Just beat it Elizabeth to Jodhaa Akbar to Mission Ustaad the world is a stage for A.R. Rahman A.R. Rahman
A Hollywood film starring Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen, a Bollywood musical with Ashutosh Gowariker and a TV debut supported by United Nations... Theres an awful lot to ask A.R. Rahman You are judging a reality show on a TV channel. You normally shun the spotlight so what made you decide to be a part of 9Xs Mission Ustaad? I think the concept is very new. Of singers coming together to produce new songs. The UN angle is, of course, very special. Mission Ustaad is making the entire album for the UNs Millennium Goals. Its not about who is winning and who is losing. It is about what they are doing. In the long run, it will hopefully change the views of people. So theres a lot of good things, I guess. You are known to be very particular about your music, down to the last note. How is it judging the music composed by singers who have worked with you? I think all of them are very competent people. There are very experienced people like Roopkumar Rathod and Kailash Kher and then you also have very new, young people like Naresh Iyer and Shweta Pandit. Initially they were all interested in what the other pairs were doing but now slowly they are coming into their own. They are not only singing the songs, they are also performing them. And thats very interesting to watch. Clive Owen and Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age What is your stance as a judge on the show, since judges seem to follow a pre-meditated path... Initially in the first two episodes the singers knew what they were doing but I guess they were not that clear about what kind of music to produce. I was trying to guide them in that. The focus is there and the performances have gone to the next level. I dont need to fight with the other judges. I just try to be honest. You had earlier come up with the single Pray for me brother for the United Nations. What kind of role does music play in the UN work? Music can play a very important role in transforming lives. I have been told so many times how people have heard one line in one song and their lives have changed. I listened to the song and I fell in love. I listened to the song and decided not to commit suicide. These things come out from inside. Songs have the power in them. What we are trying to do is put each issue in a way that people would listen to the songs again and again. They are not preachy. And they are not one-off songs; they can be enjoyed again and again. That is the quality we are looking at. What is your take on all these musical reality shows on television? In my opinion, it is a very good thing. We always see so many bad things on TV. We see murder, we see bomb blast, that and this. Whats the problem in seeing singers and good music? Art is a very good thing for the society. It means we as people are going in the right direction. How has a weekly TV show changed your work schedule? All my directors have been very understanding. I have told them how important the show is. They have all supported me by letting me finish this. I am also trying to do all my film work in the morning and shoot for the show in the evenings. But you always composed at night? I am changing that (laughs out loud). Now, I get up in the morning, do my film work, visit the studio and shoot in the evening. My whole new lifestyle is all about Yash Raj Studios. It is very comfortable. I am recording my film songs here and also shooting next door for Mission Ustaad. You finally did your first Hollywood score in Shekhar Kapurs Elizabeth: The Golden Age. How was the experience? It was great! I think the missing link I had in my career is over. I always had this doubt whether I would be able to do a Hollywood score. Now, that for me, as a self-assurance I can say, I can do it. And that too I did it my own way. Its a great beginning for me and it will also work as a great experience for me in my future work. You know, working on such a big canvas, with such a big studio. Their whole working style is so different. Now, I am learning the other way. The Jodhaa Akbar poster How is your foreign stage musical Lord of the Rings doing? Lord of the Rings is doing very well. It has been booked till September next year. We just finished the album. Its sponsored by Jet Airways which is another first an Indian airline sponsoring a Western album. Its just fantastic. A big statement from India. On the Bollywood front your next release is Jodhaa Akbar. How has it turned out? I dont want to say much but its very interesting. Me and Ashutosh (Gowariker) have always done a lot of good things (Lagaan, Swades). Its a period film this time again. And it can be period boring and period interesting. Now Jodhaa Akbar is a romance. And romance is always interesting. Two families. Two kingdoms. Its really interesting.Just beat it Elizabeth to Jodhaa Akbar to Mission Ustaad the world is a stage for A.R. Rahman A.R. Rahman A Hollywood film starring Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen, a Bollywood musical with Ashutosh Gowariker and a TV debut supported by United Nations... Theres an awful lot to ask A.R. Rahman You are judging a reality show on a TV channel. You normally shun the spotlight so what made you decide to be a part of 9Xs Mission Ustaad? I think the concept is very new. Of singers coming together to produce new songs. The UN angle is, of course, very special. Mission Ustaad is making the entire album for the UNs Millennium Goals. Its not about who is winning and who is losing. It is about what they are doing. In the long run, it will hopefully change the views of people. So theres a lot of good things, I guess. You are known to be very particular about your music, down to the last note. How is it judging the music composed by singers who have worked with you? I think all of them are very competent people. There are very experienced people like Roopkumar Rathod and Kailash Kher and then you also have very new, young people like Naresh Iyer and Shweta Pandit. Initially they were all interested in what the other pairs were doing but now slowly they are coming into their own. They are not only singing the songs, they are also performing them. And thats very interesting to watch. Clive Owen and Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age What is your stance as a judge on the show, since judges seem to follow a pre-meditated path... Initially in the first two episodes the singers knew what they were doing but I guess they were not that clear about what kind of music to produce. I was trying to guide them in that. The focus is there and the performances have gone to the next level. I dont need to fight with the other judges. I just try to be honest. You had earlier come up with the single Pray for me brother for the United Nations. What kind of role does music play in the UN work? Music can play a very important role in transforming lives. I have been told so many times how people have heard one line in one song and their lives have changed. I listened to the song and I fell in love. I listened to the song and decided not to commit suicide. These things come out from inside. Songs have the power in them. What we are trying to do is put each issue in a way that people would listen to the songs again and again. They are not preachy. And they are not one-off songs; they can be enjoyed again and again. That is the quality we are looking at. What is your take on all these musical reality shows on television? In my opinion, it is a very good thing. We always see so many bad things on TV. We see murder, we see bomb blast, that and this. Whats the problem in seeing singers and good music? Art is a very good thing for the society. It means we as people are going in the right direction. How has a weekly TV show changed your work schedule? All my directors have been very understanding. I have told them how important the show is. They have all supported me by letting me finish this. I am also trying to do all my film work in the morning and shoot for the show in the evenings. But you always composed at night? I am changing that (laughs out loud). Now, I get up in the morning, do my film work, visit the studio and shoot in the evening. My whole new lifestyle is all about Yash Raj Studios. It is very comfortable. I am recording my film songs here and also shooting next door for Mission Ustaad. You finally did your first Hollywood score in Shekhar Kapurs Elizabeth: The Golden Age. How was the experience? It was great! I think the missing link I had in my career is over. I always had this doubt whether I would be able to do a Hollywood score. Now, that for me, as a self-assurance I can say, I can do it. And that too I did it my own way. Its a great beginning for me and it will also work as a great experience for me in my future work. You know, working on such a big canvas, with such a big studio. Their whole working style is so different. Now, I am learning the other way. The Jodhaa Akbar poster How is your foreign stage musical Lord of the Rings doing? Lord of the Rings is doing very well. It has been booked till September next year. We just finished the album. Its sponsored by Jet Airways which is another first an Indian airline sponsoring a Western album. Its just fantastic. A big statement from India. On the Bollywood front your next release is Jodhaa Akbar. How has it turned out? I dont want to say much but its very interesting. Me and Ashutosh (Gowariker) have always done a lot of good things (Lagaan, Swades). Its a period film this time again. And it can be period boring and period interesting. Now Jodhaa Akbar is a romance. And romance is always interesting. Two families. Two kingdoms. Its really interesting. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071212/asp/entertainment/story_8655815.asp
