Freedom gets a voice!

A R Rahman: A proud Indian (TOI Photo) Rahman uses 80 instruments to give Bharatbala a symphonic version of Jana Gana Mana. He’s the voice, brains, soul and the music behind some of the most memorable tunes of our time. And when A R Rahman isn’t spinning out songs that have propelled him to the rarefied ranks of the world’s top 25 selling artistes, in between flicks of the scrollwheel on his P990 smartphone (BT caught him en route to an album launch at a suburban mall), he talks about freedom. Think Jana Gana Mana , and think India in all her avatars, and that’s what inspired the Bharatbala-Rahman combine to create audio and visual renderings of the National Anthem, originally penned by Rabindranath Tagore. This album, released on Times Music, is a tribute to the feeling of pride and unity evoked by the anthem. “India’s progressing very well economically but there should be more tolerance. People need to have balance in whatever they do,” Rahman muses. True to his musical versatility, he’s also done a symphonic version of the National Anthem. “I used around 80 instruments for this one. It took a while for us to put it all together.” Four years, to be precise. And it’s not just Rahman who’s added his prodigious talents to this project. That singular emotion of patriotism has been rendered by the likes of Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Lata Mageshkar, Pt Jasraj, Asha Bhonsle, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pt Shivkumar Sharma and Jagjit Singh, to name a few. Speaking about the kind of treatment they visualised for the songs, Kanika Myer, of the production house, adds, “We wanted to re-render it keeping the original tunes in mind. We didn’t want it to sound like something you have to listen to but rather like something you’d want to listen to.” And indeed, there’s no song which thrills the heartbeat of a nation as successfully as our anthem. “It is important to give people what they love,” says the maestro. A perfectionist to the core, he adds, “I spend a lot of time on whatever I do. The older you become, the more you like melody and soothing music. There’s so much of chaos out there in the world, I feel like doing something which calms the mind.” And what does he listen to when he wants peace? “Sometimes, it’s just pure classical like Andrea Bocelli,” he says. Courtesy: TimesofIndia.com

Rahman releases new patriotic album

Music maestro A R Rahman and M C Maryko at a launch function in New Delhi.

Noted composer AR Rahman Saturday released a new album based on the national anthem here.

The album was released just ahead of India's Independence Day at the Chennai Music World store in Spencer Plaza.

The DVD album was produced by BharatBala Productions, makers of the feature film Hari Om for the BBC, and the "Incredible India" advertising campaign.

The new album has 35 soundtracks, including tracks from Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Balamuralikrishna, noted Carnatic singer D.K Pattammal and S.P. Balasubramanium.

Rahman had earlier done an album on 'Vande Mataram', another patriotic song.

Courtesy: Hindustantimes.com

A.R. Rahman promotes new album

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‘Jana Gana Mana’ is

a unique collection of national anthems by musical maestros

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— Photo: R. Ragu

One of a kind: Music director A.R. Rahman with producer Bharatbala at the launch of the album in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: There was no place to move. Hardly any to breathe. Bodies jostled against one another, racks of music trembled and security guards shouted themselves hoarse trying to bring order to the situation.

The usually well-disciplined crowd at Music World in Spencer Plaza, though, was not going to be decorous today. Not when A.R. Rahman was on the premises.

Fans, music lovers and shoppers crowded the store as the renowned music director arrived here on Saturday to promote his new album ‘Jana Gana Mana.’

Around 300 people stood on their toes, peered over shoulders and waved camera cell-phones yelling excitedly to Rahman. “This is a very rare album. I really enjoyed doing it,” the famed composer-director-singer said.

“The album is a unique collection of national anthems by musical maestros,” said Bharatbala, one of the producers. The album, by Bharatbala Productions, was launched to coincide with the country’s 60th year of independence.

It consists of 25 films of renditions of the national anthem set in various parts of India including the Siachen glacier, in the DVD version. In the audio CD version there are 35 tracks of the anthem rendered by artists including Lata Mangeshkar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Hariharan, S.P. Balasubramanium, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amaan Ali Bangash and Uma Shankar among others. The music has been composed by A.R. Rahman.

Around 100 ‘Jana Gana Mana’ albums were sold at the store on Saturday alone.

