Rahman becomes Oscar juror

Seven months after winning two Oscar titles, A R Rahman will take on a new role as a voting member for the Academy Awards — from next year. The music composer is one of the 134 artistes to have received an invitation to join the Oscar roster of voting members for 2009.

Rahman has received an invite from the Board of Governors, considering his contribution to music — in recognition of his score in the films Slumdog Millionaire and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The 43-year-old ‘Mozart of Madras’ was unavailable for comment, but sources close to him confirmed that Rahman would join the 6000-plus voters of the elite list for the Oscars from next year. With this, Rahman will be in the company of Will Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson and Mira Nair to choose the winners of the most famous international awards.

Membership for the academy voters roster is limited, and open only by invitation. Those who have been nominated for the Oscars are eligible to be on the voters list. Joining Rahman this year are Casey Affleck, Hugh Jackson, apart from Peter Gabriel, who was Rahman’s contender in the Best Original Song category.

Rahman, who won an Oscar each for Best Musical Score and Best Song this year for Slumdog Millionaire, has now signed on a complete Hollywood project, Couples Retreat, apart from working on an international short film with Shekar Kapur, A Night of Passage. He is said to be eyeing more Hollywood projects.

Courtesy:expressbuzz.com

ARR does Passage for Shekhar Kapur

After ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, AR Rahman has teamed up with the noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. Our Music Maestro has thrown in his musical magic on ‘Passage’, the first short film directed by Shekhar Kapur. The film is produced by Swarovski Entertainment and is shot entirely in Argentina.

It is said that in this one, Rahman’s tuneful compositions have blended fabulously with the director’s visuals. ‘Passage’ is based on three women and the story carries enhancing visuals and sounds, which portrays an emotional passage through despair and loss to reconciliation. The film stars Julia stiles, Lily Cole and Haley Bennett. Indian singer has also lent her voice for a track in this film.

‘Passage’ was first screened in ‘Sankalpa’ - an installation by Shekhar Kapur and David Adjaye that is on display until summer 2010 in Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria. Recently a grand screen on the film was held on the island of La Giudecca.

Well, with ‘Passage’, here’s is another impressive jewel added to Rahman’s career crown.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Rahman, Danny Boyle invited to become Oscar voters

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited India's music maestro A.R. Rahman and four other Oscar winners associated with the Academy award sweeper "Slumdog Millionaire" to join its roster of voting members.

Rahman has been invited for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", while the film's British Director Danny Boyle is also cited for "Sunshine".

Besides "Slumdog Millionaire", producer Christian Colson has been cited for "The Descent", cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle for "The Last King of Scotland" and film editor Chris Dickens chosen for "Shaun of the Dead".

They are among 134 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2009 to the Academy's roster of voting members.

"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," said Academy President Sid Ganis in an announcement from Beverly Hills, California.

"It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy, and I welcome each of them to our ranks."

The Academy's membership would have allowed a maximum of 166 new members in 2009, but as in the previous years, the several branch committees endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them.

Voting membership in the organisation has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.

New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Academy's Fairbanks Centre for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.

Courtesy: hindu.com

Rahman plans Broadway-style musical in India

Music composer AR Rahman, making a self-confessed "U-turn" after his success with the Lord of the Rings musical on London's West End, is now planning to bring a mega Broadway-style musical to India.

"Yes, it will be very soon," Rahman said at the Jet Airways-sponsored gala launch of the Lord of the Rings compact disc in London on Monday.

Rahman said his plan is to create an original musical play - of the kind seen in London and New York - to be put up on an Indian stage, most probably in Haryana, near Delhi.

The staging will hinge on plans by Indian events management and entertainment company Wizcraft to develop an entire town near Delhi, patterned after Las Vegas, Rahman told IANS in an interview.

"There will be a big theatre, that's all good news. It's good to see people opening up," he said.

