Roja was my benchmark, says A R Rahman

A meeting between two musical geniuses was in the making but fate cancelled it. Composer A R Rahman, two days before he won two Oscars forSlumdog Millionaire, had received an e-mail invitation from late pop singer Michael Jackson to discuss projects. Rahman talks about Jackson, spirituality and the film that set off his career with CNN-IBN’s Rajeev Masand on To Catch A Star.

Rajeev Masand: May I start by asking you, at an average, how much time do you get to sleep these days? I know that you are committed to doing a lot of work both in India and in America, do you have enough time to really rest?

A R Rahman: I need to sleep, otherwise I fall ill the next day, at least six to seven hours, but sometimes it's in installments.

Rajeev Masand:When you keep the Oscars at home, does everyone want to look at it, touch it?

A R Rahman: I have not seen it for ages. I don't know where it is. It's somewhere in the building I guess.

Rajeev Masand: You have always said that healthy arguments with your directors and lyricists often result in the creation of some very good music. I am guessing after the Oscars no one really wants to argue with you anymore, no one really disputes your suggestions anymore.

A R Rahman: I don't know if it works that way. Because in the interest of any big films, there's always an argument and a vision which is most the director's and if you are sensible you have to go through with that vision. You can't say, "I have written a beautiful song, fitted in the movie, I don't care."

Rajeev Masand: There is a popular perception even amongst your greatest fans that Jai Ho and the music of Slumdog Millionaire isn't necessarily your best music.

A R Rahman: They are not giving me the Oscar for my life, they are giving it for the film and that particular moment the film came in and how different the music and the whole theme was for the film. I am really proud about Slumdog Millionaire’s music andJai Ho

Rajeev Masand: You have always said that you wouldn't like your commitments here in India to be affected by the work that you want to do outside. And yet the first casualty of success turned out to be Rajiv Menon's film Dhun, he is an old friend of yours, but you are unable to do his film?

A R Rahman: It's a bullet which I have to take and had to give him also. His film is very musically demanding and it requires 24 x 7 attention. I can't give a tune through Internet for that film and I didn't want to stop his film in anyway by delaying. I think he is a great filmmaker. He is like a mini Raj Kumar for me. I am sure he is going to come up with really great film and music.

Rajeev Masand: Did you break his heart?

A R Rahman: I don't know. But I needed to take a stand somewhere, I needed to make a choice of not annoying people. But of course there is always a next time and better things are going to happen.

Rajeev Masand: I am sure that you had chance to look at your biography that was published recently?

A R Rahman: I didn't see much of it because but I have heard of different comments passed by people, good and bad about it.

Rajeev Masand: I think your fans are quite eager to know your reaction to the book especially it was fairly critical of you as well. It did speak about you having abandoned your family after you converted to Islam, it spoke about you having abandoned old band mates?

A R Rahman: I wouldn't say that is true because once I seriously started getting into music, I became spiritual, I wouldn't visit my own sister (laughs) and sometimes music needs that. You can't be everything. And a particular time in life comes in when you can compensate.

Like Gandhi, (I am not comparing myself with Gandhi), but for Gandhi the nation was important, for me the music is important.

Rajeev Masand: The book says you abandoned your band mates, the moment Mani Ratnam signed you for Roja There is a critical view of you. It even talks about references to black magic and voodoo. Did you fee betrayed by this book?

A R Rahman: No, I don't want to hide any of my past. There was an incidence in my family about my father. Lot of people believed that he was killed in black magic. So when you are a child you tend to believe everything. And then my overwhelming spiritual thirst made me vanish all the stuff and now I am clean. I am following the Sufi path and I don't care about anything. About the band, it was supposed to be a temporary band.

There was never a thing like I would have to leave my life to come and play in the band. It was a fun thing. We did one number for an album and I became busy in Roja and my band mates were impatient because they wanted to finish the album. So I said if you are impatient please go ahead because I had taken up something, which doesn't come to every individual. I had the best film director asking me for music. I wanted to give my hundred per cent to the film. However, all of them are living their successful lives today.

Rajeev Masand: The acclaimed playback singer S P Balasubramaniam has a complaint. He says that Rahman has very little regard for language and pronunciation. He is happy to use singers from the North to sing Tamil songs, as long as the tune is fine, he doesn't mind very much the words and language or the accent is mutilated often.

A R Rahman: Not every time. Sometimes it’s good to have something funky. Not for the shake of hurting anything but for entertainment sake but that shouldn't become a habit.