Courtesy: Hindu.com

Will Robot have A.R.Rahman?

Shankar has always trusted Rahman in the music department and their combination has always managed to weave a magical spell on the listeners. Of course, Shankar did opt for Harris Jeyaraj for Anniyan, but yet the duo bounced back with the blockbuster Sivaji. Now Shankar is ready to take his second Hindi movie with the King Khan, tentatively titled Robot.

A.R.Rahman recently opted out of Shahrukh Khan’s production “Om Shanthi Om” due to misunderstanding. Rahman's demand for a share in the royalty for a song did not go well with Shahrukh which explained the reason for the former’s withdrawal from the project. Now that Robot is finalized and Shahrukh Khan will also be producing the film it has to be seen whether A.R.Rahman is still considered for the movie, Even though the maestro has denied any grudges against Shahrukh khan, let us wait for the news.

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

A pat from Rahman

Acclaimed music composer A R Rahman has heaped laurels on young debutant director Kala Prabhu after seeing few rushes of Sakkarakatti.

The movie has songs set to tunes by Rahman and is produced by Kalapuli S Dhanu. Rahman has appreciated Kala Prabhu and said,” He reminds him of director Shankar in his early days”.

“The way in which the songs are canned by Kala Prabhu has surprised me. He has immense potential”, says Rahman.

The movie features Shanthanu, son of actor-director K Bhagyaraj is lead role. Pat from Rahman has certainly raised expectations for the movie.

Courtesy: Indiaglitz.com

A.R.Rahman commends G.V Prakash

G.V. Prakash’s music in Veyil, which also happens to be his maiden venture, elevated him to star status. This is evident from the fact that this talented music director’s two tracks of the same movie, Veyilodu Uravadi and Uruguthe Maruguthe, are still ruling the charts. Veyil, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the non-competitive section, was also praised for its music.

Now his work in Kreedom is also receiving rave reviews and is acclaimed by all. This brilliant music director is the nephew of music maestro A.R.Rahman and has worked for some of the biggies like Anu Malik (Jaanemann) and Rahman (Mangal Pandey and Rang De Basanti). His Oram Po songs are quite a hit among the audience and are expected to reach a wider group once the movie is released. Prakash is all set to rule the roost with projects like Simbu’s Kalai, Prakash Raj’s Vellithirai and Dhanush’s Polladhavan in the offering. In a recent interview, G.V. Prakash’s Uncle A.R. Rahman commended his work in Veyil. A.R. Rahman said that he expects more from his nephew in future and hoped that he would be a trendsetter. Such good wishes from his uncle are sure to take Prakash to higher levels of achievement and bright future.

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Gautham, Trisha and A.R.Rahman team up

Gautham, undoubtedly the most happening director in Kollywood, was rumored to be busy writing Vaaranam Aayiram script. But looks like he was simultaneously writing the script for another movie and is planning to set it rolling even before Vaaranam Aayiram's shooting commences.

This movie will be a female-oriented one and it seems Gautham has signed up Trisha for the lead role. Believed to be a musical, Gautham is planning to wrap up the shooting within three months. And the biggest of big surprises is, Gautham, instead of his favourite Harris Jeyaraj, has signed A.R.Rahman. This is sure to be interesting.

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Rahman on Vikatan magazine cover

Are you with Rahman on his 'One Love'?

"Two more days to go and the New Seven Wonders List would be declared. The question on every Indian's lips is - Will Taj Mahal break into the Top-7?

In the meanwhile promotion of Rahman's anthem song 'One Love - Ek Mohabbat' that has been especially created for the initiative has intensified in a big way. The music video of the track is out on all leading music channels and the messaging is simply impeccable.

Rahman has not just composed the music for 'One Love - Ek Mohabbat' but even co-written the lyrics. Apparently he was quite tied up in his busy schedule but jumped on the offer to create the song and stretched himself to get it in the form as we see today.

Combining commerce with art, I Media Corp Ltd (IMCL), the company that has backed the music video, has given the momentum a good enough kick off that has ensured that the country is aware about the ongoing voting for Taj Mahal to be placed in the elite list.

Rahman did it for us. Will we do it for him by voting for Taj?"

