From Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Lagaan and Taal to Rang De Basanti, Guru and the recent release Jodha Akbar- A.R. Rahman has redefined Bollywood film music with his unique panache. TWF correspondent Sreya Basu catches up with the man with the musical Midas touch during his breezy trip to Kolkata.
What brings you to Kolkata this time?
I am here to shoot the season finale of Airtel Bandwagon, a television reality show to provide a platform to new music bands. We shot at the Technicians Studio in Tollygunge.
Why is that Kolkatans don't see much of Rahman in the city?
It's true that I don't frequent Kolkata unlike Chennai, or in that case, Mumbai, but this city will always have a special place in my heart and career. After all, it was in Kolkata that I staged my first concert in the country way back in February, 2003.
We heard that you are going to open a music conservatory?
Yes. It will be opened in Chennai in June this year. It is my dream project and is going to be the first music conservatory of India for training our musicians in western classical music. The first branch of the conservatory will be opened in Kolkata.
When is that going to happen?
See, this kind of project requires a lot of planning and time. It took us years to come up with the one at Chennai. I guess we will have to wait for another couple of years for the next one.
What about a concert in Kolkata?
I am planning to stage a larger-than-life concert here by the end of this year. Right now I am working on my new album. It is almost 10 years since I have come up with anything new- after the release of my last album Vande Mataram.
What is your take on the music scene in Kolkata?
Well, the city breathes refreshing music. Why only Kolkata, the traditional and folk music of Bengal is a pool of inspiration. I even included baul music in the Hindi film Mangal Pandey. I would love to explore the new talents and music of Bengal. Pandit Ajay Chakraborty and Ustad Rashid Khan are among my favourites.
Your music for the play The Lord Of the Rings staged at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London has turned into a phenomenal success. Do you plan a similar play in India as well?
If I plan a musical play in India that has to be superior than Bombay Dreams and The Lord of the Rings. Outside India people literally travel across cities and even countries to watch a play.
People from France and Germany booked their tickets in advance for The Lord of the Rings. India is strongly possessive about her tradition and genre of theatre and music.
If only we manage to break off this shell that we too will be in a position to experiment a little with Indian theatre, especially when today there is no dearth of sponsors here.
You started with Tamil films, then Hindi, and now composing music for Broadway and West End as well. What's next in line?
I have started my own label. That means I have the freedom to experiment and do whatever I want to do with and for music. I would like to exploit this opportunity thoroughly.
Courtesy: santabanta.com
Showing posts with label Bombay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bombay. Show all posts
Friday, April 11, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Son goes father's way
Manoj K Bharathy, son of veteran director Bharathirajaa, is all set to join as an assistant to director Shankar. He informs that has been included in the prestigious team after a formal interview.
A one-time assistant to director Manirathnam, Manoj had worked in the making of ‘Bombay’. However he ventured to acting and acted in over a dozen movies. Now he has decided go back to what he loves the most, directing movies.
Says Manoj: “I am happy to work under Shankar Sir. I may direct a movie on my own after the completion of Shankar Sir’s magnum opus ‘Robot’ starring Superstar Rajinikanth.”.
Courtesy: Indiaglitz.com
A one-time assistant to director Manirathnam, Manoj had worked in the making of ‘Bombay’. However he ventured to acting and acted in over a dozen movies. Now he has decided go back to what he loves the most, directing movies.
Says Manoj: “I am happy to work under Shankar Sir. I may direct a movie on my own after the completion of Shankar Sir’s magnum opus ‘Robot’ starring Superstar Rajinikanth.”.
Courtesy: Indiaglitz.com
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
'Each song in Jodhaa Akbar has its own potential'
The last song to appear in Jodhaa Akbar, Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein, is one of the most haunting songs composed by A R Rahman.
But like many of his fabled compositions, this one will also take time to make a lasting impact. The song is used mostly in the background, as Jodhaa and Akbar make love for the first time.
The number is sung by Sonu Nigam, and Madhushree who, in recent years, has emerged as one of Rahman's favourites.
The composer says the song challenged him considerably.
"It comes in the climax of the film," he says. "It was very important to have the song right. If it is too slow, it will bring the whole energy down. If it is too fast, it won't do justice to the situation. The end of the film shows Jodhaa finally loving Akbar for the first time since their wedding."
He had to play 'a kind of dynamic composition where it starts on a soothing note, and then goes to the big chorus,' he says.
"It has a full journey in it," he adds. "I think it is very good."
Many cannot understand how a big historical film like Jodhaa Akbar has only five songs. Old classics like Mughal-E-Azam and Pakeezah have quite a few songs in them.