Rajeev Masand: Your music for the film Blue is your first album right after the Oscars.

A R Rahman: It's probably the first time I am doing a film like this which is an entertainer and which is about underwater, so the music naturally became fast and beat oriented but we have tried maintain a balance between making sense of melody speed.

Rajeev Masand: You recorded a track with Kylie Minogue for this film.

A R Rahman: It was the wholesome effect of Kylie Minogue they wanted to have in the film. They wanted her to dance and feature in the film in a small part. And she also wanted that to happen for a long time. So she found it a great opportunity. And strangely, she gave me the BAFTA Awards, and next day we recorded the song.

Rajeev Masand: Are you a fan of her music?

A R Rahman: I do like stuff of hers, she is a really lovely person.

Rajeev Masand: It's popularly and very justifiably believed that some of your best work is with Mani Ratnam. You started with him with Roja and Raavan is your eleventh collaboration with him?

A R Rahman: I think so.

Rajeev Masand: What can we expect?

A R Rahman: I am looking forward to this movie because it is turning out to be a very interesting movie.

Rajeev Masand: Your son recently sang for the film Kapil's Retreat, the American film, which you have composed the score for. He has also sung before for Bose, The Forgotten Hero

A R Rahman: No not for Bose

Rajeev Masand: Which was then?

A R Rahman: It was an animation film, which is still a work in progress and the other song is also work in progress. He (son) is getting musical slowly. I just played him the track and he started singing something, which I recorded and happen to use it. In just a very small portion of the song.

Rajeev Masand: Your daughter has sung for Mangal Pandey as well. What's it like working with your kids?

A R Rahman: They have to be programmed in a way, they have to be told what to do and what not to do.

Rajeev Masand: Your music for Delhi 6 is probably your best since Rang De Basanti. What's your favourite song on that sound track?

A R Rahman: Most of them, Rahena Tu, Maula.

Rajeev Masand: Danny Boyle has bought the rights to Suketa Mehta's book Maximum City. Are you committed to scoring that?

A R Rahman: I spoke to Danny but I didn't hear anything about this. But definitely, it's going to be a very interesting film I guess.

Rajeev Masand: You met Michael Jackson shortly after the Oscars. Tell us about that meeting. He has been your influence in your growing years.

A R Rahman: I was supposed to meet Michael in 1999 but because of his mishap in a concert, I couldn't meet him. After nine years, when I went to Los Angeles, my agent said, “I am gonna meet Michael Jackson's manager”. So I just told him, "can I meet him." He said he would email and see if Michael wanted to meet me. So three or four days before the Oscars, we got an email saying Michael Jackson wanted to meet me. So I went to meet him after winning the Oscars. I thought the meeting would be five minutes but it lasted for two hours.

We talked about my music and how I had written them and that how India adored Michael Jackson. Then he called me saying why don't you do something like We Are The World and you conduct the whole thing. I was shocked. Before getting into that he started going to rehearsals for the This Is It concert and the next thing you hear that he is dead. It was a real shocker.

Rajeev Masand: In your first film album Roja was declared by Time magazine as one of the best film soundtracks of all time, how different is the experience of making music now. Has the process changed very much now?

A R Rahman: Roja was my benchmark. I told Mani Ratnam that this was what I wanted to achieve. He helped me do that in a way, patiently waiting and giving productive inputs. So that continues even now. Today, it's easier to put across my musical vision to musicians because they have heard my music. It was difficult to do that in the initial years. People are more thoughtful that ways. They are doing well.

Rajeev Masand: Thank you so much for doing us proud and speaking to us.

Courtesy: ibnlive.in.com

Reinventing Roja magic in English

Mani Ratnam's all time great classic Roja(1992) is going for a digital makeover and is getting dubbed in English. K.Balachandar’s Kavithalaya the original producers are going to dub it in English.

Remember Roja is the debut film of A.R Rahman, and the buzz is that the Oscar winning music director is going to redo all the songs and background score in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.
The original music of the film was recorded in mono at a make shift studio near Kodambakkam bridge in the then Madras (Chennai).
Rahman’s new found international fame will give the English Roja, a fantastic reach.
The English Roja will have a different title and will be a shorter version. A source close to the development of the project said: “The subject is evergreen and relevant even after many years after its release. Please note that the original soundtrack is among the "10 Best Soundtracks” of all time listed by “TIME” magazine.”




