the writer has some good points to mention.. but arr needs to release at least half a dozen of classic albums before it makes sense to make it truly american show.. but this time i think he just tried to give something different.. it is not like trying to become a pop star or something else.. in the past he has already performed on the stage with all the professional singers and full scale orchestra..
I completely see your point.. he will definitely do what you have suggested in the future..many more tours to come. even we want to see his name to become common on the stands..that will come. meanwhile it is like arr rejecting typecasting.. it is very similar to he composing for the likes of both kadal desam and lagaan. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Roshan <c.pix...@...> wrote: > > I too agree with this. except CNN and MTV, there were no coverage on > american media except a little foot note that AR Rahman is performing. > > Why is it ? the answer is simple.. most of the western audiences haven't > really heard of Rahman yet. Some probably know him as the guy who won the > Oscar. But majority of them haven't really become "the fan" just yet. That > will only happen if he releases some albums in the US, collaborate with big > stars in the west and do good musical concerts that really represent > rahman.. the kind we see in a Yanni Concert. not the kind that Britney > spears or Madonna does. and I wasn't quiet happy with the way they tried to > replicate a MJ on Rahman. I mean, what is the point ? > > His music has lots of class that one would find in a western classical > composistions. instead of trying to make him a pop star, why not try to > showcase what really he is ? he is a composer. his compositions are to be > heard.. but not accompanied with lots of dancers and gimmicks. > > I know a lot of people might disagree with me. But, that is just me. :) I > would love to see him perform his song with his singers in a classy > atmosphere than to see acrobatics and dances. There is plenty of that in > Booollywood. > > > > On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 2:02 AM, A.R.Rajib <a.r.ra...@...> wrote: > > > > > > > Is *Jai Ho!* A R Rahman's best song? > > June 15, 2010 14:24 IST > > > > * > > * > > *Aseem Chhabra listens to the music played at A R Rahman's [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=a+r+rahman> ] > > concert in New York. > > > > * > > > > *Also Read: Thousands flock to catch A R Rahman in > > action<http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jun/14/slide-show-1-jai-ho-world-tour-kicks-off.htm> > > * > > Is *Jai Ho!* A R Rahman's best composition? Most India [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=india> ]n > > fans of the composer in India and elsewhere in the Diaspora will disagree > > with that question. > > > > It is widely believed that Rahman has composed far better songs in > > Bollywood and for Tamil films. My personal favourites range from *Chaiyya > > Chaiyya* to*Taal [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=taal> ] > > Se Taal Mila*, and *Sandhana Thendralai* from Rajiv Menon's Tamil > > film*Kandukonden > > Kandukonden*. > > > > Nevertheless the box office success of *Slumdog Millionaire [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=slumdog+millionaire> > > ]* and the Oscar wins have clearly made *Jai Ho!* Rahman's most popular > > song in the West. It is also his only known song in the West other than > > perhaps the rest of the compositions from Danny Boyle's > > [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=danny+boyle> ] > > film. > > > > And so no surprise that the management team behind Rahman's new stage show > > would call it Jai Ho 2010: The Journey Home Concert. > > > > After all, the hope was that this concert was going to introduce Rahman in > > a big way to mainstream America. That 'journey home' expression comes from > > one of the original songs of Rahman's West End and Broadway musical *Bombay > > Dreams*. > > > > I did not understand whether this time the expression 'journey home' was > > supposed to represent Rahman's passage back to the US -- now that he > > reportedly spends more time in Los Angeles; or was this concert reconnecting > > his fans in the Indian Diaspora to their roots by traversing through the > > highlights of his rich career. > > > > Last Friday before the first show started at the Nassau Coliseum in New > > York, I stood with two friends -- an Indian musician and an American blogger > > -- at a bar at the venue doing something very politically incorrect. We were > > conducting our own non-scientific poll of white Caucasian faces in the > > crowds that were entering the arena. There may have been more than 15,000 > > people in the audience, but we counted about 20 white faces and perhaps we > > may have missed another 30 to 40. > > > > We posted on Twitter and later during the show other friends texted from > > different locations in the venue. Why did not Rahman's so-called non-South > > Asian fans show up? This much was clear -- 99.9 percent of the audience that > > arrived in their cars from New York and other neighbouring states (I even > > met a family that had driven six hours, all the way from Boston) were brown > > *desis* -- more Indians, but surely