PostCredits: Bhuvi Suresh
He has had every award, be it a
National Award, Oscar, or the
Grammy.But, AR Rahman doesn't
want more awards. He wants a new
breed of musicians in India.
The music director of ‘Slumdog
Millionaire’ is very keen to get
talented slum children from the
slums of Dharavi and explore their
command of music.In this interview
he reveals his inner workings.
Interviewer: Dream Works is
restarting the ‘Ramayana’ film
project. What is the progress?
ARR: We had a project for
Dream Works, it is based on the
‘Ramayana’. We worked for five years
on the project, but the company
later withdrew from it. Our five-year
effort was useless. We are trying to
get the project restarted. I have a
huge bank of compositions now for
it.
Interviewer: Your music school and
conservatory started with director
Shekhar Kapur’s help is an excellent
initiative towards forms of digital
platforms. The Dharavi slum children
are also in it. Please explain.
ARR: My sister is looking at a
music school. There we have a good
team. I email Shekhar every day on
the developments and I am aware of
who is doing what. We will soon
want a song with these kids. We are
still working on the technical aspect.
These children are very creative.
There are very fascinating.
Interviewer: What gets AR Rahman
to agree to compose music for a
film?
ARR: I listen to my heart. If it
says yes, I am on. Making music is
never a tiresome experience. It has
to be elevating. “Music should not
drain you, but urge one to carry on.
It is of no use when you have
tension while composing.
Interviewer: Bollywood, bhajans, etc
you have composed all kinds of
songs. Do they connect you to the
spiritual being?
ARR: I think it's a matter of
faith. Only if you believe in the
thought, you can prioritise. I am a
student of Sufism. Be it love or
spirituality, sincerity is very
important when you choose. Just like
you cannot just marry a boy or a girl
you are told to marry without getting
the feeling right for the person, you
cannot do any work without feeling
for the work. With music, it is the
same. When you take a song, you
need to adopt it.
Interviewer: What is your process of
preparing a composition? When do
you decide that this is the final
song?
ARR: I first compose a song
and then keep it aside. I listen to
the song after a few days. if I do not
feel that the song is bad, I work on
it a bit more, change a thing here
and there and then decide if it is
ok.
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