Growing demand for Rahman’s tunes

The tunes of AR Rahman has been relished by music lovers from ‘Roja’, ‘Mumbai’, ‘Gentleman’, ‘Donga Donga’, ‘Rangeela’, ‘Indian’, ‘Prema Desam’, ‘Jeans’, ‘Taal’, ‘Sakhiya’, ‘Lagaan’, ‘Amrutha’, ‘Naani’, ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘Yuvraaj’ to ‘Ghajini’ and the endless list goes on..

Rahman’s double Oscar glory is surging in the country and the demand for his albums in the market is now raging high with patrons thronging towards the stores.

Within this past two weeks, the sales have gone up by more than thirty percent. Store dealers have ordered extra copies of the albums ‘Bombay Dreams’, ‘Signature Collections’, ‘Vandematharam’, ‘Live in Dubai’ and ‘Between Heaven and Earth’. 

The signature tune of Airtel is on air all over India depicting Rahman’s stature and sale records are in a never-seen-before consign in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Along with movie albums, patriotic and international albums are emptying the stocks, as said by retailers.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Mozart of Madras in 'Marmayogi'

A R Rahman will team up with Kamal Haasan for 'Marmayogi' and the mega movie will hit the floors next month in Mumbai. The film is written and directed by Kamal Haasan.

This period film set in the sixth century AD features Kamal Haasan in the lead role.

According to a confident Kamal Haasan, 'music would be the mainstay of the movie. I will be joining hands with Rahman for the project. We are sure of creating wonders'.


Kamal Haasan and Rahman had earlier worked together in ‘Indian’ and ‘Thenali’. Both the movies went on to become smash hits. The songs in the films topped the audio charts.

Both Kamal Haasan and A. R. Rahman are known for extensive research in order to get things right. Their combination might just work wonders with rich entertainment value.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

NRI groups call for boycott of Jodha Akbar movie

With historians having differences on Princess Jodha Bai, some NRI groups have joined the protest against the screening of Bollywood movie Jodhaa Akbar , saying it "grossly distorts" Indian history.

In a press release here, the groups said that they considered these "distortions to be extremely insensitive and it hurts the sentiments of millions of people who love the culture, history and traditions of India."

Calling for a boycott of the movie directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, the supporters of the campaign-led by Rajput Karni Sena said while this film may be fictional in nature, but a mere disclaimer of 30 seconds or so at the beginning of a movie rarely gets registered in the mind of the moviegoer.

"It is the main movie, its story and the events it depicts that leave a lasting imprint."

The groups joining the campaign include Agni Foundation; the Netherlands, Global Institute for Truth & Awareness (GITA), USA; Hindi USA; Independent NRI Forum, USA; Kashmir Task Force, USA; Save Temples, USA.

"Some people have asked whether even a Bollywood movie can seriously damage a culture of billion people. No, in the long run, it cannot. But that is not the point. The real concern of the campaign is for each and every person," said Naresh Sharma of Global Institute for Truth & Awareness.

Supporters of the campaign say that the depiction of romance between 'Akbar' and 'Jodhaa' prior to their marriage is a total concoction because based on historical records and contrary to what the film projects, nobody called 'Jodhaa' has ever been associated with Jalaluddin, later called Akbar. In fact, there is no mention of 'Jodhaa' in the historical records prepared by Akbar's own historian Abul Fazl.

Courtesy: Indiatimes.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