A R Rehman

AR Rahman: Global tunesmith

Rahman is a composer with a staggering rangeIndian music director AR Rahman's score for Slumdog Millionaire has won an Oscar for best music, and a second for best song. The BBC's Soutik Biswas discusses what makes Rahman tick.

The curiously named Panchathan Record Inn is a nondescript building tucked away in the thriving film district of the southern Indian city of Chennai (Madras). The backyard music studio is also AR Rahman's atelier.

"We make a lot of noise here," one of Rahman's assistants told me wryly when I paid a visit a few years ago. It was late in the evening, and trombone loops floated down the stairs from the state-of-the art studio above.

The "noise" has now conquered the world.
Seventeen years after he began writing music and songs for films, the jingle maker-turned-musician has finally got recognition as India's first truly global film music composer with his score for Danny Boyle's sleeper hit Slumdog Millionaire.
The score is an untidy smorgasbord of hip hop, Bollywood remix and signature pop anthem. But it works because it follows the film's giddy pace, the darkness of its characters, its portrayal of lives on the edge.

Bollywood outsider

The golden statue is a global recognition of Rahman's enormous talent.
Like many film composers, he is not a particularly gifted vocalist or a player. Rahman, instead, is an alchemist of sounds and voices, mixing and melting them in a potion that is usually a joy for the ear and soul.
Rahman is an alchemist of sounds and voices.

It is not surprising then that he is a composer with a staggering range - from raga to reggae to hip hop to Indian rustbelt folk to jungle rhythms to faux baroque. All of it is brewed with an unerring feel for melody, swing and soul.
Rahman, who converted to Islam some 20 years ago, is also India's - and Bollywood's - first truly successful cross-over music director.
Bollywood has filched tunes from the West for as long as I can remember - check out rip-offs from Chuck Berry, The Beatles, swing jazz and vapid disco for many home-grown hit tunes since the 1950s. But Rahman is not your archetypal tune ripper; he is, instead, an intrepid fusion tunesmith.

Rahman says he is impressed with MIA's musicIt helps that he remains the outsider in Bollywood - the world's most incestuous film industry.
Rahman cut his teeth scoring music for southern Indian films in the Telugu and Tamil languages, before scoring for Bollywood. Even this year, he is working on several Tamil and Telugu films, and only two Hindi films.

And that is one of the reasons why the 43-year-old composer has often reached out to little-known new singers and musicians from all over the country to lend their voices and instruments to his songs and score.

Rahman is also globalisation's favourite child, always abreast of the world music that is making waves. No wonder he discovered the music of MIA, aka Maya Arulpragasam, the war child turned feisty alternative rapper, who very few people in India had heard before Slumdog.
Rahman uses MIA's Paper Planes - the singer rapping over a compelling sample riff and a rousing chorus line with gunshots and cash registers jingling in the background - in Slumdog.
"We met before but we never worked before," he told one interviewer. "MIA, she's a real powerhouse. Somebody played me her CD and I thought, who is this girl? She came here and knew all my work, had followed my work for ages. I said cut the crap, this 'idol' crap. You have to teach me. We started working in India, then we e-mailed the track back and forth. She did the vocals in England, I did the rest in India."

Mixing old and new

I am now not surprised that the gritty girl rapper and the reclusive composer bonded so well. I met MIA a couple of years ago on the Jamaica seafront where she was shooting a music video for a new album. The boom box was playing her new song, a noisy mish-mash of what sounded like raucous Tamil gaana - a form of Tamil fast beat slum rap - over hip hop grooves. The Sri Lanka-born Tamil MIA and Rahman share some of the same culture.

The score for Roja was a limpid fusion of raga and reggaeFor the Slumdog score, Rahman says he was mixing the sounds of new and old India. But Slumdog is not even among his top five scores.
The songs and score for Roja (The Rose), a 1992 film directed by Mani Ratnam, is possibly his best and most consistent work to date.

A limpid fusion of raga and reggae, Roja was a breathtaking achievement for a composer taking his first steps in the intensely competitive world of Indian film music.
Working with a number of vocalists, the film's music showcases his talents - fusing flutes, synthesisers and traditional melody to a reggae backbeat and a rolling bass line. Sometimes it felt like listening to The Wailers - Bob Marley's iconic reggae band - playing to Indian vocals. Time magazine called it one of the top 10 movie soundtracks of all time.

From then on, there has been no stopping the Rahman revolution in Indian film music, his best work usually coming with Mani Ratnam, an MBA-turned-filmmaker.
On the Ratnam movie, Bombay, on love and longing in a city torn apart by religious rioting, Rahman's offerings are again rich and varied - from a sweaty, breathless love song by Remo Fernandes to a child chorus ditty to a background score that highlights the bleakness of a city and its people broken by hatred and fighting.

