Yet another prestigious award for Rahman!

Close on the heels of winning the Oscar award, the Mozart of Madras, he is affectionately known, AR Rahman has won the Grassroot Grammy in the Best Indian album category. He was honored with the award for composing music for the Tamil film Godfather. Maestro Illayaraja and Bangla band Krosswindz were in the fray for the award but ultimately the honors went to Rahman.


Ilayaraja won the third place in the Best Indian category for Music Journey: Live in Italy.


Courtesy: behindwoods.com

'Slumdog' dance an online craze

The stunning success of the "Slumdog Millionaire" movie continues to echo across the Internet by spawning a dance craze that has millions downloading various versions of that high-energy "Jai Ho (You are My Destiny)" dance that ends the film.
More than 60 videos are on You Tube alone, some from the movie but most home made by fans who are posting their own versions.
The best quality one is this remix from the film:

Next to the film version, the slickest version of the dance was the one performed by some professionals on Jay Leno's show as Oscar winner composer A.R. Rahman performed the song. Here it is:

Ellen Degeneres had the Slumdog cast on her TV show and she got them to demo it and teach the whole audience how:

Here's a beginner-level line dance walk through:

A half-dozen people have their kids doing Jai Ho dances. I'll spare you the invariably poor results.
Same with a long list of videos of couples and individuals who mistakenly think they have rhythm.
A bunch of kids in a church confirmation class from England did a version.

You get the idea. The dance is huge and getting even bigger because of Internet video sharing

Courtesy: freep.com

A R Rahman to spend more time in Hollywood?

After winning two Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards, music composer A R Rahman is planning to take up more projects in Hollywood.

However, that doesn’t mean that the Mozart of Madras is saying goodbye to India. Rahman says he will now have to balance work in India with work in the US.

“50 per cent of the year I might be there (US), the rest over here,” Rahman recently told a tabloid.

The talented composer, who on Saturday won two Filmfare Awards for his compositions in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and his background score in Jodhaa Akbar , says he would have to say no to some projects in India to be able to take out time to “stay put in the US”.



Now that Rahman has become a known face in the West, he wants to spend some time in the US to be able to establish a base and make connections.

Meanwhile, back home in Chennai, Rahman was felicitated by Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala for having made India proud with his double Oscar win.


Courtesy: apunkachoice.com

A.R. Rahman : Six-packs like Suriya!

A.R. Rahman went on to win two Oscars at the Oscar Awards ceremony that held last month. The musician was welcomed with a grand reception. He is now busy attending several press conferences and events organized to felicitate him. The two Oscar Statuettes are now a constant companion of A.R. Rahman. The two are seen escorting the musician to all the felicitation functions. And, quite naturally, the event organizers and

attendees want him to pose for the shutterbugs. In one such event, Rahman jocularly remarked that posing with the two statuettes, which weight about 3.85 kgs, will ensure that he develops a six-pack just like Suriya.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Kylie Minogue thrilled to work with AR Rahman

Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue says she was thrilled to work with Oscar winning music director AR Rahman in Bollywood film Blue. The 40-year-old singer plays herself in the film, and also performs a set-piece song-and-dance routine in the underwater thriller starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Katrina Kaif.


"It was an incredible experience (to work with AR Rahman),” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted her as saying. "I met AR Rahman at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards (in London last month). I couldn't believe I was doing a song with him in Bollywood so soon after," she added.


The film is about a sunken treasure ship and is said to have been inspired by the Hollywood production, The Deep. On being asked if she would like to be a part of some of the Bollywood movies in future, Minogue said she would certainly consider.


"I got a lot of love here. Right now this feeling is just sinking in but certainly in future I will do more if I get the chance,” she said. "I didn't know much of Hindi but it does not matter because everyone was very cooperative and I had fun and joy. I Wanted to be part of Bollywood for a while and it was great opportunity that came by," she added.


