[arr] The man who did the first ever interview of ARR!
Hey all, I came across the blog of Kalyan Kumar, who was the sub-editor of India Today magazine. He's also a screenplay/script writer for movies. He was the first person to interview Rahman, and the first ever interview of Rahman appeared in India Today. He has written in his blog about his interaction with Rahman. Not sure if it has been posted before! Here's the link for the blog post (It's in Tamil... Scroll down for my translation) http://kalyanje.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-post_26.html ARR pics from the blog: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5HXnPkUOnPk/SaeXS2fCkkI/AIQ/ZTCD7Pfx7oQ/s1600-h/arrahman.JPG Translation: It was a fine Sunday morning, when I got a call from my friend, cinematographer Rajeev Menon, asking if we can meet! The meeting happened at 5 pm that day. I was then the sub editor of India Today, and was handling movies section too. Those days, Rajeev was working more on Ad films, than for movies. He told me about a youngster who was composing for his ad films - His name is Dileep. He has tremendous music sense. He's extremely talented in playing and handling all modern instruments. Moreover, Mani sir has signed him on for his next movie, after listening to some of his jingles. Wow.. thats something new, I thought, and collected a pic of Dileep shot by Rajeev and his phone number from Rajeev. Next day, I called up Dileep and he answered. I introduced myself and asked for a meeting with him. He immediately refused saying No sir... No Interviews now! Mani sir has asked me not to speak anything about the project! I retorted - You dont have to speak about the movie; speak about you! I would be pleased if India Today publishes details about the new music director who is Mani Ratnam's new find. I also told him that I'd already collected his photo from Rajeev Menon. Finally, later acceded to my request! The meeting happened at 4 pm. He was not a school kid. He was not yet a college student. He seemed to be just in that transition phase, with a shy smile on his face! His mom and sister were with him. His mom offered me cake and savouries they had purchased from the neighbourhood bakery, for me. Coffee followed. Then, we started talking. He told me a lot - about his father RK Shekar, about how music became his full-time job after his father's death, about the family background, about the conversion to islam, about his name change! He mentioned that the Mani film was a God-given gift for him. He conversed with him as though we're very close friends for a long time! He took me to his studio and played 2 songs from his new film. One of those songs was Chinna Chinna Aasai. After listening to it, I requested Rahman to play it once more. He was overjoyed and played it again. Just this one song is enough to take you to heights of fame, I told him and wished him all luck. Other their Mani sir, others connected with the film hadn't listened to the songs. I played it just for you. Your words are very encouraging, he said and thanked me. When I was leaving, he came out till his front gate and bid farewell to me. One week later, Rahman's mom called me - When can we see my son's photo in the magazine, dear brother? I could sense the eagerness and excitement in her voice. It will hit the stands in 2 days, mother. I'll come and give a few copies to you, even before that, I told her. En-route to my house from office, I visited Rahman's house with 5 copies of India Today, and gave it to them. The images of the proud mother and sister, smiling and sharing their happiness on seeing Rahman's photo in the magazine, still remains fresh in my memories. But, Rahman took this big news in a calm and composed manner. With a smile, he thanked me. His humbleness was there with him right from that time. After the release of Roja, there was no magazine which didnt feature Rahman's photo. After that, I met him a few more times as a reporter. Much to the envy of other reporters, he would approach me personally and talk to me like a friend. Once, in a press meet, he openly said He's the first person to interview me How can I not be close to him?. He hasn't yet lost that closeness to me. 8 years later, I'd moved from the press and started working for TV and movies. I wanted to produce a special program for Sun TV for Tamil New Years day, in association with my friend Balakrishnan. That program was - Special interview with Isai Puyal A.R.Rahman. Rahman had started rocking both the Hindi and Tamil film industry by then, and was very busy! It took me one week to just meet him. Since I was producing the program, I personally met Rahman, and asked for an appointment for the interview. He said, Re-recording of Kandukondain will be over in a couple of days. After that, we can have the interview in my studio itself. But, on one condition... You should be the interviewer, lets not have any other anchor! I agreed. In the next few days, Rahman allotted five
[arr] Oru Kanavin Isai (ARR's biography in Vikatan) - Week 4 - Scans and Translation