Courtesy: sify.com

Lagaan is listed among top 100 Albums

Here’s news that is bound to make Bollywood proud. The soundtrack of Lagaan, composed by double Oscar winner AR Rahman, has been listed among 

Still from Lagaan

the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time by a popular website. 

Incidentally, Rahman’s Roja was earlier listed among the Top 10 soundtracks of all time by Time magazine. Lagaan is listed at No 44 in the current list.

Other Indian albums in the list include The Ravi Shankar Collection: Live — Ravi Shankar At The Monterey International Pop Festival (No 20), singer Asha Bhosle’s Precious Platinum (No 37) and sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan’s Traditional Music of India (No 38).
Courtesy: indiatimes.com

Rahman to give fresh touch-up to ‘Roja’

The music maestro is coming back to his first movie. AR Rahman might be having his hands full with Indian and international projects. But that doesn’t make him neglect this project.

It is said that Rahman will be re-recording the music of the well-acclaimed movie, ‘Roja’. The music composer started his musical journey with this movie and it was the same movie which rocketed him to success skies. ‘Roja’ has been planned to go abroad. Meaning, it is going to be released overseas and so it will be dubbed in English.

This Mani Ratnam’s movie had received several prestigious awards and its songs are considered as the most memorable ones till date.

An honourable opportunity to see this movie touching the English shores!

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

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

Rare honor conferred on Rahman

Noted music composer A R Rahman was conferred the Life Time Achievement award by Rotary Club of Madras for his contribution to Indian music.

Stills and Videos from the Function

Stills and Videos from the Function

A man of simplicity and nobility, Rahman said, ' I still have a long way to go'.


The man who carved a niche for himself coming out with back to back hits ever since he was introduced in Mani Ratnam's Roja was at his usual best.

'If you can start playing the piano at four, you can accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at 40,' said Indra Subramanyam, President, Rotary Club of Madras, summing the musical lifespan of the genius, thus far.

A God-fearing individual, Rahman said, ' Whenever I'm confident about something, I know I am wrong. It is when I'm insecure that I produce something special.'

Rahman said he listens to music from different genres, from The Carpenters to M S Vishwanathan and compositions of Kannadasan and Naushad.

The music genius added that he did a lot of research for ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ and didn't use any of it in the end.

'I wasn't looking to recreate a ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ or to better the compositions of Khayyam or Naushad. I wanted to do something that hadn't been heard before.'

The award ceremony also included a documentary which featured some of the biggest names from the Tamil film industry showering praises on Rahman. Special mention was also made on Rahman, the human being.

K Balachander, Mani Rathnam and Kamal Haasan among others spoke on the audio-visual highlighting the contributions of Rahman.

Watch A R Rahman Honored


Courtesy:

'Sakkarakatti' audio release on July 11

The much awaited audio release of the movie 'Sakkarakatti' with music by one of India's finest talents A. R. Rahman is slated to take place on the 11th of July.

The Tamil film industry is abuzz with excitement with the fact that extensive graphics are being created for the movie's song sequences, which is literally running close to a year.

Reports also suggest that a crore of rupees have been spent for picturizing just one song. The intensity and effectiveness of the songs composed by A. R. Rahman is said to be the reason behind the filmmakers' going through such an effort.

Another interesting piece of information is that A. R. Rahman has hummed for a song titled 'Maruthanni' which has been rendered by Madhushree. It can be recalled that all the songs that have the musician's humming have gone on to be huge chart toppers like 'Chinna Chinna Aasai' in 'Roja' and 'Sanda Kozhi' in 'Aayutha Ezhuthu'.

'Sakkarakatti' has Santhanu, son of writer, director, actor K. Bhagyaraj as hero and yet another film personality's (Kalaipuli Dhanu) son Kalaprabhu as the director.

Ishita and Vedhika play the leading ladies and the film is produced by Kalaipuli Dhanu.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

Rahman's next album after 'Vande Mataram'

Way back in the late 90s, A.R. Rahman's audio album for Sony, 'Vande Mataram', rocked the nation. In fact, it rekindled the patriotic spirit of 'Vande Mataram' through its contemporary sounds and classy arrangements. The album also marked the first and sadly the last union of two maestros. Obviously we are referring to the man himself, A.R.Rahman and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the legendary sufi qawwali singer, whose replacement has still not been found in the music world.