Vote for Taj

Courtesy: Indiaglitz.com

London on The Lord of The Rings and Rahman

He is involved in the most expensive movie ever in India; he is also involved in the most expensive theater production ever in the world. More than 100 million copies of his albums have been sold around the world. He has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber and many other big names.
A R Rahman
A British newspaper hailed him as the 'Mozart of Madras'. Those of you who are still wondering as to whom we have been describing in these few lines (you must be a very rare breed) better keep your ignorance to yourselves. We are talking about none other than Musical Wizard A.R.Rahman.

This must be the best phase of Rahman's career to date; we believe that even better days are ahead. The icing on the cake has been the London premiere of The Lord of the Rings musical. Rahman was accorded a red carpet welcome at the event. After the premiere it was the time for some of the most celebrated theater critics of the worlds to have their say. Well, you can say that the mandate was fractured with reviews ranging from highly appreciative to dismissive. But everyone was unanimous in their view that the music (composed by Rahman of course) was brilliant, blending seamlessly into the narrative without hanging loosely like a fractured appendage. Such reviews from one of the most educated and experienced audience certainly elevates Rahman to the level of one of the top musicians of the world (or was he already there much earlier).

Andrew Lloyd Webber who has earlier worked with Rahman for the Bombay Dreams musical too showered praise on the show. So Rahman is certainly on top of the world at the moment."

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

'Rahman is on a quest to get the best'

Hariharan (right) performs with A R Rahman (first left) during a concert. Composer extraordinaire A R Rahman has many fans, and one of them is fellow musician Hariharan The singer is devoted to Rahman for many reasons, chief among them being "his strength, and the way he designs sound." "He has revolutionised film music and is perpetually on a quest to get the best out of you and makes you feel at ease which is important. I have sung some of my best songs for him. I will drop everything to sing his compositions." The singer and composer -- who had just wound up an American tour that took him to more than 12 cities -- got a call from Rahman asking him to join half-a-dozen other singers in another concert tour. Hariharan did not think twice before consenting to return to America. "In my heart and career, I hold a very special corner for Rahman," he says. "He has given me some of his finest songs to sing in Tamil and Hindi." During his solo concert, one of the most appreciated Hariharan songs was from Guru. "It brought the house down every time I sang it," he says referring to Yeh Hairathe, which he sang with Alka Yagnik in the film. Hariharan says the haunting composition, lyrics and director Mani Ratnam are the three reasons why the song did so well. Hariharan says that though he made his film debut many years before Rahman came to him with Roja , it was his song in that film that gave his career a big boost. "It was like I was singing for a very vast audience for the first time," says Hariharan who sang for composer Jaidev in the 1977 film Gaman. His first song, Ajeeb saane he mujh par qarar, brought accolades and very soon his voice was heard in many offbeat films. But it was the song Thamizha thamizha from Mani Ratnam's Roja in 1992 that catapulted him to fame. Soon he reached another milestone with a song for Rahman in Mani Ratnam's Bombay. The song Uyire Uyire sung with K S Chitra became very popular in the four southern states. The Hindi version Tu Hi Re was even a bigger hit. Rahman, in turn, also has a soft corner for Hariharan and, like some of the best singers he has worked with, Rahman says Hariharan likes to push the envelope. "The more you demand from him, the more he gives. At times, Hariharan can even exhaust the most patient composer," Rahman says with a chuckle.

Rahman's laptop & compositions go missing!

Rahman is in London to attend the premier of the Lord of The Rings musical which is one of his most ambitious projects. But unfortunately his mind will certainly not be resting easy as his masterpiece unfolds before an elite audience. His mind will be fully occupied with conveyor belts, uniformed flight attendants and baggage of all sizes and colors; we sympathize with the Maestro for having to undergo such an ordeal. You might be wondering what all this is about.