Hi all, Here are the links for the scans:Week 04; Part 01 http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3488181323/Week 04; Part 02http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3488995372/ Week 04; Part 03http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3488994962/ Those who dont know tamil, can also check these out for the pics! :D It is because of his dad, that Dileep got interested in music and music technology right from his childhood. Dileep who grew up listening to music, was scared coming face to face with the sudden bad-health of his dad, and the suffering which he had to go through for 3 years. When similar troubles kept affecting the family repeatedly, an unknown fear engulfed all the kids in the family. Rahman’s mom looks back at those unforgettable days – “Kids were going to school, when he was bedridden. I felt that my whole world had become dark. I had to manage my time between looking after the kids and looking after my husband. I would keep shuttling between our home and hospital. He suffered so many days at the hospital, and finally passed away. We were shattered. Rahman, who was always with a harmonium, was affected so much. He couldn’t even concentrate on his studies because of this. I was forced to send the small kid on jobs, to the studios. But, I wholeheartedly believed that, it will dawn for us one day!” When the disease became more severe and R.K Shekar was admitted at CMC Hospital, Vellore, Dileep and his sisters visited him often. Even when the disease troubled him, Shekar would hide all that and smile when he was with his kids. “Study well. Don’t bunk school, Obey your mom”, he would advise them. When talking to Dileep, there would be an extra affection, and he would embrace him. There was a reason for that! Rahman’s elder sister, composer Raihanah says “When my parents got married, someone told my dad that he’d have a son, and he would become very famous. My dad was also waiting for that to happen. But, I was born first. Though he was very affectionate towards me, that longing (for a son, who would become famous) was always there in his mind. Next, when Dileep was born, he couldn’t control his joy!” Wonders do happen in life, and they happen through God - This is the belief that is there in everyone in Rahman’s family. It is said that, in different stages of Rahman’s life, there has been some one or the other, who has come up, foretold the future and blessed them. An Islamic guru is said to have blessed them, and advised them to build a set up studio at the place where Shekhar breathed his last. That was where Panchathan Studio was built. That was where “Roja” blossomed. “When born, Rahman was a blue-baby. Survival of the baby was a big question mark. Our dad was tensed. Somehow, the baby survived. There was a huge relief on dad’s face. As the baby started growing up, dad noticed the huge musical talent in him, and was excited. He would always show a special interest towards my brother. He introduced Rahman to the music world, by taking him along to all recording studios. But, without any partiality, he put us in Guitar and Piano classes with Pilot Edwin and Dhanraj Master. He would enjoy listening to our singing and playing musical instruments. During those days, our entire family used to be such a happy one, filled with music and dance. All of us were so fond of our dad. Everything was given to us by him. What a wonderful life! But, we were shocked when he died”, continues Raihanah. What happened after that? RK Shekar’s contemporary, Arjunan Master, who is also a Malayalam film composer, now resides in Kottayam in Kerala. Even at his current age of 73, he still is busy with film music work. Though his voice stutters a bit, he has retained all those memories in his heart. “Honestly, I would say Rahman’s mom is a visionary. Dileep was a kid, when Shekar passed away. She would approach music-directors like me and say ‘He’s very talented. Please give him opportunities’. ‘He’s our Shekar’s son, you don’t have to convince us. Ask Dileep to come here’, we would say. He used to play keyboard, very well. He would fix faulty musical instruments, very easily. I felt, we can make him play keybords, but also thought he was too young. He totally rocked, when we gave him an opportunity. Only then, we realized that he was a musical prodigy. The fact that his mom could realized it before we could, is great! We paid him only a meager amount as salary, then. He would accept it with a smile, without a word! That composure and maturity have elevated Rahman to this level. Rahman’s dad’s death was an important turning point in his musical career. He was faced with the question – Which one should he choose - School education or Music? Dileep who was just average in studies, chose music over studies. He did not have an anxiety about his future, due to this decision. Though he studied in reputed institutions like Padma Sheshadri and MCC, his mind wavered between
[arr] Oru Kanavin Isai (ARR's biography in Vikatan) - Week 3 - Scans and Translation