Coming back to our headlines, especially for those music lovers who are wondering as to when the composer of works like ROJA, DIL SE, TAAL, LAGAAN........to the recent JODHAA AKBAR, will come up with another album, after the stupendous success of 'Vande Mataram'. Well, the long wait is more or less over and the good news is that music wizard A.R.Rahman is busy working on his next album. As per very reliable sources, almost a decade after 'Vande Mataram' , Rahman's next album should be out later this year, more details of which are expected soon.

Courtesy: glamsham.com

I have started my own label: A.R. Rahman

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

A R Rahman: I try to be as true as possible

One of the world's biggest composing, production and musical names A R Rahman spoke exclusively to BBC Asian Network's Gagan Grewal this week sharing his views on war and his career.

Rahman, the man behind the musical score of countless Bollywood films as well as West End productions like Andrew Lloyd Webber's BOMBAY DREAMS and LORD OF THE RINGS spoke to Asian Network about his latest projects and war - something he's rarely spoken about in public.


A R Rahman scored his 1st Bollywood song ROJA in 1992 which went on to be listed as one of the top 100 songs of all time by TIME magazine, yet Rahman says it's hard to define a favourite song. In 2003 BBC World Service ran a global poll, asking its listeners for their 10 favourite tracks of the last millennium. A R Rahman had two tracks in the top ten, Vande Mataram - a rendition of the Indian National Song made it to number 2. We asked how that came about.

"I felt I should do something as a personal expression and I teamed up with my school mate Bharat Bala, a talented film maker, and he thought of this idea. I wanted to complete this album with the thought of belonging to the motherland. Though it was a controversial theme, I think the way it was put together I think it was acceptable to every community".

On one of A R's CDs he says the world spends 730 billion dollars on War. We asked A R Rahamn what his views on war are.

"The ultimate fight in humanity was actually for food. But now it's not about food anymore or healing anybody� It's about power, who's more powerful and who can control the world. Everybody's become a control freak, that's the reason why we are spending so much of money on war, and so that's the reason, why it was put on the sleeve of 'Pray for me brother' album. It's a simple thing, we don't think about that, but when we see the reality we feel disgusted about it".
We asked A R Rahman how he has found working over in the UK for the LORD OF THE RINGS musical.

"[It's] Completely different from what I do for movies because here [UK] is different kind of audience, the whole platform is reputed and credible. My first entry there has been great, �Bombay dreams'. �Lord of the Rings' being the 2nd musical, but completely western, completely non Bollywood, non Indian, good diversion for me, to go deeper into this kind of music.

"It [the Bombay Dreams collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber] started, the conversation by Shekhar Kapoor to Andrew introducing my music to him, and he calling me straight and it started all that time, and now Bombay Dreams has almost become a kind of landmark musical where people recognize Indian film from Bombay Dreams. It's a great bridge for that. And a bridge for me to go into western musicals like LORD OF THE RINGS and probably much more in the future".

A R Rahman has won recognition from a broad base including MTV, the Laurence Olivier awards as well as Bollywood. We asked how his father dying when he was nine years old affected him and his career.

"Everything changed when I started discovering myself, and the influence of Sufism in my life and my family. And the first film when it came, that changed the whole direction of my life in a way because that defined my music, principles and existence in a way actually... my inspiration I got from him [his father] was his hard work, the good name he earned in the industry, which I wanted to retain in a way."

Talking about what gives him strength Rahman replied, "I'm a spiritual person, the word religion has been so much in controversy, I think we need to go beyond and look at humanity with love rather than segmenting so much. I try to be as true as possible, but the main thing for me is how much it is turning me into a better human being and how much it makes me a good influence in the community. So that's very important and I keep that in my mind.�"My family is very personal. They are a great support for my all activities and moral support and everything...and I've got 2 daughters and a son, and we all live together..."

For a man that has achieved a lot at a very young age we asked A R Rahman what is next on the horizon.

"Right now I'm doing YUVRAJ, a Subhash Ghai's film, D6 by Rakesh Mehra, and GHAJINI with Aamir Khan, and the next music release will be a film JAANE TU JAANE NA, an Aamir Khan production".
Courtesy: Glamsham.com

'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

The journey so far

Music virtuoso A R Rahman in conversation with Rajiv Vijayakar about his newly-launched Music Conservatory and projects in the pipeline.