Courtesy: oneindia.in

Fame takes its toll on Rahman

The past year which spawned about a dozen Hindi and Tamil soundracks, and the whirlwind Slumdog Millionaire experience and its culmination with the Oscars, has taken its toll on the music maverick from Madras’ genius’ health. According to close friends of the composer, since his return home after the Oscars, Rahman has been very unwell, so much so that he had to cancel a scheduled trip to London last Friday night. 


Work back home has also been suffering. Rahman was not able to complete the song that was filmed on Sanjay Dutt, Kylie Minogue, Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan in Film City for Blue. And, reportedly, a scratch recording is being used for the shooting. Confirming these developments, director Anthony D’Souza said, “It’s true. But what a song! Even a scratch recording by Rahman is worth far more than the final recording of many other composers.” 


Rahman fell ill and was bed-ridden this week, thereby further putting behind his pending assignments. “I’ve returned from LA to complete three film assignments — Mani Ratnam’s film, Shankar’s Robot and Blue. And then I’ve to go back to Hollywood,” said Rahman. He admitted that the song that Kylie Minogue danced to in Mumbai with Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and the rest of the cast for Blue was actually a rough cut. “I’ll finish it soon,” he said. “I’m in Chennai for two weeks. Then I return to LA.” The question is, what happens to the pending assignments back home?


Courtesy: timesofindia.com

The number one film in the entire world

Riding on the waves of post-Oscar fame, Slumdog Millionaire [Images]rose over the weekend to be the number one film across the globe, grossing $27 million, nearly $12.5 million of the total gross came from the United States where it is playing in nearly 3000 movie houses. The worldwide gross for the film now stands at about $210 million.
"The whole world is falling in love with the film," said Ashok Amritraj, the producer of 100 films in Hollywood. Amritraj who is also a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that gives out the Oscars [Images].
"People are able to relate to this film across the world. India is not the only country with slums and street children. The fact that this is a very hopeful film, which has fabulous artists from India ranging from Anil Kapoor [Images] to Irrfan Khan [Images], and the lovely newcomers Dev Patel [Images] and Freida Pinto [Images], is also helping it. And let us not forget the fabulous music by A R Rahman [Images]." 
The film, which is yet to open in Germany [Images], Sweden, Brazil [Images], China, Japan[Images], South Korea and Taiwan and many other countries, could end its record setting dream run with $300 million.
Like many Indian film-makers and artists in Los Angeles including Maulik Pnncholi and Pooja Batra [Images], Amritraj too sees Slumdog as a bridge-builder, nudging more American and British films to be shot in India.
He dismisses the accusation by some that the film is selling India's poverty.
"Surely the film was not made for the tourism department," he says with a chuckle. "The kind of poverty we see in the film is universal -- only the degree varies. But most people I know who have seen the film talk about it as a work dealing with crime and redemption. They look at it as a film with an optimistic outlook .".
This is the second time in Oscar history that a film shot in India has become number one film worldwide; the previous record setter was Gandhi released in 1982. But Slumdog is selling far more tickets than Gandhi.
Amritraj says the first time he attended the Oscars the winner was Gandhi. And the second film to win the Oscar and which was also shot in India is Slumdog.
"Isn't it interesting that both films were directed by men from Britain?" he muses. Gandhi was co-produced by director Richard Attenborough [Images] with India's National Film Development Corporation. Though director Danny Boyle [Images] had no Indian co-producers on Slumdog, all its artists are either from India or of Indian origin. The co-director of the film Loveleen Tandan is an Indian. And a significant number of crew is also Indian. 
The top crown could be snatched away from Slumdog next week by the big budget, sci-fi adventure Watchmen but box-office experts believe that Slumdog has really strong legs.  
In many countries, its weekend gross shot up by 50 percent in over the weekend following its Oscar win in eight categories including the best picture and best director. It was number one in Argentina, Croatia, Hong Kong, Latvia, Mexico, New Zealand[Images], Norway, Spain, Switzerland [Images], the United Kingdom and Uruguay.
Distributors from Mexico to Hong Kong assert that the main reason the film is doing so well is because it has a fantastic word of mouth. And in country after country, the film's finale with Jai Ho song and dance has become its major asset..
"The song Jai Ho has become a world anthem," writer Vikas Swarup whose book Q & A inspired the movie said last week after the Oscars were announced. Old timers recall the title song from Raj Kapoor's [Images] Awara which became phenomenally popular in the 1950s. But the song immortalised by Mukesh was a sensation, along with the movie, across the Soviet Union and the satellite countries, China, the Arab countries and Turkey.
The Oscar-winning Jai Ho, on the other hand, has become a worldwide phenomenon. Be it Uruguay or Croatia or the Netherlands or France [Images], it is a big draw for the film. It is unlikely anyone walks out before the song ends. Distributors of Slumdog Millionaire in Mexico and several other countries said that the song is becoming popular in the clubs, too.
The accusation that the film is 'poverty porn' does not sit well with many Indians, and certainly not with the likes of Amritraj, Pancholi and Batra who divides her time between LA and Mumbai [Images]..
"On any day, a film about poor person aspiring to change his life is more interesting than the story of a person who is rich," Amritraj says.
"Had Slumdog Millionaire been released five or six years ago when the economy was doing very well in America and other industrialised countries," he continues, "it might not have made the kind of impact it is making now.
"Today we are looking around us with disbelief how some corrupt corporations and CEO's have cheated millions. .In SlumdogMillionaire too we see corruption -- and how a young man wants to rise above the life of crime and corruption."