Hi all, This is from week-3! Week 03, Part 01 http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3467985452/ Week 03, Part 02http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3467171791/Week 03, Part 03http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_am/3467985682/ Translation Week 3 At a time when A.R.Rahman’s father R.K Shekar what working round-the-clock, he never cared about food or sleep. He used to spend all his time at the recording studio, having just tea and biscuits. Sometimes, he used to suffer from severe stomach ache, late in the nights. Unable to bear the pain, he would just lie down with a pillow pressed tight on his stomach. He would relax and sleep after the killing pain subsided. Barely an hour after he slept it would have already dawned. With the thought that, musicians would be waiting at the studio from 7 am itself, he would wake up and rush for the recording. He didn’t have time to even consult a doctor regarding his stomach ache. He would neither tell anyone about this! The other sad story is that, though an amazing composer, Shekar had very few opportunities to compose alone for films, and he just worked for other composers. He gave 10 beautiful songs for the film “Pazhasiraja”. The song “Siragatru veeNoru kochhu thumbi” sung by AM Raja and S.Janaki, and the lullaby “Muththey va va va” sung by P.Susheela are a pleasure to listen to, even now! The song “Sahibe sahibe a-salam aleikum” became a trendsetter. After a long break, came the movie “Aayesha”. The song “yathrakaara povuga povuga” sung by P. B. Sreenivas for that film is one of PBS’s best songs. But, how long can someone financially sustain without getting proper composing opportunities? Days passed, and the cruel hands of the disease clutched RK Shekar tightly. He became bedridden. The images of the young kid, Dileep, visiting his dad every day at the hospital became permanently etched in Dileep’s memory. Dad is lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by his assistants. They note down on the music notes dictated by Shekar. A few directors come in and tell him “We feel bad to tell this now… But, our film scores will get completed only if you come. Not worrying about the agony caused by the disease, he listens to the tunes and writes notes for music arrangements. Popular lyricist, Sri Kumaran comes and holds Shekar’s hands in gratitude, and says “Get well soon, and come back. Let’s make music together”! Theirs was a successful combo, and had given some superb songs. Shekhar returns a dry smile in return, for he was well aware of the seriousness of his disease. The kid, Dileep, watches all this with a mix of amazement and confusion. Dileep couldn’t understand what happened to his dad all of a sudden, for he would always be busy like a bee. All he knew was that his dad was a good musician. The collection of musical instruments and music-records formed Dileep’s world. Dileep believed that his dad would get well soon, and would be back to his music work very soon. But, that was not to be. Shekar’s health condition kept deteriorating each day. Shekar got married only when he was 31, at Thiruppathi. He got married to Kanchana, and had 4 kids, back-to-back – Kanchana, Dileep, Bala and Rekha. Shekar had been making so many innovations in Malayalam film music industry. It was he, who introduced SP Balasubramanyam and Bala Murali Krishna to that industry. No one could even imagine penetrating into Malayalm music industry dominated by legendary singer KJ Jesudas. The song “neeyendre velicham” composed by Shekar and sung by P Susheela for the 1972 movie “Miss Mary” is still one of the most famous devotional songs in Kerala among all the devotees of Mother Mary. The curiosity and eagerness of Rahman towards new technology, was evident in Shekar in those days. He often went to Singapore and hunted for new musical instruments and latest innovations in recording techniques. When we were all bored listening to the same voices, it was Rahman who broke the trend and introduced many new voices, and took the listening experience to a new level. RK Shekar was a forerunner for Rahman in that front too. In those days, singing for movies was no ordinary feat. Recording studios were like iron-fortresses. It was not possible for anyone to get in so easily. Shekar opened the doors of the fortress for new singers. He introduced many new singers like Bramhanandan, Sadhanandan, Sudha Varma, Gopalakrishnan, Soman, Ponguntham Ravi, Jayalakshmi, Kasthoori Shankar, Manoharan, Ambly, Jayashreee. That legacy of encouraging new talent continues through A.R.Rahman. RK Shekar composed 110 songs in Malayalam. Singers like Jesudas, Jayachandran, P Susheela, Vani Jaaram have sung several wonderful songs in his music. Even today, Shekar’s songs are mesmerizing the people of Kerala. The last movie which had Shekar’s music was “Chottanikkara Amma”, which was released in 1976. The song “Manasu manasinRae kaadhil” from that album, plays
[arr] Super singer - 2 more ARR songs by our member VijayNarain
Hi all, Our group member, Vijay Narain, has been rocking Airtel Super Singer show (Star Vijay channel, Mon-Wed, 9-10 pm) with ARR songs. In the wild card round, he performed 3 ARR songs, 2 of which have already been telecast on Monday and Tuesday, and one more rocking performance will be telecast today. Catch two of his wildcard performances here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfbMmTxmhbk (Adhiradi) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cox023GDW0Q (Oru Poi - Judges said this is one of his really good performances) PS: In the adhiradi video, you can also spot me asking for votes for him!! Yes... one person will go to the finals from wild card round, the decision will be made based on public voting. The voting lines are still open and you can vote in for him and help him reach the finals. Cheers, Aravind My Blog: http://arrahmaniac.blogspot.com Rahmania show interviews: http://rahmania.4shared.com From Chandigarh to Chennai - find friends all over India. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/citygroups/