Well, if you have ever experienced a Trans continental flight at the end of which you find that one of your bags is missing then you might be able to imagine what Rahman is going through. Worse still, if the bag contains not just a few shirts and your other travel necessities but the information worked out over a long period that needs to be presented to one of your very important clients the next day then you surely won't be able to sleep at night, even if you are staying at the most prestigious and luxurious hotel in one of the world's greatest cities. You might remember that we had reported about Rahman's Esquire 3 Dimensional tour of the United States where some of his best compositions were being showcased in a very unique manner on stage (we had brought out a slide show regarding it). It was in the midst of this tour that Rahman flew down to London to attend the Lord of the Rings premiere. But when he got off his flight at the London airport and collected his baggage he found out to the greatest of his horrors that one of his bags was missing. As it has been hinted earlier this was no ordinary bag. It contained a laptop which had and we hope still has all the information about the unique way in which the music has to be presented at the Esquire tour. Now we do not exactly know what type of information the laptop contains; only Rahman knows that. But going by his reaction (have you ever heard of Rahman losing his composure) the laptop certainly has some very crucial musical notes, let us assume. The airport authorities have assured Rahman that the luggage will be retrieved at the earliest. With his return to the United States scheduled later this week where he is supposed to complete the rest of the Esquire tour, time is really short for the airline crew for damage control. Otherwise Rahman can (he is unlikely to do it, going by his serene nature) easily sue the airlines for millions; his music is priceless. We hope that the laptop is recovered soon and all things go as planned. If it ends well, then all will be well. Else, this will not be the last that we hear about the airline and its crew. Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

'When Rahman calls, you go without asking questions'

AR Rahman at a New York concert

Though A R Rahman and Sukhvinder Singh have produced over a dozen melodious songs in such films as Taal [Images] and The Legend of Bhagat Singh, they have not been able to match the vibrant magic of their Chaiyya Chaiyya song in the flop film Dil Se.

They always look forward to working together, never mind how much pressure each is facing. "With Sukhvinder, I can compose a tune in less than an hour and record it even quicker," says Rahman, with a hearty chuckle. "We have a very good understanding, a rare kind of understanding."

The exuberant Chaiyya Chaiyya was the highlight of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-produced musical Bombay Dreams that ran for over a year and a half in London [Images] and for 8 months on Broadway, New York, a few years ago.

Last year, director Spike Lee used the original and remix version of the phenomenal hit at the opening and closing credits of his The Inside Man. About 30 million people saw the film worldwide.

The song has to be part of Rahman's stage repertoire. "I cannot think of a live show of mine without it," Rahman says. "Even if I don't include it in the show, I am sure the audiences will make sure that we include it."

Sukhvinder has not only sung for Rahman but also composed a few songs, especially for Deepa Mehta's Oscar-nominated Water. Mehta says she is looking forward working with Rahman after 3 films, in her next venture, the big-budgeted Exclusion featuring Amitabh Bachchan [Images] and John Abraham [Images].

"I am convinced he is the most consummate composer that I know of in the world," she says. "And though some people may think of his work as ephemeral, many of his compositions are going to be around for a very long time. His music comes from the characters and is an extension of them. I think he is the best .He is the most brilliant film composer in India today and is in such demand that he has altered his normal working day to begin at six in the evening and go through the night, so that he can compose undisturbed by producers' calls. He finds the character's sur, raag, rhythm... Reggae, folk, classical, he's got it on his finger tips. He's so cinema-literate. He can discuss Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata and Subhash Ghai's [Images] Taal, all in one breath."

Though Rahman works mostly at night, he does make concessions. "When I recorded the song with Bappi Lahiri for Guru, we got it done during the day," he says. "Bappi flew in from Kolkata in the morning, and a few hours later, he was ready to fly back home."

Singer Lata Mangeshkar [Images] worked with Rahman for the first time in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se and later in Pukar, Zubeidaa and Lagaan [Images].

'Rahman is known to record only during the night time,' she said in an interview 2 years ago. 'But he records with me during the daytime... when my voice is fresh. I don't like recording at night. He made an exception for me. When an artiste shows such consideration for another artiste, it feels good. Aur kaam bhi achha hota hai [Even the work done is good]. Rahman doesn't take long over his recordings. Jiya jale in Dil Se was recorded in 40 minutes."

Versatile drummer Sivamani who performed for Rahman at the June 16 concert in New York has known the 41-year-old singer and composer for about three decades.