Courtesy: rediff.com

Ash on Rahman

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was all praises for A R Rahman. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, she stated that she was overjoyed at Rahman’s double Oscar win. The actress is currently in Kolkata participating in the shooting of her upcoming film Ravana. Ash is in fact the most fortunate as Rahman had composed for most of her films compared to any other actor or actress.

She was quoted as saying, “Working with Rahman has been an absolute pleasure. It's not just from Taal to Guru, but it's from 'Iruvar' till 'Ravana'. In fact, maximum of my films have enjoyed the music of Rahman and as a music lover and fan, I have always admired his music and he is a gifted musician,” stated the former Miss World.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

Slumdog blossoms worldwide

The waiter at a Russia n restaurant in New York's Coney Island, home to about half million Russians and immigrants from the Caucuses, gazes at a customer for a minute. "May be you are from India," says the very elderly man. "Tell me about the new Indian film my cousins are seeing again and again in Russia. They say it is like Vagabond, story of poor people and a very young man. And it has a very nice song at the end."
He is referring to Raj Kapoor's Awara, a phenomenon across the communist world in the 1950s and has remained a perennial favorite for over four decades. And he is also talking about a new phenomenon. The Indian customer tells the Russians the new film is called Slumdog Millionaire and it is running in New York in many theatres. 
Just as Slumdog has become a huge hit across America, in Russia too the film is doing impressive business. Released two weeks ago, it has grossed over $1.2 million, according to trade publications. And now with the eight Oscars it has garnered, the film could become a bigger success not only across Russia but also worldwide.
Just as the Oscars  were approaching thanks to the incessant buzz, the gritty but ultimately feel good movie had started rising at the box-office in most of the 25 countries showing it including Uruguay, France  and Russia. 'The most impressive performance belonged to Slumdog Millionaire  which was up four percent to $8.4 million from 25 markets (outside North America, boosting its total to $74.3 million,' wrote box office expert Conor Brosnan in boxofficemojo.com, discussing the film's box office status.
Last weekend, it was the number three film worldwide (outside North America); the number one film, the star-driven The Curious Case of Benjamin Button grossed $21 million in 61 countries, followed by Bolt's $11 million in 37 countries and Slumdog's $8.5 million in 26.
Soon after the Oscars and reams of new worldwide publicity, the movie began to climb up the box office charts. In North America, it soared from number eight spot on the chart to number two. Worldwide gross by February 26 weekend was approaching $180 million. And there were predictions that the film, which cost just about $15 million (with some $50 million for print and publicity) would end its worldwide run with at least $260 million. Some observers believe it could even top $300 million.
The movie, which will be opening soon in Germany , Japan , South Korea, Sweden, Austria and several other territories, has been most successful in North America where it has grossed $103 million by February 26 and the United Kingdom where the gross was approaching $35 million.
Director Danny Boyle  has repeatedly said he had never thought the film would resonate with the audiences outside the United Kingdom apart from playing in a handful of small, art theatres in key cities.
Even in India, where many people were upset that the film was showing the underbelly and not the India that is shining, its box office is approaching $5 million. It would have been much higher but for the huge DVD black market of the film.
In most countries the film opened among the top five; there were no startlingly big openings. For example, in France it opened to a decent $1.2 million weekend. But thanks to a terrific word-of-mouth and slew of stories in major magazines of the country, it remained growing steadily.
No film that Danny Boyle directed in the last two decades, not even The Beach starring a post-Titanic  Leonardo DiCaprio, has come anywhere near the worldwide success of Slumdog Millionaire.


