Somehow missed this last week. Great interview!
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> wrote:
>
> Here's A.R. Rahman Unplugged
> On Jai ho & Vince Vaughn, Kylie Minogue & Farhan Akhtar, Mani & moneyA.R.
> Rahman at Hyatt Regency on Tuesday. Picture by Aranya Sen
>
> *You will be performing in Calcutta after more than six-and-a-half years.
> Has the Rahman sound changed in this period?*
>
> I have never changed my sound intentionally. Most of my soundtracks reflect
> what film I am doing. It's only that. It's never like I want to beat this
> sound or I want to do something better. But I do change myself. I do not
> want to do the same thing. I want to keep my job interesting to me.
>
> There have been reports that you have been hiding in Los Angeles
>
> The three months immediately after the Oscars were hard to handle. Everyone
> wanted to felicitate me and have me over at social functions and
> congratulate me in ceremonies. I went to Los Angeles and went back to my
> music. Now, life is back to normal.
> Mani Ratnam with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the Calcutta sets of Raavan. A
> Telegraph picture
>
> *Why did you choose the Vince Vaughn rom comCouples Retreat as your first
> Hollywood project afterSlumdog Millionaire?*
>
> I got that offer before I got all the awards for *Slumdog Millionaire*.
> Vince Vaughn came to me much before the Oscars. He just saw the movie and he
> became very emotional and he said: "I want your music for my next film!" I
> was contemplating whether to accept the movie or not. Then after the Oscars,
> I went and saw the movie. I felt that it wasn't a musically sympathetic
> movie but it was a comedy. And nobody would ever think that a person who
> did *Slumdog *would do a comedy next. And I just wanted to experience the
> whole process of Hollywood. It was a great experience.
> Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman in Couples Retreat: "Vince became very
> emotional and he said: `I want your music for my next film!'"
>
> *What makes it a great experience?*
>
> You know just the opportunity to go and work in studios where *Mary Poppins
> *and *Star Wars *were recorded, it's a great feeling. Also, it was fun
> working with Vince and with the director of *Couples Retreat*, Peter
> (Billingsley). He's a new guy and it was good.
>
> But *Couples Retreat* the film has been very poorly received there and the
> reviews say your music has been under-utilised
>
> It is a comedy
it's not a film where there were extraordinary musical
> situations. It's also a complicated movie about four couples, who all have
> resolutions. And some of the score, which is significant in the film, is
> licensed stuff
like Ennio Morricone's *The Good, The Bad and The Ugly*
. I
> know that this would happen but I had the opportunity of doing a great CD.
> And the CD is being liked by everyone.
>
> *Of the work that has been offered to you in the West, are they all asking
> for aSlumdog-like score from you?*
>
> No. Because they would never want to repeat the same thing. I am in a very
> extra-ordinary situation where I can do songs and I can do background
> scores. I have not been typecast
like "He's a background score guy" or "He
> can only compose songs". So, I have been trying to expand on that. Even in *
> Couples*, I have done three songs and then I have also done the background.
> Dave Stewart: "He is a dear friend... we are trying to put up a band
> together."
>
> *Do you have a wishlist of producers or directors you want to work with?*
>
> No, I don't want to have a wishlist. Because some things look very small in
> the beginning and they become bigger in the end. Like *Slumdog*. And some
> things look very big at the beginning and end up really small. So I don't
> have any wishlist.
>
> *Was Slumdog ever small?*
>
> Honestly, I would have never sent the score to the Oscars. The makers did. I
> composed the soundtrack in three weeks flat and didn't think that it would
> go on to do what it did.
>
> *Do you think it was all because of that one song, Jai ho?*
>
> When I saw the film, they had put another song (Shankar Ehsaan Loy's *Aaj ki
> raat *from*Don*) and all that dancing was part of the film. At that time, it
> looked like a mockery of our song and dance. But when they used it in the
> end credits with *Jai ho*, it looked really nice. See, *Jai ho *became *Jai
> ho *because it was apt for the film, not because it was a great song. It was
> the right song and that's why it worked out so well.
> Kylie Minogue: "She was very fast... it was all finished in three hours!"
>
> *So, you haven't given any brief to your Hollywood agent?*
>
> He is always surprised by my decisions. He said: "It's (*Couples*) a comedy!
> Don't do a comedy!" I said, why not? So, it goes like that.
>
> *How do you plan to balance your work here with your work there?*
>
> It's difficult choosing. I want to keep that little chain of interest of
> people wanting to hear my music. I don't want to overdo that. Also, I don't
> want to underplay that. So there will be Tamil films, Telugu films, Hindi
> films and there will be English films too. I want to choose the best
> projects that complement my music.
>
> *Now when you compose for Mani Ratnam's Raavan, is it like a return to roots
> because you started with his Roja?*
>
> It is, in a way. Also, Mani always surprises me. I think that now I know
> Mani Ratnam. But he surprises me. He keeps pushing me to a place where I am
> challenged and that's a great creative spirit. And that's what I need to
> keep going, rather than taking each other for granted. There's something we
> always want to achieve as a team.
>
> *What motivated you to sign this Friday's big release Blue?*
>
> I signed it before the Oscars. New people are really unpredictable. (*Blue *is
> directed by debutant Anthony D'Souza.) You never know. Sometimes they are
> great and sometimes they let you down. *Blue *also had a big production
> house like Ashtavinayak supporting the film. Then when I saw the visuals, it
> seemed like something genuinely interesting, something passionate.
>
> *What about the Kylie Minogue experience?*
>
> It was all finished in three hours (*laughs*). She was very fast. Actually
> it was also one week before the BAFTAs and I also had to finish recording
> the song.
>
> *Why didn't Farhan Akhtar sing for the Blue soundtrack, as you had wanted?*
>
> The song changed from what we wanted to make it. And he wasn't very sure
> that the song went with his style of singing and whether he would be able to
> pull it off. Whether it would be right for him. So I said, okay, we will
> work on something else later. The song was *Fiqrana*, actually. And I was
> happy that Vijay Prakash got a huge opportunity.
>
> *What are you planning with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame?*
>
> We are planning a lot of things actually. He is a dear friend whom I know
> for more than eight years now. We are trying to put up a band together, like
> a super band. Also, he is doing a movie for Nokia and I am helping him out
> on Indianising it.
>
> *What about your own English album?*
>
> I am currently working on it. It will have a lot of pop musicians. I am not
> sure who at this stage. But it is definitely the project I am really looking
> forward to, after doing so many film soundtracks.
>
> *If a director from Bengal walks up to you with his script, would you do the
> music?*
>
> If it's something special, I would love to do it. If I find it inspiring, I
> would do it. I have seen a lot of great work coming from here.
>
> *But will you charge him a bomb?*
>
> Charge is never a problem (*smiles*)!
> *Pratim D. Gupta*
> What is the one question you would like to ask A.R. Rahman?
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