Musician AR Rahman, who won double Oscar awards for his score in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, said that it was not only God's blessings which saw him win the coveted gold-plated statuettes but also made him a recipient on behalf of his fellow Indian musicians.
Speaking at a felicitation function organized by the Cine Musicians Union and Trust in Chennai, Rahman said that his parents had sown the seed and he had reaped the harvest when he won the Oscars for his score in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ directed by Danny Boyle. ‘It’s a long cherished dream of everyone (the musicians)... God has selected me to be at the receiving end for this award on their behalf,’ said Rahman. He repeated ‘Ella Pugazhum Iraivanukke’ (All Glory to the Almighty)," which he spoke at the Oscar awards ceremony last week. Rahman said he composed the music amidst a tight schedule and finished his part in three weeks. ‘The music had some impact in the movie and the Americans started smiling when they heard it,’ He said that he had wondered a few years back why Indian talent, albeit great possessing great people such as Naushad and others were not recognized in Oscars. However, Rahman continued saying that ‘they did not require such an award’. ’But, God was seeing all this and selected me to collect the award (this time),’ he said. Urging websites not to compare musicians (Illayaraja and himself), Rahman said, ‘the music–lovers should stop making such comments and using abusive languages’. Heaping laurels on Rahman, maestro Illayaraja said that there are very few who possess immense talent and also go on to make it big. Rahman is a phenomenal musician. He added, ‘If MSV is Athara Sruthi, I am Panchamam and Rahman is Panchamam’. Rahman made every Tamilian proud winning two Oscars at the same time, he added. On his part, veteran director K Balachander, who first introduced Rahman in his home production ‘Roja’, directed by Mani Ratnam, said, “Rahman is a rare genius. When other music composers make castles with their music, Rahman builds monuments.” Earlier, speakers including veteran music composers M S Viswanathan, producer A V M Saravanan, singer S Janaki showered accolades on the songster. Illayaraja presented a golden chain while popular director Harris Jayaraj presented a golden ring to the Mozart of Madras. The function was hosted by by SA Rajkumar and Abu Gabriel of the musicians trust. Among those who took part included Shankar Ganesh, Deva, Srikanth Deva Yuvan Shankar Raja, Karthik Raja, Vijay Anthony, D Imman, T M Soundararajan, L R Eswari, Karthi, Chinmayi, Thippu, Chitra, Swarnalatha, Mano, “Drummer” Shivamani and others. http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/45340.html