In every composer’s life comes a stage when he wants to pay back the art and medium that has given him so much. A R Rahman began in 1992 with Roja’s original Tamil version, little realising that he would win the National award for his debut — a first in film music history before Ismail Darbar repeated the feat in Hindi films with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

The payback in Hindi films was even better — Roja changed trends in music the way only Barsaat (1949), Dosti (1964), Aradhana (1969) and Aashiqui (1990) had done before. Today, Rahman, who also went on a techno trip and dominated digital domain and earned the ire of purists, is shifting gears. The Fuhrer of modern fusion, who has composed music in seven languages, has launched a unique Music Conservatory as his return gift to the seven notes.


Excerpts from an interview:

The K M Music Conservatory was a long-standing dream, right?
Yes, but since I kept hearing of similar projects I was not going ahead. Finally, since nothing was happening, I began work on it. Initially, we are operating from near my studio in Chennai. But soon, we will shift to a proper campus just outside the city.

What exactly is a Music Conservatory?
It is a concept quite prevalent in the West and takes care of music as well as musicians. For example, there are certain instruments that do not yield lucrative returns or even decent livelihoods for their players.

Such people can therefore earn in other ways, such as web designing or learning music production even as they continue with their passion. This ensures that such players are available and the instrument does not get lost.
In music today, being abreast with technology and music production opens up many doors and today's musicians should know these. When I have worked abroad, I have found it easy to prepare and record music in a few days flat — and yet it sounds good. This is as much because of the orderliness and harmonic structure of their music as it is due to availability of all kinds of instruments.

But in India, one has to often find musicians from abroad for an orchestra. And unlike two or three decades ago it is very difficult to find players of oboes or French horns, to mention just two instruments.

The same fate has come on various Indian instruments as musicians are discouraged from learning them because they cannot earn enough. In the end it is music that is compromised.

But in the conservatory, a young musician can learn even a rare instrument and earn well too. Since I have extended this concept even to Indian classical and folk music, musicians can come here to learn different styles of music too, like kirtanas or thumri. A world-class orchestra is another goal.

What will the faculty and curricula be like?
The K M Music Conservatory and Audio Media Education will be India's first Apple-authorised training centre. We will have a faculty of professors and musicians from both India and abroad and plan to start the first batch in 2008, when we will audition vocalists as well as different instrumentalists.

We will have courses in Western and Indian Vocals, Instrumental Performance, Classical, Theory, Music Appreciation, Ear Training, Piano, Audio Engineering, an Apple- certified course in Logic Pro, and a Digidesign-certified course in Pro Tools. We will give away A R Rahman Foundation Scholarships for deserving students.

Will you be choosier now about film assignments now to give more time to this activity?
(Smiles) A bit, yes. But then I was never into doing ten films at a time.

In Guru, your Barso re and Tere bina proved more popular than the ‘item’ song Mayya mayya. Does that indicate a shift in trends?
By itself, it is a very good sign. It is a fact that electronic music does not satisfy in the long run and I have always loved acoustics.

You have always taken amateur singers even if they are not in immaculate sur. Others use pitch-correction software for such voices, but you do not. Why is that?
I do not think that it is necessary to have perfection every time. Too much polish can be boring! (Laughs) It’s like this new jacket I am wearing which has rough and faded edges. That can sometimes look more attractive!

But some songs demand trained voices. Why did you want Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to sing the raag-oriented Man Mohana in Jodhaa Akbar?
Well, Ashutosh Gowariker was very keen on it, but Aishwarya had no time to rehearse. And there are hidden talents in people!

In Mumbai, two filmmakers have always had foolproof collaborations with you — Subhash Ghai and Ashutosh Gowariker.

That is why I am choosy and do not want to repeat some films that were mistakes. These filmmakers push you and yet give you time because they want perfection. As a composer, I have really enjoyed working on all their films.

You are the first choice in Mumbai for period films since Lagaan. But you have been accused of being indifferent to the eras and regions in terms of orchestration and sound.

Period films, whether Jodhaa Akbar or Bose— The Forgotten Hero make you think differently. You cannot use a catchy groove and a certain authenticity is needed. But at the same time, there should be a contemporary appeal and quality, so I have to see how friendly my music can be while retaining the correct vibe. I try to avoid something that has too modern, but it’s not always possible or even necessary. The impact of the orchestration and background music is more important, like Naushad-saab’s background score in Mughal-E-Azam.

Which are your forthcoming films?
I am doing Subhash Ghai’s Yuvraaj, Aamir Khan’s Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and his remake of Ghajini and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Dilli 6.

In Tamil films I am doing Shankar’s Robot and also Sultan— The Warrior. Then there is a Telugu film starring Pawan Kalyan.

Courtesy: Deccanherald.com