Hi Vithur,
Thanks for reposting this link!... I got to learn more about him.
Regards,
Ashutosh
--- On Wed, 6/25/08, Vithur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
From: Vithur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [arr] When Mani Ratnam blackmailed Rahman
To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 9:51 AM
( Gopal had posted the link of this before. Dec5, 2006 4 : 21 PM.
Reposting the entire script for the benefit of new members )
A R Rahman is a man of few words. But once he warms up, he can keep talking.
When we asked for an interview, he emailed just one line: Sure. I will call
you. He did not specify a time or day. Given his passion for working in the
night, I knew that meant I should expect a phone call from Chennai any time
during the day hours in New York.
And as promised he called just two days after confirming that the interview
will happen.
It was about noon in New York. For nearly an hour, he talked about a lot of
things including how Shah Rukh Khan had become a 'bakra' and how he was
'blackmailed' by 'Mani sir' to sing the Tere Bina number in Guru.
On working with Shah Rukh Khan
I decided not to compose the music for his film, Om Shanti Om because I was
refused the publishing rights of the film. But we could surely work in future.
There should be no hard feelings in this business. Shah Rukh is warm-hearted
and a smart producer but he was misled in this case.
The concept of music publishing is new in India and his advisors did not
understand what it meant. They made him a bakra with their wrong advice.
As a composer, it is important for me to own some rights to the music, so that
I could use it any way I want 20 years from now. For me, owning these rights is
more important than owning property. Anything can happen to property but music
rights will not collapse.
This is not an uncommon thing in the West. But in India, some producers have
begun understanding the concept. Aamir Khan is giving me the music publishing
rights to his next film. Rajnikant's daughter, who is producing a Tamil film
called Hara, is going to do it too.
On his own label
I want to publish not only my non-film compositions but also the songs of
legends like Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan saab. So many singers, including Sonu
Nigam, have learned from him. He is my guru too. There are so many gems of his
that are unpublished. Even people who are acquainted with Hindustani music are
not aware of this music. I want to do it. There is no commercial consideration
in this venture. Over the years, I have composed music for films that are not
big in the traditional way. Films like MF Husain's Meenaxi or Shyam Benegal's
films.
On Bappi Lahiri singing the song Ek Lo Ek Muft in Guru
The tune for this song had been ready more than three months ago and I wanted
Abhishek Bachchan to sing it. But he was abroad and by the time he would return
to India, I was going abroad. So there was a dilemma. I felt it was a special
song and wanted it to sound fresh.
Just then, I happened to watch some award function on television, and there was
Bappida singing a song and getting a lot of applause. I contacted him in
Kolkata the next day, and he was in Chennai in a day or two.
It is amazing that he could record the entire song, which is quite wordy and
long, in less than two hours and then he went back to Kolkata. The song has
been picturised very well on Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai. It is going to be even
more popular after the film's release.
On singers Chinmayee, Shreya Ghoshal and Madhushree
Chinmayee sang a beautiful song for me in another Mani Ratnam film, Kannathil
Muthamittal, called Deiva Tande Poove. It became very popular. She has won many
awards in Tamil Nadu including state awards. I was surprised to see how she
could change her voice for this film (She joins Rahman in Tere Bina, one of the
most haunting numbers in Guru). There is more strength in her voice than I had
thought and it is huskier too. I love singers who are capable of surprising the
composers.
When I first heard Shreya a few years ago, I liked her voice but I thought it
was a bit shrill. Now, it is full bodied. Apart from singing Barso Re in Guru,
she has also sung other numbers for me, like in the Tamil film Jillunu Oru
Kathal. The music became very popular and the film did well in cities.
As for Madhushree, she is growing in strength from film to film. She is one of
those few singers who are capable of taking a good composition to the next
level and make a big difference.
On Bappi Lahiri singing the song Ek Lo Ek Muft in Guru
The tune for this song had been ready more than three months ago and I wanted
Abhishek Bachchan to sing it. But he was abroad and by the time he would return
to India, I was going abroad. So there was a dilemma. I felt it was a special
song and wanted it to sound fresh.