Although Rahman is keeping his plans tightly wrapped, it is aimed at linking Indian tourism with a modern musical stage, just as London's West End attracts millions of international tourists.

"A lot of things are too early to say, let's hope for the best."

Whether the original musical will be on the scale of London's musicals remains to be seen - Rahman himself prefers something on the scale of "Lion King", based on a popular Disney film.

Lord of the Rings, the most expensive West End production, is an eye-popping spectacular that cost £12 million (about Rs.950 million) to put up. On any given night there are 226 people - from computer programmers to actors - involved in the show, which brings British author J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy epic to life.

But Rahman, who has breathed life into the cult classic with his music, said he has made a "u-turn" after his stint with West End and Hollywood - he scored the music for Elizabeth: the Gold Age - and is now looking at India.

"I've been given great respect in India. It's time for me to give back," he said in the interview.

His biggest projects at the moment are his music production company KM Music and a music school that he launched in Chennai on his birthday, January 6.

Looking at India again, he said, has had "a liberating effect" on him.

With American and British musician-friends ready to fly to India to help with his project, Rahman said his school is designed to teach "the minutiae" of music to young Indians, adding: "That's what every kid wants to do - learn music the right away.

"Some of this stuff is beyond money - it's about changing people's perspective on things. This can only be done if you have a musical vision. It might not give instant gratification, but in the long run it's going to help shape up a lot of things."

The launch of the CD on Monday night was a gala affair led by Raja Segran, Jet Airways regional vice-president for Britain, Europe and Americas.

Drawing a parallel between the "Jet experience" and the show, Segran said both were known for their "quality, innovation and the fact they take people on a magical experience".

Courtesy: Hindustantimes.com

Controversy and Bollywood's versions of Indian history go hand in hand

Controversy and Bollywood's versions of Indian history seem to go hand in hand. HIMANSHU BHAGAT talks to some historians to find out why

WHEN K ASIF made Mughal-e- Azam in 1960, he adhered to popular folklore and showed Jodha Bai as the Rajput queen of the Mughal emperor Akbar. There was no controversy. Asif's tale of forbidden love between Akbar's son Prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali became a huge hit. Perhaps people were too busy humming “Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya” to notice any historical inaccuracies. Or they just didn't care. Almost fifty years later, as Ashutosh Gowariker is set to release Jodhaa Akbar, a tale of love between Akbar and Jodha Bai, played by Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, a section of Rajputs in Rajasthan has protested that the film is historically inaccurate and threatened to block its screening in the state.

Factually at least, they are on solid ground. Akbar never married Jodha Bai. It was his son, Prince Salim who did. Salim became Emperor Jehangir. And his son from Jodha Bai, Prince Khurram, succeeded his father as Emperor Shah Jahan. “All this goes to show that history is not settled business,” says Mahmood Farooqui, who is currently writing a book on 1857 but is better known as a dastango who has single-handedly revived dastangoi or the traditional art of oral storytelling in Delhi. “It is almost as if each generation has its own myths about the past.” “Those protesting the movie have two specific objections,” says Dilbag Singh, professor of Mughal history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. “That a different person was married to Akbar. And, that there was no love affair between the two.” Iqtidar Alam Khan, the noted historian and authority on Akbar who teaches at Aligarh Muslim University, points out that Akbar did marry a Rajput princess but she was Harka Bai, daughter of the Kachwaha ruler of Amber, Raja Bharmal. “The erroneous tradition that Akbar was married to Jodha Bai can be traced back at least to the 18th century. That is when we find the first written reference to it,” he says.