'Our association began when we both were really young,' he recalled in an interview not long ago. 'We had this band called Roots. We just make very good music together. He is a master of lai [melody] and taal [beat]. The recognition that I enjoy today is because of Rahman. There are so many talented people behind a film music score. I played for Illayaraja for very long, but my name never figured on the screen or the cassette cover. Rahman changed it all. He gives credit to every single member of his team for whatever part they play, big or small. That makes him really special. People came to know about me only because of him. I thank him for that."

Sadhana Sargam, one of the singers Rahman respects most and who has sung haunting tunes for him in Water and Earth, has said: 'When Rahman calls, you go without asking questions because you know it's going to be worth it. He's a reserved person and talks very little but he makes you give your best. He keeps a cassette ready, wherein he has sung the song himself and listening to it makes your work so much easier, he allows any number of retakes. If you've sung half a line beautifully and haven't sustained that in the other half, he'll retain that half and make you work on the other half. The result is magnificent. And Rahman makes his pleasure very evident when he likes something you've done... then he won't even be shy.'

Chitra, who accompanies Rahman in the current concert tour along with Hariharan [Images], Sadhana Sargam, and Sukhvinder Singh, among other singers, says that when Rahman plays a composition to her, she listens very carefully.

"I have known since I sang my first song for him in Roja [Images], over a decade ago, there are layers and layers to his tune. Even a tune that may sound very catchy at the beginning has its own complex nature. And that makes working with him even more challenging. And what I love in him most is that he is very modern, but he also deeply respects tradition."

Courtesy: Rediff.com

Shankar and Rahman Watches Sivaji in Canada

June 15, 2007

Sivaji has finally arrived in style and is certain to enthrall Rajni’s fans all over the world. When the excitement here is on the rise continuously, director Shankar has decided to take a vacation with his family in Canada. After all the man must have been too busy for the last few months to be even available for his own family.

Meanwhile Sivaji is getting released in Canada today and it has been reported that Shankar would be watching the film there along with music director A.R.Rahman who will be joining him there. After a couple of weeks of vacationing, Shankar has planned to return to India."

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Rahman rocks New York

A R Rahman

As he returns to the Nassau Coliseum after four years, composer and signer A R Rahman has another challenge: To show that a composer and accompanying singers can pack the 11,000 seats in the auditorium at this, his Three Dimensional Tour, just the way he did the last time he was in New York for a concert. Normally, you expect a combination of stars, say Shah Rukh Khan [Images] and Preity Zinta [Images], supported by a raft of minor stars to pack the coliseum.

"Rahman has proved time and time again that his musical events are quite unlike those featuring other composers or singers," says Bharat Jotwani, whose Poojanka Entertainment is hosting the New York show, June 16. "His music has as much appeal as that of any big Bollywood star."

The year 2007 has been one of Rahman's busiest. Apart from working on the soundtrack of The Golden Age, his first British-American assignment, he has also added new music and songs to the $20-million musical, The Lord of the Rings, which opens in London [Images] in a few weeks. And then there is the much expected Jodhaa-Akbar, the historic love story, that brings Rahman and director Ashutosh Gowarikar (Swades, Lagaan) together for the third time.

"It has been a very busy year. Yet I thought of the concert tour for many reasons," the composer says. "There have a lot of interesting films in the last three years in Hindi and Tamil; and that means I can offer old and new hits."

He also loves being with his singers off the recording studio but doesn't get many opportunities to do so in India. "It is a different feeling when you work with them for a stage show," he explains. "The challenges are different, and we come alive even more than when we are in a recording studio. The friendship also grows."

Coming with him are some of the singers such as Chitra and Hariharan, whose careers had begun a years before Rahman himself took off with the astounding success of Roja in 1992. They were part of the film's immensely popular score, along with S P Balasubramaniam. Then there many singers who either made their debut in a film with Rahman's score � such as Naresh Iyer (Rang De Basanti [Images]) -- or shot to prominence thanks to his tunes. Sukhvinder Singh (Dil Se), Madhushree (Tezaab, Guru), Sadhana Sargam (Water, Earth 1947), Blaaze (Rang De Basanti), and the multifaceted percussionist Sivamani, are among those in the latter category. There would also be several young, up-and-coming singers.