Just then, I happened to watch some award function on television, and there was
Bappida singing a song and getting a lot of applause. I contacted him in
Kolkata the next day, and he was in Chennai in a day or two.
It is amazing that he could record the entire song, which is quite wordy and
long, in less than two hours and then he went back to Kolkata. The song has
been picturised very well on Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai. It is going to be even
more popular after the film's release.
When Mani Ratnam blackmailed Rahman
In the first part of an exclusive interview with A R Rahman, the maestro spoke
about how Shah Rukh Khan was made a 'bakra,' and how he made Bappi Lahiri sing
in Guru.
In the second and last part, Rahman talks more about Mani Ratnam's Guru, and
his other projects.
On dedicating the song Tere Bina to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
When I began working on the soundtrack of Guru, I happened to listen to one of
Nusrat saab's softest songs called Sajna Tera Bina. It is simple and heart
stirring. There is great beauty in it. I was inspired by it and started
composing Tere Bina about eight months ago.
Originally, the song was about 25 minutes long. You know I often write six or
seven mukhdas and then there are many variations. I also recorded the song Ay
Hairathe for the film but Mani sir felt it was too heavy to be at the start of
the film. He thought of using Tere Bina.
Suddenly, the song got a life of its own. But there was one hurdle (chuckles).
I had recorded it in the voice of Qadir Khan and he did an excellent job. But
Mani sir wanted me to sing it. I said, Qadir will get hurt, and I did not want
to hurt him. But there was no way of getting out. It became something like:
Either you sing it or it won't be there.
So it was a blackmail?
But in a good way (chuckles). I also told Mani sir that I was fasting then and
didn't have the energy to sing it. He said he would wait. (The song as it is
has some of Murtaza Khan and Qadir's voices in the Dham Dara Dham Dara part at
the beginning. Chinmayee joins Rahman later in the song.)
On Aye Hairathe
I was listening to the music of Amir Khusroo and his song Yeh Sharbati Ashiqui.
I loved it. But most of the song was in Persian and that was going to cause us
a problem. So Gulzar saab wrote the lyrics inspired by Amir Khusroo. I would
say it is one of the best songs that have come out with my association with
Gulzar.
On making Hariharan sing in Aye Hairathe
It was very important that he sang the song. It is the kind of song Mohammad
Rafi would have sung four or five decades ago. It is a traditional kind of
melody with lots of feelings but Hariharan makes it sound modern. He has done
an astounding job. The song has a lot of masti in it. You feel it especially
when Alka (Yagnik) joins in. It is a romantic and fun song. It is the most
popular song in the album after Tere Bina.
I am surprised universally people are going to listen to Tere Bina after
listening to all songs in the album. Such a thing (like most people returning
to one song) does not happen often.
When Deepa Mehta's Water became controversial, you quit the project but your
songs were retained. Now, Deepa wants you to compose the songs for her period
drama The Exclusion.
I know Deepa has said that she would be very disappointed if I don't compose
music for her new film. We have always retained the friendship and she showed
me Water even before it opened the Toronto International Film Festival last
year.
I don't know when she will start work on The Exclusion. If my schedule fits
hers, I would love to work with her. We were in Los Angeles the other day
attending the same event but there was no opportunity to discuss anything
because I was flying to London the same night.
Other projects
I have done some work on The Golden Age, the follow up to Shekhar Kapur's
Elizabeth. I am working along with another composer. This is new for me in
films but I am excited about it. I think the film will cost more than his
Elizabeth (which cost about $35 million, eight years ago). It could even cost
$100 million.
I have also recorded couple of songs for Ashutosh Gowariker's Akbar-Jodha but
it is premature to talk about them. Things change. But this much I know, the
songs and the score should not only reflect the grandeur of the age but also
the romance between the central characters (played by Hrithik Roshan and
Aishwarya Rai).
And now that The Lord of the Rings is getting ready to open in London, there is
plenty of work.
http://specials. rediff.com/ movies/2006/ dec/05sd1. htm
--
regards,
Vithur
HELP EVER; HURT NEVER;
LOVE ALL; SERVE ALL
