'Aamir is not difficult to work with'

Aamir Khan is going all out to launch his nephew Imraan Khan in Abbas Tyrewala's Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, and has roped in the best to make the film successful.

That would, of course, include A R Rahman.

Rahman gave us a sneak preview of the music in his own voice. Listen to it here. He also spoke to Nithya Ramani and Syed Firdaus Ashraf about the film. Excerpts:

How does it feel working with Abbas Tyrewala?

This is a completely new team for me. So working with him was a little strange in the beginning. Then, we got used to each other. When the music was done, Aamir was happy and appreciated it. He said that the two of us made a good team.

Was it difficult working with Aamir and producer Mansoor Khan?

Aamir is not difficult to work with. It's just that when he gets excited about something, he likes the integrity of the same thing. And when something goes wrong, he wants to bring the integrity back. He likes to balance the whole project. He is a great producer.

Was Aamir involved in the music of his films?

We last worked during Rang De Basanti . I just get just feedback from him. He is more involved in the music of Gajini than any of his previous films.

Whats the best part about 2008 yet?

The best part of 2008 for me is the launch of my music conservatory. It's very important to me, and a completely different road. I am looking forward to this exciting venture.

What was your reason for opening this school?

The time has come to start, so that we could have an orchestra. We have got about 1,000 queries and managing director Selvakumar is in the process of replying to it. It is about musicians. Only if you have musicians, you can have composers. [We want] to create a pallate of players for future composers. If they don't have musicians, they will make music out of computers. By this, they might lose the joy of listening to live music and composing from that.

Are you scoring the music for Rajiv Menon's Dhun?

Yes, we are in the process of getting it finalised.

You were supposed to go to Cannes Film Festival this year. Why did you not go?

That was very strange. I saw it in the newspapers. I had other commitments, and they called me on a very short notice. So I could not go.

Courtesy: rediff.com

Rahman goes designer for Cannes

The music maestro has hired designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil to dress him up for the coveted film festival, reports Sheree Gomes-Gupta

He has wowed audiences the world over with his superlative performances, and his music probably overshadows everything else he does…or even wears. But, as we recently learnt, AR Rahman isn’t just conscious of the beats he composes, but also the way he looks.


Not only does the music maestro have a stylist, but he has roped in his favourite designers — Shantanu and Nikhil — to dress him up for the Cannes Film Festival, starting May 14.

“His style sense completely gels with our brand philosophy, which is understated, classic, sophisticated and luxurious. Which is why he loves our clothes and has been wearing them to his concerts,” says Nikhil Mehra of the designer duo.

So, what’ll he be wearing? “We’ve made him a navy blue jodhpuri bandgala, reminiscent of his Indian heritage, yet with a very stylish cut and silhouette suitable for red carpet dressing. Bringing in the luxe touch to the outfit is the appliqué work on the jacket inspired by the Mughal era. The outfit pays tribute to Rahman, both as a man and as an artiste who does India proud,” he adds.

Interestingly, the music composer had just one request for the designers — to avoid the colour black. “Yes, he does not like the colour black. But apart from that one input, he left the designing to us,” reveals Nikhil.

Known best for their red carpet dressing, having designed for the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Sushmita Sen, Shilpa Shetty and Saif Ali Khan, among others, for several award functions, the two are now in the midst of getting their line for the IFFA awards in place. “We’re busy finishing the collection and will be soon sending the designs out to various actresses,” informs Nikhil.

And while they’ve got a whole bevy of beauties on their wish list, they’re hoping Deepika Padukone, Konkana Sen Sharma and Katrina Kaif will wear their red carpet style to the IFFA. “Let’s see how it works out,” he says.

Courtesy: dnaIndia.com