The New York event follows concerts in half-a-dozen cities, including Vancouver, San Francisco and Dallas. The one held in the tristate area will have the polished version after several tryouts in other cities. Never mind how well rehearsed the musicians, singers and dancers are, every show becomes finetuned as it goes from one city to the next.

Rahman's biggest challenge, however, is not assembling first-rate artists or having the best acoustics at each venue.
"There are fans who have long memories," he says. "And there are fans who love the recent songs. Now, I would have a good mix of the old and new. Even then it is not easy to choose one beautiful song over another."

Since his debut in Roja, the little film that became an instant hit, Rahman has scored music for over 100 films, including the Hindi-language hits Rangeela, Taal, and Meenaxi. Many are big-budget films, and some, like the M F Husain-directed Meenaxi, did not cost much.

"I take up a film even though I know its commercial prospects may not be very bright," he says. "You respect someone's arts and Husain is one of the people I have a lot of respect. I can never refuse to d film for him." He may have a song from the Hussain film at the New York event.

A few weeks ago, as he was preparing for the show in Chennai, he was certain there would be songs from his latest hits, such as Guru and last year's Rang De Basanti. He was also keen to include a number or two from his recent hits, Rajnikanth's [Images] Tamil film Sivaji. Rahman was also thinking of including a song from the Tamil hit Jillunu Oru Kadaal.

"I am keen to present at least one song from Deepa Mehta's Water," he had said. Many consider Water to be one of his best achievements. But the film, which ran into trouble from Hindu fundamentalists and had to be shot in Sri Lanka [Images] several years later in almost anonymity, had a very small run in India. Its music was not released.

"It is one of my few scores that was not well released," Rahman says. "The songs were well used in the film but they did not reach the listeners in significant numbers." The numbers were sung by Sukhvinder Singh (who also wrote couple of lyrics) and Sadhana Sargam among others.

"She is one of the few singers who has surprised me at every turn," Rahman says. "Many singers do a very good job of doing exactly what I tell them to do but she somehow goes beyond instructions. She takes a song to another level effortlessly, and she is so good at it that I am surprised every time I work with her."

To perform live with Rahman is a dream for any singer, you will hear the biggest names in Mumbai and Chennai say. Whether it is Sonu Nigam [Images] or Kailash Kher or Alka Yagnik, every one wants to be in a Rahman show. But there are other commitments, there are also problem of schedules, and some singers who dearly wanted to be in his concert this time are either travelling with other shows or are not well.

"I had already made a commitment to the Asha Bhosle show when I heard that Rahman wanted me to be part of his show," said Kailash Kher who sang several haunting Rahman songs in Mangal Pandey, including the title track. "I feel I have lost a great opportunity but I hope I don't have to wait for another four years for Rahman to offer a concert in America."

Courtesy: Rediff.com

Rahman Lights up Sivaji Fire in Chicago

For the first time in Chicago, the grand maestro and musical prodigy AR Rahman kicked off his three dimensional tour in North America to a jam packed audience over 8000 people of Indian Origin from the Midwest at the Sears Center in Chicago. The concert started at 9pm on Saturday night and ended at midnight. Towards his last song he had the entire Sears Center on its feet. The three hour concert had various numbers from both Hindi and Tamil hits of AR Rahman’s including 4 songs from his latest yet to be released Sivaji. The crowd was awe struck by the drums of Sivamani, and the rap capability of Blaaze. The music troupe included Hariharan, Sukhinder, Naresh, Vijay Jesudas, Chitra, Madhusree, Sadhana Sargam and Rahman’s sister Rehana. Rahman introduced a new key board called Continuum which is the first key board that has classical notes. He infused National Integration by starting songs in Hindu and ending the same song in Tamil that entertained the crowd. Courtesy: IndiaGlitz.com

Esquire Viva A.R. Rahman 3-Dimensional tour

A. R. Rahman has commenced his Esquire Viva’s 3-dimensional North American tour, with his A-list singers Sukhwinder Singh, Hariharan, Blaze, Naresh Iyer (Rang De Basanti fame) Chitra, Madhushree, Sadhana Sargam and many more.
Commencing June 2nd 2007 to June 24th 2007.