"Numbers don't count," Rahman answers bluntly. "Roja, Dil Se, Bombay and Guru each had five songs. The real songs in that film were five; others were used in the background.
"Each song in Jodhaa Akbar has its own potential," he continues. "So we kept them simple. We did not want to overload things."
The music of Jodhaa Akbar is not confined to songs alone, he asserts.
"Once the film is released, they (UTV, the film's producer) may release the soundtrack, with the theme of the film and other compositions," he says.
"I take composing the background music for a film to be a very serious business," he continues. "There are a lot of people, who do just five songs and leave it for someone else to compose the background. You need 20 times the energy (of composing songs) to produce the background score. You need three to four months."
The time he took to compose the background score for Jodhaa Akbar, he adds, he could have used to compose songs for five to six films.
"It (the background score) is a commitment to the movie," he continues. "It is all about artistic honesty. It also helps you grow musically. In this film, I loved doing the background music because of the depth of the subject and interesting situations."
But on many occasions, when a filmmaker tells him the film's story, he knows in his heart, that he should not take up the film.
"When I am doing a song," he says, "the director has to live with the song and when I am doing a film's background music, I have to watch the film and have to live with the film all my life."
That is why he rejects many films, he adds.
Working for the third time with Gowariker reinforced Rahman's admiration for the filmmaker.
"Very few people recognise the kind of warmth in music, the pulse, the soul of the music," Rahman says. "He is one of them. Mani Ratnam and Subhash Ghai also are like him. Ashutosh has the talent for spotting fine music. There are so many ideas that he has to consider while working on a film. But to pick the right things and give them to the people, to present them in a very dignified way, is very important to him.
"There is no use in us in composing beautiful stuff and then getting it thrown away, without any respect to the music," Rahman continues. "It is very important for a director to sit and like something, and challenge the composer from time to time. Ashutosh does it."
Courtesy: Rediff.com
But like many of his fabled compositions, this one will also take time to make a lasting impact. The song is used mostly in the background, as Jodhaa and Akbar make love for the first time.
The number is sung by Sonu Nigam, and Madhushree who, in recent years, has emerged as one of Rahman's favourites.
The composer says the song challenged him considerably.
"It comes in the climax of the film," he says. "It was very important to have the song right. If it is too slow, it will bring the whole energy down. If it is too fast, it won't do justice to the situation. The end of the film shows Jodhaa finally loving Akbar for the first time since their wedding."
He had to play 'a kind of dynamic composition where it starts on a soothing note, and then goes to the big chorus,' he says.
"It has a full journey in it," he adds. "I think it is very good."
Many cannot understand how a big historical film like Jodhaa Akbar has only five songs. Old classics like Mughal-E-Azam and Pakeezah have quite a few songs in them.
"Numbers don't count," Rahman answers bluntly. "Roja, Dil Se, Bombay and Guru each had five songs. The real songs in that film were five; others were used in the background.
"Each song in Jodhaa Akbar has its own potential," he continues. "So we kept them simple. We did not want to overload things."
The music of Jodhaa Akbar is not confined to songs alone, he asserts.
"Once the film is released, they (UTV, the film's producer) may release the soundtrack, with the theme of the film and other compositions," he says.
"I take composing the background music for a film to be a very serious business," he continues. "There are a lot of people, who do just five songs and leave it for someone else to compose the background. You need 20 times the energy (of composing songs) to produce the background score. You need three to four months."
The time he took to compose the background score for Jodhaa Akbar, he adds, he could have used to compose songs for five to six films.
"It (the background score) is a commitment to the movie," he continues. "It is all about artistic honesty. It also helps you grow musically. In this film, I loved doing the background music because of the depth of the subject and interesting situations."
But on many occasions, when a filmmaker tells him the film's story, he knows in his heart, that he should not take up the film.
"When I am doing a song," he says, "the director has to live with the song and when I am doing a film's background music, I have to watch the film and have to live with the film all my life."
That is why he rejects many films, he adds.
Working for the third time with Gowariker reinforced Rahman's admiration for the filmmaker.
"Very few people recognise the kind of warmth in music, the pulse, the soul of the music," Rahman says. "He is one of them. Mani Ratnam and Subhash Ghai also are like him. Ashutosh has the talent for spotting fine music. There are so many ideas that he has to consider while working on a film. But to pick the right things and give them to the people, to present them in a very dignified way, is very important to him.
"There is no use in us in composing beautiful stuff and then getting it thrown away, without any respect to the music," Rahman continues. "It is very important for a director to sit and like something, and challenge the composer from time to time. Ashutosh does it."
Courtesy: Rediff.com
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