Shah Nadeem, who teaches history at Zakir Husain College in Delhi University, also points out that one of the palaces at Fatehpur Sikri, the city built by Akbar near Agra, is called Jodha Mahal, and is one reason why Jodha Bai is popularly believed to have been Akbar's queen. But why should getting Akbar's Rajput wife's name wrong touch a raw nerve? Is there some latent sense of communal grievance behind the protest? Singh can't see why the Rajputs should harbour any grudge against the Mughals. As he points out, the tradition of intermarriage among ruling families as a means to achieve political stability and forge new ties is an old one. Rajput princesses were married to Muslim sultans in Delhi and Gujarat during the pre-Mughal era. “The Mughals merely systematised this tradition. Akbar was the first Mughal emperor to marry a Rajput princess,” says Singh. “From the time of Shah Jahan, the practise of establishing matrimonial ties between the Mughals and the Rajputs declined. It is no coincidence that, around the same time, the Mughals had achieved a healthy degree of political stability.” And the Rajputs had no qualms about intermarriage with the Mughals. Khan feels people often forget that the medieval world was very different from ours, with different attitudes and outlook. “The Rajputs wouldn't have seen the Mughals as 'outsiders', for the idea of India as a nation didn't exist at the time,” he says. “In matters related to marriage, caste pride played a bigger role. The Rajputs, for instance, would never have married into communities they felt were lower in the caste hierarchy.” Whether it is a film based on the life of Mangal Pandey, or one on Bhagat Singh, or one that depicts the plight of widows a hundred years ago (Deepa Mehta's Water) - in India, films based on historical themes inevitably become controversial.

This also holds true for books on historical figures like Shivaji, Nehru or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Questions about Shivaji's parentage incense some; others object to a close examination of Nehru's relationship with Edwina Mountbatten or of Netaji's links with Hitler. Perhaps the phenomenon is an indicator of the fact that India is “a land of million mutinies” where castes, community and regional groupings feel the need to assert their identity for a number of reasons. And history is the key to identity.

“In England, there is the historical [Queen] Elizabeth [the First] and there is the popular Elizabeth. There is a consensus about her there,” says Mahmood Farooqui. “But there is no consensus here. If you make a film on Ambedkar or on Bhagat Singh supporters of Gandhi are likely to object. And it can go the other way round.” Singh points out that in India, group identities play a larger role in the individual's psyche as compared to the West. “Mughal court historians referred to Jats as plunderers and even today the Jat community resents that,” he says. “They were actually farmers - peasant proprietors and zamindars - who resisted Mughal power.” Farooqui feels that an artist must be mindful of these realities. His current dastan (story) is set during the Partition and features a street poem from a time that is very critical of Nehru. “There is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech,” he says. “You can go to certain extent but not beyond that.” What bothers most historians is the cavalier fashion in which films and television in India treat history. They appreciate that a film is meant to entertain and not serve as a history lesson.


But there are ways of going about it. “The television serial Prithviraj Chauhan, which is being aired currently is one hundred percent fiction,” says an indignant Singh. Shah can cite any number of instances where “Bollywood's fetish for love affairs” means that facts mean nothing. He points out that contrary to what the film Razia Sultana depicts, the real Razia - the only woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate - did not fall in love with the Abyssinian noble Yaqut. He also cites the SRKstarrer Asoka as a poorly researched film littered with factual inaccuracies. “In case you don't already know, Ashoka didn't attack Kalinga because he was in love with a girl,” he says. There is a reason why he feels strongly about this. “Some accuracy and a basic adherence to facts are necessary because films and TV have a hold on the popular imagination and shape perceptions,” he says.

There are examples which filmmakers can learn from. “A good historical film is Satyajit Ray's adaptation of Premchand's novella Shatranj Ke Khiladi,” says Shah. “The tale of two chess-playing noblemen during the last days of Awadh is completely fictional. But the setting is authentic and historically accurate. The film gave a true picture of Awadh during the tumult of 1856 and its last Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.” The mix of history, folklore and outright fantasy can make for good entertainment but a more discerning viewership, as well as one that is quick to take offence, will ensure that film directors think twice before they decide to set their next love story in the 16th century.