A.R.Rahman

JUN 8 HOUSTON
JUN 9 CHICAGO
JUN 10 TORONTO
JUN 15 DALLAS
JUN 16 NEW YORK
JUN 17 WASHINGTON
JUN 23 ATLANTA

It’s been long since A.R. Rahman gang has gone for a US and Canada tour so the expectations are gargantuan. The US is going to get a taste of some of his latest hits like Sivaji, Rang De Basanti, Guru and Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. The tour will rock the US and Canada, don’t worry Rahman, we will “Pray for you brother”."

Courtesy: Behindwoods.com

Sivaji Trailer
Courtesy: IBN LIVE

AR Rahman, on Sivaji and sisters

	May 30, 2007 13:50 IST Last Updated: May 30, 2007 17:02 IST After recording one of the most important songs for Sivaji, the Rajnikanth-produced Tamil film, composer AR Rahman invited the director of the film Shankar to listen to it. Shankar, who has worked with Rahman on several films, could of course instantly recognise veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) in the song Balleilakka.. "But who is the female singer?" he asked. "He thought I was joking when I told him it is Rehana," says Rahman with a chuckle. Rahana is Rahman's older sister. "She has performed with me in my concerts," he adds."She has sung part of the song Chaiyya, Chaiiya in the concerts but this time she was singing for a film, and that too a very big film, and we all knew the song would be one of the biggest hits on the album. And yet I did not want to take anything for granted. I think I took upon myself a challenge and see if my sister could sing well for a big budget film." "But it took me 17 years of my profession to give my own sister a break," he says, with a small sigh. "People don't understand how mysteriously things work out in the film indstury. Many young people who send me tapes with their voices are disappointed that they do not hear from me at all. It is not easy to convince me. I am most critical with my own voice. You know that Tera Bina song in Guru was not originally sung by me. It was only at the insistence of Mani sir (director Mani Ratnam) I recorded it in my own voice." Even with Rehana he was not sure even as she was practicing the song that he should retain her voice. "After three horus of singing, suddenly her voice sounded very different and beautiful," he reveals. "Only then did I decide to retain her voice." The Sivaji album has some of the finest singers, new and old. The list includes SPB, Hariharan, Udit Narayan, Madhushree -- and then there is Chinamyee whose song in the film Guru enhanced her popularity. Rahman himself sings one of the most singificant numbers in the film, Athiradee, nearly six mintues long. Many of the singers featured in the film including Hariharan, Madhushree, Rehana, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer and Vijay Yesudas will be coming to USA and Canada with Rahman for a concert next month. In New York the concert will be held at Nassau Coliseum on June 16. Chitra, Sadhana Sargam and Sukhvinder will also be joining the concert, expected to be the biggest desi musical event of the year 2007. "We will be performing at least two songs from Sivaji, apart from my recent Hindi and Tamil hits including Guru and Rang De Basanti [Images]" says Rahman who is performing in the US and Canada after 3 years. What was it like composing music for Sivaji? "It was a very special feeling," Rahman said. "The expectations were very high, since Rajni, Shankar and I were working together. And this being a very big budget film, there was little room for a flexible recording schedule. Though we recorded a different version of the same song, and ended up retaining both versions in the film, it was still a very tight schedule." "With some of the directors I have worked the schedule has always been tight, and I like it," Rahman says. "Even then, there are a few last minute decisions. For instance, the theme song of Guru (sung by Rahman and Chitra) was thought of just two weeks before the film's release. There was no such thing with Sivaji." In the past, for some reason the songs in a Rajnikanth film have taken time to become big hits, the composer says. "In some cases, it is only after a month of the album's release have the songs become hits," he adds. "But here from Day 1 there has been a tremendous demand for the music." In the case of Guru, he says, the song Tere Bina became an instant hit, followed by several other songs in the course of next two or three weeks. But with Sivaji, there were three instant hits a few hours of the CDs release. Apart from Balleilakka, there was the song Vaaji Vaaji, sung by Hariharan and Madhushree, and Rahman's own number. Also a big hit is Sahara. "I have said many times how Madhushree has been evolving as a singer," he continues. "The Vaaji Vaaji song is another example of her growing status. We had to work for several hours on her Tamil rendition, but in the final reckoning I am very happy with her work." Hariharan, along with SPB, has been associated with Rahman in many interesting films. Some of Hariharan's best work is found in Rahman's compositions in Bombay and Guru (Ye Hairathe). "He is very different from most singers I have known," Rahman says of Hariharan. "The more you push him, the more inspired he becomes. Most other singers are content singing a song and go away. But Hariharan likes to be challenged.' There are stories in Indian publications that Rahman was paid Rs 3 crores for Sivaji. The composer is not commenting on the fee. But he says right from his early years, what mattered him most while composing was the situation, and how enthusasiatic a director is about music. "I don't like the idea of a director thinking, OK, we have Rahman and we expect him to come up with good music. Composing a good score is partnership with many people including the director, lyricist, and singer." The budget of a film or the remuneration he receives has no real bearing on the final product. "Around the time I was working on big budget films, I was also composing music for relatively smaller films such as Meenaxi made by MF Hussain." He had been told the film had no commercial prospects. "But I thought it was an interesting subject, and I was also excited that I was working with one of the greatest artsists India has produced." Many of the tunes in Sivaji were finalised when Rahman was touring Australia or composing the music for Golden Age, Shekar Kapur's sequel to Elizabeth, in London. "One of the interesting developments in this film's music is the way the two versions of the same song came about," Rahman continues. The song Sahara was recorded in the voices of Vijay Yesudas, son of the veteran singer and Gomathishree, daughter of Rahman's guru Dakhshinamurthi Swamigal. "Gomathi is not just a film singer but she has an interesting voice," says Rahman. "I have plans to compose a few songs for her for a non-film album I want to produce ." When director Shankar heard the song Sahara he liked it to some extent, but he wanted a faster moving version. That version, called Sahana, was sung by Udit Narayan and Chinmayee. "But then we still thought the Vijay and Gomathi version had its own beauty," he adds. "Shankar decided to keep it in the film but as a background song." One guess is that it will be used in the film, similar to Yeh Hairathe in Guru. The songs of Sivaji have become chartbusters in all the four southern states, particularly in Andhra Pradesh where the Telugu version of the sondtrack has become a must-have. According to industry insiders, over 500,000 CDs and cassettes were released and sold within a week. The Sivaji music is also huge in Malaysia and Singapore, which have a significant Tamil population. The film also has an elaborate background score and composing it and recording it was a severe challenge to Rahman for he was also working in London on the music of Golden Age at the same time. "I just could not go to India and spend many days recording the music for Sivaji," he says. So he asked the producer (AVM Pictures) if the music could be recorded in Prague, Czech Republic (where he has recorded many songs including one or two numbers in Meenaxi), and in London. 'Not a big deal,' the AVM honchos told Rahman, adding that it was all right if the budget went up. They were going to be very happy to have a superior score. "You hear a good range of music," he says. He has used the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the choral singers in the country's capital. "I don't want to give many details but in my book, the score is as important as the songs in the film."