Courtesy: rediff.com

'I thought Defiance would win'

I did not prepare an acceptance speech for a simple reason," A R Rahman , who won two Oscars -- for the Best Original Score and Best SongJai Ho -- says as a matter of fact. "I thought Defiancewould get for the score and Peter Gabriel would get the Oscar for best song.
"That is why I said something that came from deep inside my heart. I thanked my mother because from over 10 years she has been saying, 'You must get an Oscar, and I want to walk on that red carpet with you.'" Rahman toldRediff India Abroad's Arthur J Pais from his home in Chennai.
Her dream came true, he added. "I suddenly remembered a line from a film (later I realised it was from Deewar) in which one brother says to another that he has the mother with him and that matters to him the most."
"In my case, I saw very little of my father since he passed away when I was a boy and it is my mother who gave me the support, the confidence, and the vision," he added.
Rahman is yet to sleep as he arrived in the wee hours of February 25. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me," he says with a chuckle. "There were 6,000 people at the airport, there was a riot. I was very tired, and my mother, my wife and my sister were tired too. But how could one not refuse to spend some time with my admirers?"


Courtesy: rediff.com

A.R. Rahman almost crashed to death

The whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. But something tragic almost took place before the big day. Rahman was almost crashed to death while rehearing for the performance.

The Oscar-winning musician revealed that he was almost crashed to death when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling of the theatre they were rehearsing, collapsed. He said that the block would have fallen on him had he not moved away from the spot.

Rahman said that the incident shaken him though not terrified. He added that he was saved by the good wishes from the people all over the world.

It may be recalled that A.R. Rahman bagged two Oscar Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.


Courtesy: oneindia.in

What’s next for SM’s Indian team?

We take a look at what the Indian team of Slumdog Millionaire is doing after the film's Oscar wins.




A R Rahman: The only Indian to win two Oscars, Rahman’s upcoming Indian albums include Nagesh Kukunoor’s 8X10, Ashtvinayak’s Blue, Shankar’s Endhiran, Abbas Tyrewala’s 1-800-Love and Mani Ratnam’s Ravan. He also has an Indo-Japanese movie called Nair San starring Mohanlal and is in talks about composing for Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes’ next films.




Dev Patel: He has bagged M Night Shyamalan’s flick The Airbender. His role of Prince Zuko of Fire Nation, based on a popular Nickelodeon TV series, will require him to learn martial arts. Filming begins next month in Philadelphia.




Freida Pinto: She has bagged a Woody Allen film alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin. Shooting for the as-yet-untitled film begins in July.




