AR Rahman Interview

AR Rahman is back in Chennai. He seems pretty excited about the new sound that he has created for Khalid Mohamed’s Tehzeeb. The Asha Bhosle track Meherbaan is already on the way up. Rahman lights up at the mention of the seductive songstress. “You know these singing greats like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle haven’t grown beyond 18. I don’t see them growing old at all.”

Rahman then makes a startling revelation. “I never had a tune for Meherbaan. It was composed on the spot. I just told Ashaji to start and it happened. It was almost like a jam session at the end of which we came out with a 15-minute track that finally became Meherbaan.”

The general perception in Mumbai is that Rahman is too focussed on an international career to pay attention to Hindi scores. “Well, I’ve two scores in two months, Tehzeeb and then Meenaxi. So that should lay all the doubts about my loyalty to rest. I’m very much in India. In fact I’ve decided to keep Chennai my base. Besides, the international projects give me ample time to create and compose. Not like our film songs which are sometimes demanded to be ready in an hour. So I can even out my schedules between East and West,” he chuckles boyishly.

And then a steely determination creeps into this gentle genius’ voice. “What I’ve stopped doing are the substandard films or those that don’t ensure ample room for my songs. I still have the cream, so to speak including Subhash Ghai’s Kisna. Between 2000-2002 , nine of my projects in Hindi and couple in Tamil never took off. So 70 percent of my output during this period never came out. It was very frustrating. There are so many people waiting to work with me. I had to turn them down to do work that never got released. I can’t complain, because I know what the film industry is going through. But I’m hoping something like my work in Deepa Mehta’s Water gets released.”

Why the joint composing credit in Kisna. “See, I had warned Mr Ghai that I won’t have enough time for his film . But he was pretty keen that I do at least some of the tracks . So I did. And no, I don’t feel bad about sharing credits with another composer. I knew it all along.”

Rahman is equally excited about the music for Husain’s film. “You’ve to hear what Asha Bhosle has done for me in MF Husain’s Meenaxi. For one song we started with no tune and no lyrics either. One afternoon I bumped into Lataji and Ashaji in Marks & Spencers in London. I asked Ashaji if she’d do a song with me the next day. She had to go to Scotland the next day. But she returned in a few days and we finished the track Dua dua in four hours in London."

But Tehzeeb is Rahman’s current favourite. “I quite loved doing the dreamy raga-based songs in this film. Abroad, the Indians just love ghazals. Hopefully they’d enjoy Tehzeeb. But I thought the classical songs would come on television first. My Dil se re came before Chaiyyan chaiyyan. Even if we take Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam the slow songs came first.”

Tags: Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Meherbaan, Meenaxi, Subhash Ghai, Kisna, Deepa Mehta’s Water, Tehzeeb