many musicians of > > the highest calibre doesn't have a single national > orchestra?" > > So what of the charges that he doesn't > understand the Hindi idiom too > > well? "Maybe you should ask the lyricists I've > worked with. I love Urdu > > poetry, I understand Hindi, but I don't speak it > too well. I tend to confuse > > the genders while speaking. That gives me a > rawness that some people find > > appealing. For example, I keep saying Na koi > padhnewaala in the Paathshala > > song. I don't say na koi padhnewaali. No one > noticed, fortunately it > > worked," he smiles. > > Of the current songs other than his own, Rahman > picks out Rahat Fateh > > Ali Khan's Jiya dhadak dhadak (Kalyug), Vishal > Shekhar's Allah Ke Bande > > (Waisa Bhi Hota Hai - pt 2), Dus bahane (Dus) and > Shankar- Ehsaan-Loy's Har > > ghadi (Kal Ho Naa Ho). > > But for the moment, life as he knows it, is a > happy blend of the > > spiritual and the family man. He loves spending > time with his daughters > > Khatija, 11, and Rafia, 8. Is he a good father? He > smiles, "I try to be." > > Does he take up their homework? He laughs, "No, I > don't do that." And is he > > a good husband to his wife, Saira? "I try to be > that too," he dimples. > > He gently taps on the mahogany table. The > minutes have beguiled into a > > full blown hour. As he glides out of the room, I > can hear the chocolate > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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