Resul Pookutty: India’s first Oscar-winning sound technician has Saurabh Shukla’s romantic comedy Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and Sanjay Gupta’s stylised action thriller Acid Factory as his upcoming projects. He is also working on a Rajat Kapoor film and an untitled Hollywood flick.




Irrfan: The actor has another Indo-American venture, Hissss, starring Mallika Sherawat and Divya Dutta. The film is directed by Jennifer Lynch, David Lynch’s daughter. His other international project is New York, I Love You. Irrfan also has a summer release in the form of YRF’s New York, directed by Kabir Khan and starring John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Katrina Kaif. Then, there is Sanjay Gupta’s action thriller Acid Factory and drama Alibaug, Ambika Hinduja’s Teen Patti and rom-com Kal Kisne Dekha, among others.




Anil Kapoor: Race was one of the biggest hits of 2008 and Anil Kapoor will be part of its sequel. He will also start work on the sequel to Mr India. His home production Shortkut - The Con Is On, starring Sanjay Dutt and Amrita Rao, will release later this year.




Gulzar: The legendary lyricist-writer-director will be working with Vishal Bhardwaj on songs for his romantic comedy Ishqiya starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan.


Courtesy: starboxoffice.com

A new anthem from Rahman!

Lyricist Vairamuthu informed the media that he is writing lyrics for a new Tamil anthem particularly for the NRIs. And the music for this will be composed by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman. According to Vairamuthu, the Tamilians living in foreign countries have their own Tamil anthem as the present one “Neerarum…” is based on the political boundaries of India. The lyricist said that he came to know that Tamilians living in Malaysia had their own Tamil anthem while

he and Rahman participated in a function there. The duo had decided that all the Tamilians across the globe must have a single anthem and had started working on it.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

At Rahman’s press conference…

The much awaited press meet of A.R. Rahman took place at the Green Park Hotel in Chennai. Rahman arrived at the venue around 4:30 pm. The musician looked relaxed and was comfortable answering the questions thrown at him. The ever-courteous Rahman enquired if the reporters preferred him to answer in Tamil or English and finally decided to answer depending on the language in which the question was asked.

A.R. Rahman said that he understood that music has no boundaries and hence wanted his music to reach everyone. He added that he believed music can deliver messages and through his music he wishes to promote peace and harmony.

When asked how he bagged the Slumdog Millionaire offer, Rahman said that Danny Boyle signed him up only after listening to his music and accessing his talent. This shows the confidence that Boyle had on the musician.

Rahman’s message to those who want to achieve greater things in life is: “Have good intentions and get the results.”

When quizzed about what he accomplished by these coveted awards, Rahman said that it was immense respect that he got from the people, his counterparts and even legends.

Responding whether his children would toe his line, Rahman said that they are slowly learning music and it is up to them to decide.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

A.R.Rahman - Harmonium for the honeymoon!

The thought of an Indian winning two Oscars is still to sink in for most of the cinema fans. A.R.Rahman who is the toast of the country hasn't reached this stage without sheer passion for what he does best - music. A.R.Rahman's brother-in-law, who is also named Rahman, is a well known actor in Kerala and has done roles in many Tamil movies like Sangamam, which again had music by A.R.R. Talking to the media

after his brother-in-law won the Oscars, the actor revealed how passionate the maestro is about his music. "It is his sheer commitment towards music that has brought him here", says Rahman. He adds that the Mozart of Madras always had his harmonium with him. "Even during his honeymoon in Kodaikanal, we were told that in the middle of the night he was sitting in the next room and playing a harmonium. Such was his dedication" A.R.R's ever media-shy wife Saira Banu had walked the red carpet with her husband at the Kodak Theatre for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Saira Banu was seen clinging to Rahman’s right arm throughout the ceremony. A.R.Rahman before leaving to the US for the Oscars had commented: “In fact winning an Oscar is not my dream, it’s my wife’s dream”. The legend sure has fulfilled his wife’s dream.

Courtesy: behindwoods.com