Very good write-up Thanx for the Link
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> wrote: > > http://passionforcinema.com/arrahman-not-just-madras-bombay-or- dilli/ > > A.R.Rahman: not just Madras, Bombay, or Dilli > > iView Author: J. RAMANAND (Pune, India) > Email: quatrain...@... > > A.R.Rahman: not just Madras, Bombay, or Dilli > > No Indian composer has had such pan-Indian success as A.R.Rahman. Forget `crossing over' to > H-Land, just being successful all across India is a feat that has escaped most Indian cultural > icons (and they've tried hard). This is especially difficult for a film composer because > release and marketing are decisions of the film-makers which are usually based on the financial > implications of language and star appeal. No one would attempt to release a Mohanlal-Raveendran > film in Punjab, and stories driven by Carnatic music may not be appreciated in Maharashtra > because of lack of context. > > untitled > > The result: the audiences for many excellent soundtracks were inherently circumscribed. > His prodigious talent apart, Rahman was lucky on a couple of counts. One, the makers of his > early films, Mani Ratnam and Shankar in particular, were extremely keen to broaden their > audience. Secondly, most of their themes were either of a pan- Indian nature (terrorism and > corruption) or had universal masala appeal. The decision to take the Tamil films national, > backed with good marketing, immensely benefited the key players: the producers made pots of > money (K.T.Kunjumon was briefly a recognisable name), the stature of the directors grew, kids > were aping Prabhu Devaa's fashion style, non-resident heroines were having their voices dubbed > in a bunch of Indian languages, the recently deceased P.K.Mishra had as as much visibility as > Vairamuthu and Javed Akhtar, and local technicians grew in stature. But the man who enjoyed the > most long-term success was A.R.Rahman. > > He began straddling both major film territories from the mid-to- late 90s, but a decisive shift > happened in the beginning of the decade with Lagaan. Just before that, Rahman was at his peak > of his Tamil output, punctuated by the odd Hindi classic. Post- Lagaan, the period films phase > took centrestage in the attention of his discerning followers. The phase became almost > schizophrenic - the peppy but more routine soundtracks were in Tamil, while the bleeding-edge > work was happening in Hindi. Again, this shift was driven by his collaborations, such as with > Ashutosh Gowariker and Aamir Khan. The pendulum seems to have swung completely to one end in > 2008, with as many as 5 Hindi soundtracks making their way to shelves as opposed to just one > Tamil film. > > In his current form, can Rahman be considered primarily as a Hindi film composer? I think so. > Not because of the numbers of these last couple of years, but because of what drives my own > anticipation. In the last few years, all those films that I've desperately awaited have been in > Hindi: Water, Rang De Basanti, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar, and now Dilli 6. > > 56706113-f0b6-45ee-aeec-7f665aab1ba9jodhaakbar-big-1 > > This may be a reflection of personal choices, but leave aside Sivaji to an extent, the likes of > Azhagiya Tamizh Magan or Varalaaru have neither had much to look forward to or left much impact > on the `timelessness'-meter. Rahman's own performance has exponentially matched the quality of > the subject and maker. > > As with his salad days, this is again a function of the people behind these films. These Tamil > subjects have largely been prosaic; at the very least, they have been incapable of generating > any significant buzz to compensate for their flaws. The edgier Tamil films have gone to younger > music directors, either because Rahman hasn't been available to them or because, as is in the > nature of things, they seek out newer talents and frequencies. > > slumdog-millionaire-001 > > Perhaps this is all cyclical and the going might now begin heading the other way. The effects > on his career post-Slumdog Millionaire will also play a part. If the previews of Dilli 6 are > any indication, the good news is that Rahman is still sufficiently inspired by interesting > topics heading his way to keep fans satiated. His independent ventures are also on an upswing, > which means he will be less hemmed in by the whims and provisions of producers and > story-writers. > > Clearly, yet another tide in the astonishing career of a truly Indian composer awaits a taking > at the flood. >