Courtesy: Indiafm.com

Rehman is Lord of the Rings

If sources are to be believed, renowned music composer A R Rehman will be going to London for the music launch of a play called Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings is a play adapted by the same Oscar award winning film. Rehman has done the entire score of this play.

It is also believed that Rehman has approached Universal Music Company to release his album of Lord of the Rings . We spoke to Sunil D’Sa, Managing Director Sales, Universal Music who confirmed the news saying, “Yes Rehman is in talks with Universal to release the music of his LOTR album. But nothing has been finalized as yet.”


However our source informs us that the music launch will be in London and Rehman will be leaving for it in the last week of February.

Rehman who composed for Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age , is open to other Hollywood projects as well. He had earlier composed for the Broadway musical Bombay Dreams . His chartbuster composition Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se was used as the end credits for Denzil Washington’s film Inside Man .

Here’s to another Global Indian .

Courtesy: Indiatimes.com

Rahman runs from Bollywood

Bollywood’s loss is going to be the Western world’s gain.

A R Rahman is deliberately turning down big assignments here because of copyright and royalty issues regarding music sales. The reticent retainer of the raga and rhythm is reluctant to discuss the issue.

“It’s too complicated. But, yes, the issues do stop me from accepting more Bollywood offers. Those who want to work with me in Mumbai but won’t agree to my conditions, are going to other composers. At the moment, I’ve also cut down film assignments because I want to focus on creating a Western-classic music conservatory in India. With this I hope to bridge the gap between Western classical and Indian ragas. Imagine a thumri being played by an orchestra! Or a Carnatic raga being a part of a big Hollywood epic,” said Rahman.

The musical visionary says he needs to take his music to another level now. “I can’t be doing just films, films, films all my life,” said Rahman. “But whenever I work in Mumbai, I give my fullest concentration, as I did for Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar , which I’m proud of.”

However, international assignments are getting more prominent in Rahman’s career. “I enjoyed doing Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth — The Golden Age . Now my music for the stage adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings is ready. The album is being released in Feb.”

Rahman sees this album as his big international leap. “Every song has a minimum of 200 musicians and technicians involved in it. Huge choirs and orchestras were brought into play. We recorded the album in London and mixed it in my studio at Chennai. The whole crew came down from all over the world.” All the songs are in English and in Elvish...the language of The Lord Of The Rings. “I had lots of help from fellow musicians like Christopher Nightingale. It took me three years to do the album.”

Looking back, Rahman is not the least content with his achievements. “It’s never enough,” he rued. “Music is my only therapy. There’re so many awful things happening in the world. I wish I could heal the world. My peace anthems like Vande Mataram and Pray For Me, Brother are a small candle light in the storm. But you never know which candle will light a thousand other candles.”

Courtesy: TimesofIndia.com

RAHMAN IS GO-GO IN NEW AVATAR

Even though A.R. Rahman may look different with the new hairstyle that he sports, yet he is the same music director who is always lost in the world of his tunes. When asked about his new look he says that he went to Haj and had to shave off his head. Besides, his wife liked it and he didn't have any album to release, so he has let it be as it is. Regarding his two movies this year - Shekhar Kapoor's Elizabeth and Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar - Rahman says that though both are period films, yet they are all about human beings. Summing it up he says, "Music has to reveal the basic human emotions. At the end of the day, it is the human feelings that matter."


When we sought his views on the loud music of Elizabeth, the music director admits it and explains: It is co-composed by me. When we started the film it was arty. When I saw the film, I felt it was dragging. We wanted the music to be pulsating and throbbing to make the film better." Isn't the music like that of Roja? Rahman quips, "Yes, and from there on I decided that I should not go below that benchmark. It was complementary because Roja also got several international awards. Haven't Tamil films taken a back seat since he got busy with international ventures? The music director admits it, too. "There was a time when I used to do six films a year. Now, I do one or two Tamil and three to four Hindi films a year." Rahman believes in God and asserts that He controls his life otherwise he wonders if he would have been able to continue working from midnight till morning.