also other South Asian fans of Rahman. > > > > I am not an expert in booking musical shows, but I do know that when > > artists like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=madonna> ] > > or Lady Gaga [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=lady+gaga> ] > > perform in New York, they seek venues like Radio City Music Hall or Madison > > Square Garden. And in order to reach all shades and colours of New Yorkers, > > those shows are promoted in the mainstream press. > > > > But this Rahman show was mostly promoted to the South Asian market. *Desis > > * know Nassau Coliseum since that has long been the site for Bollywood > > shows, but it is hardly a venue that would draw other New Yorkers. > > > > Some may argue that a brown man's dollar has the same value as that of a > > white man and I will agree with that. The Coliseum was filled to about 75% > > capacity and so how does it matter who bought the tickets? But I still feel > > that with a grand show such as this -- well produced by > > choreographer-director Amy Tinkham, who has worked on concerts with artists > > including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Britney Spears [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=britney+spears> ] > > -- Rahman the artist was not able to crossover into mainstream America. > > > > The show -- one friend described it as a *desi* *Lion King* -- was > > stunning to watch. The lights, set design, sound, the selection of songs was > > simply quite spectacular. Rahman touched upon a lot of hits -- recent > > Bollywood films like *Rang De Basanti [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=rang+de+basanti> > > ]*, *Delhi 6 [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=delhi+6> ], > > Jaane Tu [ Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=jaane+tu> > > ]... > > Ya Jaane Na* to his best works with Mani Ratnam in films like*Bombay* and > > *Dil Se*. > > > > There were quieter moments such as when Rahman sat down to sing *Yeh Jo > > Desh Hai Tera* from *Swades [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=swades> > > ]* or*Khwaja Mere Khwaja* from *Jodhaa Akbar [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=jodhaa+akbar> > > ]* and later when the orchestra performed the haunting theme from*Bombay* > > . > > > > We were treated to the celebratory Holi song from *Mangal Pandey [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=mangal+pandey> > > ]* and *Mehndi Hai Rachne Wali* from *Zubeida*. And in a technological > > wonder, Rahman performed *Luka Chuppi* from *Rang De Basanti* with a > > projected image of Lata Mangeshkar [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=lata+mangeshkar> ] > > -- quite like Natalie Cole's hit *Unforgettable* video in which she was > > featured with her father Nat King Cole [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=nat+king+cole> > > ]. > > > > But the show had its inconsistencies. There was a flat attempt to pay > > tribute to Michael Jackson [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=michael+jackson> ]. > > The performance of *Chaiyya Chaiyya* was dull. The male singer just did > > not have the range of Sukhwinder Singh's [ > > Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=sukhwinder+singh> ] > > voice. In fact, his voice was drowned by the loud orchestra. > > > > Two months ago at a press > > conference<http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/20/what-rahman-has-in-store-for-the-world.htm> > > to > > launch this concert Rahman and Tinkham emphasised that they had picked the > > best back up dancers for the show. The big question though was why all the > > dancers dressed in colourful Indian costumes were white, with a trickling of > > black performers. > > > > Not a single dancer at the show was brown and a *desi*. Was this an > > attempt to appeal to Rahman's non-South Asian fans? > > > > Whatever may be the reason, it looked odd to see non-Indian dancers dancing > > to the beat of Indian film songs -- not once, but through the entire show. > > > > And one more contradiction. There were very two very strong Indian > > nationalist performances, one towards the middle of the show with colours of > > India's flag flashed in the auditorium and the other a rendition of *Vande > > Mataram* -- the encore act after the elaborate grand finale of the song *Jai > > Ho*! > > > > I am not opposed to Indian nationalist sentiments, but those tend to work > > much better in India. There were a couple of people holding an Indian flag > > at the venue, but Rahman should not forget that his popularity crosses > > beyond Indian Americans. There were certainly a number of his Pakistani, > > Bangladeshi and other South Asian fans at the concert. He risks losing their > > support and ticket revenues if he makes the shows very India-centric. > > > > *Image: A R Rahman during a moment in his concert at Atlantic City, New > > Jersey. Photograph: Paresh Gandhi* > > > > * > > * > > > > * > > * > > > > * > > http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/jun/15/is-jai-ho-a-r-rahmans-best-song.htm > > * > > -- > > - Regards > > > > ~ ~ A.R.Rajib ~ ~ > > > > > > > > > > -- > ----------------------------------- > http://roshanravi.com > http://ramblingsoul.com > http://cssheaven.org >
