finally, some sensible article! On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 7:50 AM, $ Pavan Kumar $ <pawancum...@yahoo.com>wrote:
> > > > http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/81/2010090420100904205519203a6b75953/Lost-to-the-world.html > > Lost to the world > > Has India’s favourite music composer moved on to a bigger, global platform? > > Chandrima.Pal > > > Posted On Saturday, September 04, 2010 at 08:55:19 PM > > From Internet blogs to the denizens of Delhi’s South Block, everyone is > splitting hair over his compositions. But the man behind it all is ensconced > in his Chennai studio, unfazed by the furore around him. Like the proverbial > eye of the storm. > > > For A R Rahman, these are the best of times, the worst of times. His art is > at its most eclectic, garnering international acclaim heralding him as one > of the world’s best. In his own country detractors are declaring that he has > lost his touch. He is buying a five-acre plot in Los Angeles to set up his > production facility with sound engineer Resul Pookutty. He is also being > accused of being indifferent, aloof to his Bollywood projects, delaying them > and churning out music that often stumps listeners. With every milestone in > the West, Rahman seems to move a step away from home. > > His fiercest critics are ironically in the industry that has given him his > biggest successes — until of course Slumdog. The Hindi film fraternity has > always had an uneasy relationship with Rahman, who is still god down south. > Many in Bollywood find it hard to accept his artistic ways – he remains in > Chennai, works mostly at night, has his own creative yardsticks for choosing > projects and delivers only when he is ready. Some feel his best is behind > him, others feel he is constantly breaking new ground. > > “Given his style of functioning and his inaccessibility,” says trade expert > Amod Mehra, “Bollywood always had a problem working with him.” Rahman has > never made any excuses for the way he functions. And his studio can seem > forbidding, or inspiring. > > “There is a divine energy there,” says Subhash Ghai, who has shared an > emotional bond with the composer since his Shikhar days. “It is not your > usual sharaab-kebab kind of atmosphere that you encounter in most Mumbai > studios.” Ghajini-producer Madhu Mantena, who has worked closely with > Rahman since Rangeela, too says watching the maestro in his studio is like > entering a very sacred space. > > *CONSPIRACY THEORIES > *But Rahman’s inaccessibility – which critics say has increased post his > international-success – has not helped. > > “If you are a newbie,” says a producer who has met the maestro and is still > waiting for his verdict on his proposal. “You have to make at least 10 trips > to his studio to discuss your project with him. Unlike other music > composers, money is no criteria for him. There is no saying why or when he > will pick one project over the other,” the producer adds. > > “Now he is zipping around the world,” rues an ad filmmaker who is still > waiting for a meeting, “it is almost impossible for one to get his time and > consent.” Rubbishing these as conspiracy theories, Mantena points out that > Rahman has worked with several newcomers including Abbas Tyrewala, whose > Jaane Tu... he had accepted way before Aamir Khan came into the picture. > > “Besides, he is so dedicated to his work that each song probably goes > through more changes than the script itself,” Mantena reveals, agreeing with > other insiders like Ram Gopal Varma. “No matter how pressured he is, Rahman > will never let a tune pass until he is happy about it.” > > On the flip side, that can translate into nail-biting moments for the > always-in-a-tearing-hurry Bollywood producer. Thus, the notion that Rahman > is delaying projects. > > Mantena denies the maestro kept him waiting for months for the title track > for his latest, Jhootha Hi Sahi. “There are nine songs and the time taken > was the same as any other album,” the producer says. > > There were also rumours that the Jodhaa Akbar music launch was delayed > because the soundtrack was not ready, though the label and the production > house denied it. The Commonwealth Games theme took six months, and then it > was back to the drawing board after the organising committee wanted Rahman > to make changes. > > “A single failure does not bring anyone down, not at least Rahman, who > still has the mass with him,” says Mehra, referring to the Commonwealth > controversy. “However, Rahman has not been showing his best elements on his > recent works,” he adds. > > “You cannot judge Rahman on the basis of one song,” says sitar maestro > Pandit Kartick Kumar, who was featured in Rahman and Bharat Bala’s Jana Gana > Mana project. Pandit Kumar worked with Pandit Ravi Shankar during Asiad ’82, > when the sitar legend composed the then-hugely popular Swagatham. “People > have been comparing that tune to what Rahman has created. It is not fair to > compare a classic with a more contemporary track,” Pandit Kumar says. “But, > yes, maybe Rahman should not have sung the song himself. Just because his > Vande Mataram clicked, does not mean he can bring the same energy to every > song he