Courtesy: Smashits.com

Rahman: the golden age

Last Saturday, he rocked New Delhi, absolutely ‘live' at an HT concert.. even as he maintains his position of the No 1 music whiz of the nation. What keeps him bettering himself? What are the pleasures and the pains encountered on his beat route? So, here's AR Rahman in a freespinning interview with V Ananth
Whatever happened to your unruly locks?
When I went for Haj, I shaved off my long hair. Fortunately or unfortunately, my wife liked my new look.. she insisted that I should keep it. (Laughs) I had no other alternative but to listen to my wife.

Does your style of composing music change when you do an international project like Elizabeth: The Golden Age?
The music for Elizabeth.. has been co-composed by me. When Shekhar started the project, he wanted to make it very artistic and dark. But then, he decided to make the film more entertaining.. and the music more pulsating.
As a composer, I'd say music stems from one's emotions. So, there's absolutely no difference in my approach, whether I'm composing for Jodhaa Akbar or Elizabeth.

When you look back, how do you assess your music?
"As a composer, I'd say music stems from one's emotions. So, there's absolutely no difference in my approach, whether I'm composing for Jodhaa Akbar or Elizabeth"Roja set the standard for me as a composer. And frankly, I can't guage where to go after Elizabeth. Let's see.. at this very point of time, I'm very excited about my next international album - The Lord of The Rings which will be released on December 10. It has many as 15 tracks. As much as 20,000 pounds would be spent a day on the orchestration.
I believe you have started your own music company.
Yes. It's called K M Musiq. I'm really kicked about it. All these years, I was being commissioned by others.. now I can commission others.
But it seems you now insist on royalty for every music score..which is why you couldn't compose for Om Shanti Om.
In life, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You have to take certain risks to reach your goal.
Which have been your most vital steps ahead?
Undoubtedly Vande Mataram and the score for the stage musical Bombay Dreams.
What do you find wrong with the Indian film music industry?
There are several problems. The saddest thing is that no one takes acoustic instruments seriously. Most musicians just prefer to work on keyboards. But I've stopped getting angry. One should be true to one's own self.. because one candle can light a million.
"I work at night, occasionally , whenever I'm dealing with a jet lag situation, not otherwise."Do you still work like an owl all night and sleep by day?
That's rubbish! If that was true, I wouldn't be sitting here with you doing an inteview in the afternoon. I work at night, occasionally , whenever I'm dealing with a jet lag situation, not otherwise.
How busy are you as a music director right now?
I'm into a somewhat more relaxed pace now. There was a time when I'd be doing six Tamil and two to three Hindi films a year.
How many Tamil films are you working on at this point of time?
(Laughs) Ha! That's a good question. I wish I knew the answer. I'm doing two Tamil films – Sultan, the animation film being made by Rajnikant's daughter Soundarya and Prabhu's Sakkarakkatti.
And Hindi films?
Well, let me see. Gajini, Ada, Jaane Tu Naa Jaane Naa, Delhi 6, the Hindi dubbed version of the Rajnikant movie Sivaji, Subhash Ghai's Main Hoon Yuvraj and Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar.
You were against the idea of composing for dubbed films. So, how did you make an exception for Sivaji?
You're right there.I don't encourage the dubbing of my songs in other languages.
Yes, so Sivaji is an exception.
It has beaty foot-tapping music which should connect on an all-India level.
You are often accused of working for big production banners at the cost of small films.
Sorry, that isn't true at all. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing Sakkarakkatti which is a small film.
Are you composing the music for an animation film called Cockroach being planned by Shekhar Kapur?
Yes. I'm excited about that. Animation films allow your imagination to take flight.
What do you like about your music?
That's a tricky question. If I say I like my music, I'll be blowing my own trumpet. And if I say I don't like my music, I'll sound disgruntled.
"Some people have unfairly jumped to the conclusion that Aamir and I've had a fight because I haven't done Taare Zameen Par. The fact is that I was committed to several films when Aamir asked me."
Some film producers in the South have accused you of recruiting Hindi singers to do the playback for your Tamil films at their cost.
I will gladly plead guilty of that because I don't believe in parochialism. On the other hand, if I feel that a Tamil singer suits the need of a Hindi film song, I'll take that route without thinking twice.
Why have you cut down on giving breaks to new singers of late?
Let me make this very clear -today, new singers aren't of much use. We need great new singers. I haven't come across any new singer who's above average.
How do you prevent yourself from becoming complacent about your music?
(Pause.. looks away) I was clear right from the moment when I started out, some 16-17 years ago, as a beginner called Dilip Shankar. I was clear that I'm just an instrument in the hands of God. I believe that God up there controls me in whatever I am doing. If don't work in accordance to what God ordains, then I'll be washed out.
"I wouldn't hesitate to pick my top 10: Roja, Rangeela, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Kandukonden Kandukonden, Zubeidaa, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti and Guru." After composing major hit songs for Aamir Khan in Rangeela, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti, how come you haven't done his Taare Zameen Par? Have you fallen out with him?
Who says so? I am composing for his film Gajini. Some people have unfairly jumped to the conclusion that Aamir and I've had a fight because I haven't done Taare Zameen Par. The fact is that I was committed to several other films when Aamir asked me to be a part of the project.
Finally, top of the head, can you pick your 10 best movie music scores?
It's very difficult to play favourites. Still.. I wouldn't hesitate to pick my top 10: Roja, Rangeela, Bombay, Dil Se, Taal, Kandukonden Kandukonden, Zubeidaa, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti and Guru.

