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________________________________ From: Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@yahoo.com> To: arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 7:56:51 AM Subject: [arr] ‘It feels good to meet fans, but not 6,000 at once’ ‘It feels good to meet fans, but not 6,000 at once’ ... says music director AR Rahman, who made his first public appearance in the city post the Oscars SHILPA BANSAL HOW would you feel if AR Rahman dropped by at your place just like that? It happened to Mr and Mrs Mohammed Rafi, the first lucky Airtel digital TV customers who won Airtel’s ‘Bring Home the Magic’ contest. “When AR Rahman won the Oscars, I was wondering if I’d ever get a chance to congratulate him in person. And it happened thanks to Airtel digital TV,” said Mohammed Rafi, whose wife baked a cake for Rahman. The Rafis’ neighbours were even more excited at the prospect of seeing the Jai Ho! boy. The children were carrying posters that read ‘Welcome to our home AR Rahman Uncle’. Many brought bouquets and other mementos. When Rahman got out of the car, the building echoed with Jai Ho! The maestro was overwhelmed. “Coming back from the Oscars and visiting a home like this — I love it. It feels good to meet fans, but not 6,000 at once,” Rahman smiled. All praise for Airtel’s efforts to bring the stars home to fans, Rahman said, “It’s a great way to interact with customers.” This ‘Bring Home the Magic’ promotion offers Airtel digital TV customers an opportunity to have their favourite stars AR Rahman, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir come to their homes. Customers can also win other prizes like LCD TVs and cellphones. Chandrashekar Radhakrishnan, head, brand and media, Bharti Airtel Ltd said, “Airtel digital TV was launched with the objective of enhancing the TV viewing experience for Indian consumers. The proposition of ‘Magical Entertainment’ was brought to life by top-of-the-line product features and the creative idea of ‘Come Home to the Magic’. The prospect of a legend like AR Rahman walking into Rafi’s home would certainly have been a magical experience for him and his family!” BT also chatted with the maestro about life after the Oscars. Tired of the Slumdog Millionaire hype, he had said in an interview, “Leave me alone.” “I know everybody’s excited, kind and loving. But it can get too much. And you have to get on with life, work, family and music. It’s tough when you get 300 SMSes and 500 mails and people get upset because they didn’t get a reply,” says Rahman, who fell ill when he returned from the Academy Awards. “It was all the travelling, jetlag and felicitation functions,” he says. His son was unwell of late too — the reason Rahman left the Filmfare Awards early. Is it tough to find time for family, especially for someone who keeps his public and personal lives separate? “I’ve always wanted to keep my personal life separate so that my family can have a peaceful life. I don’t want to take them everywhere and pose. They need to have their own space,” Rahman explains. After the Oscars, he finds his creative efforts in the middle of election fever. Political parties are using filmi songs for their campaigns and one of them is Jai Ho!, the rights of which have been bought by a political party. “When I came back, Jai Ho! seemed to belong to everyone. I couldn’t say anything; it was used everywhere — for remixes, fashion shows and even for some event in Singapore. But using it for a political campaign is interesting. I’m not with any party and will support anyone who does something for the people. I hope voters choose qualified and deserving candidates. And if the songs make it easier, then why not?” he asks. Rahman, now known as the ‘Oscar Tamilian’, is also composing a new Tamil anthem for Tamilians across the globe. Lyricist Vairamuthu, who’ll pen the lyrics for this anthem, had said when he and Rahman were performing in Malaysia, they got to know that the Tamils there have their own anthem. So, the duo decided to create one anthem for Tamilians everywhere. “Yes, of course, I’m from Tamil Nadu but I want to make it clear that I belong to everyone,” he says. When asked about reports of him composing for the next James Bond movie, the composer blushed and softly said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He didn’t say no, you see!