lends his voice to,” adds Kumar. > > The veteran sitar exponent puts it down to an unfortunate error of > judgement by an otherwise superlative production designer and musician. > > *CRITICS VS LOYALISTS > *Rahman’s world is divided into critics and loyalists. “It is every > filmmaker’s dream to work with Rahman,” says director Anthony D’ Souza, who > has graciously accepted all the brickbats for the mega-budget disaster > called Blue. Critics flayed Blue’s Chiggy Wiggy, in which Rahman worked with > one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Kylie Minogue. “I am willing to do > anything to have Rahman agree to my next,” D’Souza maintains. > > Rahman loyalists say you cannot judge a Rahman tune instantly; it’s not > fast food, it’s gourmet cuisine. Others seriously question whether he takes > any real interest in the Bollywood projects any more. > > Ram Gopal Varma, who gave Rahman his first Hindi break with his 1995-hit > Rangeela, wrote in his blog about the making of the soundtrack: ‘...the > compositions he came up with used to surprise me, though not always > pleasantly. That is because his tunes were so original in his interpretation > of the emotion of a situation that a conventional ear will take time to let > it sink in.’ > Mantena too believes Rahman’s style is so ‘different’ that it shocks you > the first time. “It depends a lot on what you have been used to listening > to,” adds the producer. > > “Rahman has always maintained he cares less about how the music is > received and more about being true to the project,” says Mehra. “And while > in the past his musical instincts have served him well, something seems to > be going wrong now.” > The evolution of Rahman from the man who made hummable, instantly likeable > tunes to someone who makes stylised and challenging music that often leaves > you scratching your head on first listen, has coincided with his exposure to > the best in the West. Sagar Desai, composer, sound designer of Quickgun > Murugan-fame, has an explanation: “May be Rahman does not feel obliged to > make tunes that appeal to the humble rickshawwallah anymore, but is more > interested in staying true to his artistic core, no matter what the > consequences.” > > There’s no denying Rahman is one of the world’s busiest musicians. He has > toured across continents – including trying to put up a Michael > Jackson-esque show in his last aborted US tour – worked on some of the > world’s biggest projects, with the world’s biggest names. He has also > delivered at least 60 soundtracks (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, you name it), with > a hit or three in every one of them. But increasingly, the misses have piled > up. Has Rahman — who once admitted to being bad at multitasking — spread > himself too thin? > > “When Rahman was working for Taal,” says Ghai, “he was completely immersed > in the craft of composing. But while working with him on Yuvraaj, I realised > he was probably having trouble focusing with so much on his plate these > days. You cannot blame him. He is an explorer who is hungry for more and > wants to discover new sounds and new techniques. You have to allow him to > grow. May be there are not enough challenges for him here.” > > One of Rahman’s biggest contributions to the Indian music industry is the > way he has treated musicians, who often feel short-changed by most > composers. > > “What makes him stand apart from the others is his ability to understand a > musician and his comfort zone,” says Neil Mukherjee, who has played guitar > for Rahman over seven years on several projects. “He will never make you > feel uncomfortable.” And this quality of empathy, feels Mukherjee, is also > tied to the maestro’s strong spiritual leanings. > > But in the chop and change world of Indian film music, you cannot survive > on spirituality. “He is extremely spiritual and sharp at the same time,” > says Ghai. “He is like Lord Krishna.” > > Rahman’s demanding the lion’s share of the music publishing rights for his > films has not earned him too many well-wishers in the industry. The Om > Shanti Om music composer shift (from Rahman to Vishal-Shekhar) was because > Rahman wanted part of the music royalty rights. “Any change is frowned at,” > he said then, “I am standing up for what I think is right.” > > Ghai also says Rahman has become tech savvy, worldly wise over the years: > “I have seen him update his gadgets and consoles after every six months, and > 2001 onwards [post-Lagaan], I have seen him get increasingly clued into what > is happening across the world. He is the best we have. Sometimes the artiste > becomes much bigger than his art. You can’t help it.” > > *Recent Rahman > * > *CWG Anthem > *Only for Rahmaniacs > > *Robot > *Hit in south, crashing elsewhere > > *Raavan > *Confusing > > *Blue > *Mixed, mostly negative > > *Slumdog Millionaire > *Global phenomenon, but perplexing at home > > *Delhi 6 > *Acclaimed > > *Jaane Tu... > *Pappu made India dance > > *Yuvvraj > *Better than the film > > *Ghajini > *Mixed response > > *Jodhaa Akbar > *Esoteric, classy > * > Sivaji > *Fans rejoiced, few takers elsewhere > > > > > -- ----------------------------------- http://roshanravi.com http://cssheaven.org