Courtesy: Hindustantimes.com

I have no differences with Aamir Khan: AR Rehman

AR Rahman made an impact with his debut in 1992, although not many believed he would be around for too long. Today, he has become the heartbeat of the nation. He chats about his past, present and future.
Q. What is it about the music industry that makes you angry?
A. I have stopped getting angry. There is no point blaming others. I believe in being the change, not the observer. One person can inspire others, just like one candle can light a million candles. Just be true to yourself. The Internet helps people to focus on their objectives, and to consolidate elements to make a difference.
Q. The Internet is a boon and a bane, what with free downloads.
A. The Internet is like your mind. It can be filled with either good thoughts, or bad thoughts, or both. The Internet is a personal thing.

Q. How do you strike a balance between South Indian films and Bollywood, when it comes to your work?
A. It is terrifying, trying to maintain in both. I am working in a team, the director helps. If I were to work alone, then it would have been difficult.
Q. Do you still work at night?
A. Not anymore, no.
Q. What are your forthcoming Tamil releases?
A. There is one film named 'Sakarkatti', and an animated film named 'Sultan' that Rajnikanth's daughter, Saundarya, is making.
Q. It must be more difficult to compose music for an animation film.
A. Not really. It is the same thing, in fact, you can use your imagination more freely.
Q. Now that you have Hollywood films, have Tamil and Hindi films taken a back seat?
A. In a way, yes. I used to do six to seven Tamil movies, and three to four Hindi films, annually. I have reduced my work by half, and am taking things easier. There is much less stress.
Q. The dubbed version of 'Sivaji' will have Hindi songs with Tamil tunes.
A. Yes, because the Tamil culture should be obvious. We are not trying to set it in a North Indian environment. It is dubbed only so that people can understand.
Q. What are the other releases that you are looking forward to?
A. The album, 'The Lord of the Rings'. It is releasing on December 10, and it is going to be a huge event.
Q. Whom do you like better, Rahman the music director, or Rahman, the singer?
A. That is a difficult question. If you like yourself too much, then you get into trouble, and if you don't, then you get into trouble anyway. So, I am critical.
Q. How do you prevent yourself from getting too complacent?
A. I have always been clear about one thing – I am just an instrument, and God controls me. If I am lazy, just sitting in one place, then I am like a battery that has not been charged. There has to be excitement, which is why I take up projects that are exciting.
Q. How do you deal with critics?
A. The Internet has helped a lot – we can check blogs, and see what people have written, what the negatives and positives are. When we make a film with a big star, we have to make sure the music is in his favour. We cannot then experiment.
Q. How do you adjust to the different environments that you work in?
A. When you are an adult, you speak in varied tones to your child, wife, or intellectual. You become a different person within each situation. That is a simple analogy for the way I work.
Q. Tell us about 'The Lord of the Rings'.
A. It is probably one of the most complex projects that I have been involved in. It is good composition. The whole team was in Chennai recently to complete the mixing. It has more than 15 tracks.