Rahman's anthem for Taj Mahal

Music maestro A R Rahman unveiled a soulful anthem to kick off the India Unites for the Taj movement. Spear headed by 1 Media Corp Limited (IMCL), the movement is to campaign for voting the Taj Mahal, Agra, to the New Seven Wonders of the World. According to Bharat Kapadia, India Unites for the Taj, 'Rahman was our first choice to compose the album. Rahman says, “I was in London when IMCL contacted me and I was very excited about composing the album. It was a very short notice, but my crew and I grabbed the idea and made special time for working on the anthem. I am sure Indians all over the world will be motivated and vote for the Taj”. Besides composing the tune, Rahman has penned the lyrics along with Raqeeb and has sung the song accompanied by Naresh Iyer and Karthik. The music video is directed by Owais Hussain with cinematography by Santosh Sivan. A worldwide poll is undertaken through mobile phones, the internet and the select landlines to garner votes for the shortlisted 21 wonders vying for a place among the New Seven Wonders. “Contrary to popular beliefs, the Taj Mahal was never part of any seven wonders list. Given the low voting in India, we are trying all means to promote the cause of Taj Mahal”, adds Bharat Kapadia. The new Seven Wonders of the World will be announced at an official declaration in Lisbon, Portugal, on 7 July. Courtesy: IndiaGlitz .com