Q. There are rumours of differences between Aamir Khan and you.
A. Just because I am not composing his next film does not mean we have fallen out.
Q. The music of 'Elizabeth – The Golden Age' seems deliberately loud.
A. When we began, the music sounded very arty, and I felt that the film would drag if we continued with the same music. The film itself is artistic, so the pulsating, throbbing music is in contrast to the feel of the music. It was a creative decision to make the film enjoyable.
Q. What are your other forthcoming films, besides 'Ghajini'?
A. There are a few – 'Jane Tu Jane Na', 'Jodha Akbar', 'Yuvraj', 'Aadab', 'Dilli 6', and the Hindi version of 'Sivaji'.
Q. What are your favourite top 10 projects?
A. Very difficult to choose, when it is your own work, but here goes – 'Roza', 'Bombay', 'Taal', 'Lagaan', 'Zubeida', 'Rang De Basanti', 'Dil Se', and 'Rangeela'

Courtesy:Santabanta.com

Rahman’s dream comes true

Last Sunday, Delhi witnessed a concert by none other than the Mozart of Madras, A R Rahman. About 25,000 strong audiences thronged the open-air venue at Rajouri Garden to listen to their favorite composer churn out one hit after the other. Rahman, dressed in a white sherwani, dominated the grand stage, which had LCD screens flanking both wings, scores of steps leading up to a tiny balcony on one side, which was lit up by multi-colored lights.

Rahman, after the concert, addressed the press where he said it was his long time dream to perform in the national capital. When some reporters quizzed him on the use of north Indian singers for his Tamil numbers, he said that he chose singers whose voices he felt would be most appropriate for the song and had no regional biases as such. Reporters asked him if he overlooked small budget films, to which Rahman replied: “I am presently working on a Tamil film titled Sakkarakatti, which is a low budget film.” Apparently what interest him are the story and the passion of the filmmaker and not the budget of the film. He also expressed his satisfaction over the response he received for his composition in Shekar Kapur’s Elizabeth 2: The Golden Age, which is releasing across the country tomorrow. Rahman’s fans in Delhi seemed all excited as he rolled out hit after hit from his Hindi and Tamil films and even enthralled them with songs from the yet-to-be released Jodha Akbar. Definitely a concert to remember for Delhiites!

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

I love to hear fresh voices: AR Rahman

Although he hasn't slept for nearly 40 hours, he wears a his trademark smile. Over to the Chennai maestro.. A R Rahman:

Are you ready to select new talent in the Fever 104 FM Voice Hunt?
I'm not selecting them. I feel bad when you say that. I love to hear fresh voices. I'm sure even people will be excited. It'll be great to have Delhi's talent while we perform there. We did that in the US too, and it worked very well.

You're accustomed to working late in the night. What makes you look tired now?
I'm jet lagged. I'm coming straight from a flight from the UK. I just finished recording the album of The Lord Of The Rings. Working on a stage musical is time and energy consuming.

Are films better than musicals?
I like the instinct of films. You finish them and move on. In musicals, you do your thing, you rewrite and do it till it's perfect.

Any recent movies you've worked on?
Elizabeth II and Jodhaa Akbar. Come to think of it, it's strange but both are 15th century historicals. They're not dry subjects though. Jodhaa sounds fine to me. There are lots of songs in it.

Weren't you approached to compose the songs of Om Shanti Om?
I love to hear fresh voices. I'm sure even people will be excited. It'll be great to have Delhi's talent while we perform there. We did that in the US too, and it worked very well.Farah (Khan) came to me but something went wrong in the contract. I appreciate what Vishal Shekhar have done.

Of late, you've also made an informal foray into some aspects of filmmaking. True?
Oh! Who spilled the beans? Well, it's a great responsibility. Initially, I used to leave a song to its fate. But now, I feel a sense of responsibility. People trust you and you have to live up to their expectations. A song's placement or treatment means a lot to the composers.. you can't let it go wrong. So, I've become an alarmist. But, I've no plans to act. I just can't do it.

Any angst regarding the industry?
Sometimes we are pushed. People want to release films on a festival day or on a particular date. Then your creativity gets affected. I don't compromise, nor do I stop working with them because I can under stand their situation too.

A lot of artistes complain about the way you make them record on a dummy track.
(Laughs) Who told you that? You have to tell me. Actually, I know some of them are angry with me. I think, I don't know what I'm doing. It all comes together in the end. But that process works for in a pop situation, not in the classical. When there is melody, you need to have everything done traditionally.

Do you ensure that there is no room for controversies?
Every problem has easy solutions. Why do we need make them controversial? I tell my people take the bad energy out of their minds and keep working.

Are you happy with the technical growth of the music industry?
Yes.. quite. It's changing at break neck speed. Some recent albums of are certainly of international standard. But we can't be complacent. We always listen to songs from the West and exclaim, "What a song!" But do they ever say that for us?
We also speak in English.Why don't we sing in it and have them say, "Wow, this is from the East?" We need anthems like John Lennon's Imagine. Even the West doesn't have too many today.

What after Pray for Me?
It wasn't about being on the charts. Recording companies in the West were interested in releasing it, but as a part of an English album by me. I had a lot to do back home. There is a lot of potential in that song, it's not over yet.

I'm also looking forward to launching my label. I wish I get more time for that. I'm working on two-three albums already. So, I'm cutting down on work.

Courtesy: Hindustantimes.com

A cockroach in Shekhar’s next

Before he went about donning a film director’s hat, Shekhar Kapur was an accountant, a model, an actor, a chat-show host and even a scuba diving instructor! “Diving has always been a passion. I was an instructor ages ago. Whenever I get a chance, I go for a swim in the sea or go scuba diving,” says the director enthusiastically.

Shekhar jokes about how he’s hoping that adman Prahlad Kakkar would ‘someday’ invite him to his scuba diving school at Lakshadweep. He assures us that he’s not going to take up his old job.

“I discovered that life was not just about a career when I was 24,” says the critically-acclaimed direcor currently in town to promote his film ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’. “My life has been a journey from then on for discovering new things and learning more about myself,” he adds.

Apart from the last part of the Elizabeth trilogy, the director is also planning to take up an animation film where the central character will be a cockroach!

He has somehow managed to convince AR Rahman to be on board for this project. “The cockroach will be the only living character left in a world when there are no humans left,” he says.

Coming back to his controversial movie, we ask if he obsessed with Elizabeth? “It’s a character that I can manipulate as most things related to her and that era is almost mythical,” he shoots back, admitting that he is besotted by Cate Blanchett as “she’s one of the most talented actors in the world”.

But the one girl who has wrested all his attention right now is his seven-year-old daughter Kaveri. “I am planning a vacation with her in Goa. There are times when at the end of the day she falls asleep on my shoulder. I stay awake all night because I am scared that she might wake up if I moved,” he signs off.

Courtesy: DnaIndia.com