And then, just to pick two films, come the pulsating baroque tunes and sounds in Ratnam's Thiruda Thiruda (Thief, thief) - my favourite Rahman soundtrack.
From there, Rahman travels to fusing swing jazz and smoky blues with pristine Carnatic classical in the political hero biopic, Iruvar, another Ratnam film.
There have been many good soundtracks and songs before and after these two films.

In the end, Rahman, like the best of Indian film music composers, is melody's slave. At his place we had discussed the possibility of a rap musical some day. "I don't think," the alchemist frowned, "rap could sustain a two-hour musical!"

My wishes..

:) quite difficult to say in the way people could understand. I want every my wishes to be get done as my touch, because I want it in that "specific" way and of course there has many many reason why I want to be like that nor things have to be done in that way. My one of best friend told me that I am an idealistic person, I denied. I never agreed at all. I thought I was broad and wise minded but in few matters I have noticed, I being so stubborn and adamant to agree the fact is different from my view or has changed from the fact that I known. I want my things to be done in that "specific" way I wanted to be and never wanted to change my mentality. Well I would say this is not healthy. I aware of it, certainly. I thought I was facing problem because of others doing. I never hesitate to confess my faults or weakness to anyone. Now I felt different kind that I am the one who suppose culpable whenever things went wrong. It's so hard to overcome. I realized all starts from me. So I decided to not talk much; to avoid further problems. But will people got me in right way? I hurt many people. Especially someone who very closed to me. I being so touchy now a days. Most of time I try not to talk back ( a day before my brother told the same according numerology) nor talk within me to avoid problems. But somehow I spelled some words out. I ran out of time to regret why I have done that. I go mad whenever problems arise. No one will stand in this situation. He stands. Don't know how long. We always have quarrels because of this. I react like stranger because I afraid to tell what is running in my mind. I can't adapt everything he tells. I couldn't follow his foot step instead I was very obedient :) I have to change or else I need to walk off in the way I wanted to be. Things has changed. I don't prefer any changes my life unless better improvements.

********just a script********
**this is confession of a girl, in her diary**

Love..

I don't know what is this.. People has already gave thousand many example for this love. For me, it's just another emotion like anger, jealous, happy, moody and etc. I would say this love worse than other feeling. My life tremendously turned to new world. My dreams was sweet, colourful, abnormal, make me feel like the top of the world. I had wonderful feelings for him. As I know love is trust. I don't know about sweet talk, pamper, empty promises. What I know, I belief him. He treats me good. Like a princess? That was very new for me. He cared for me. Something I never felt before very closely. But he walk away from the I feeling I had for him. He was everything to me. But I don't find the closeness. He hides many from me. I tried to convince myself as nothing is there. He told people he never love me. I tried to forget things. He said I shouldn't hope for him. I tried to not hope for him. He was not ready to spend time with me. I tried to not ask anything. I cried and try to read my lines again. I decided to not bug him anymore. Now things changing to good which I don't prefer. Why this love came to me and now controlling my mind as an evil? Well I know what I want. I can't stand with this again. Yes I need to move on with my own life without him but there's something don't let me go on as I am. What was that? He's love or the way he cared for me? But I aware that was not truth but that's sweet. I wanted to tell him straight of, I don't want to be with him. I want to be alone!!! But when I starts think back, the way I lived with him I can't believe I living in fake?! That was so realistic.. He acts good? No he never act. He being himself. I knew that. I noticed he never has feeling for me and seeing me just like another woman. But I was pretending like I understand him well. That was too bitter.. After all I realized onething I would not be happy without him but something strikes to mind, I will be peace without him. But I knew I just console myself by telling that I aware I will lose the peace too. I knew I will think again and again about him.. Us.. The time we had together. It's heals everything. Like now? Yes.. I feel I am the luckiest girl. Memories never dies. That's true. Now I wishing him. Oh my god.. This called love?! I knew within a minutes I will think again the hard times I went thru. I wish I don't want to think about it anymore. I love to feel the way I am. I like to love him.. Let me in this way...


by,
A girl who lost in love..

***just a script**
p/s if nice thts gud, if touched thts better bt if its make you confuse THEN REMEMBER I AM NT THT GIRRRLLLLL!!!

Things..

I don't know what else bothering me so much. I have no hints to find it out. I felt I lost somewhere. I can't (couldn't) explain how about the thingy as I am the one who caused for it. I knew, I disturbed because of me, of course yes. Here no one I should blame. I thought I am strong enough to face everything and everyone. But I am just another loser like every girls do. I messed everything because of my thoughts which not suppose arise. I felt myself as a caused for each and every single things went wrong. Yes I knew, I suffering all because of my own attitudes. I can't act more. I felt like I need to end this but I found there's no way for it. As I knew I ran out of time. Don't know where to attain the happiness that I lost within a second just like a magic? I was like the another lady, in the world and I don't think that anyone having problem similar like me? I believe there's lot of people having problem of course because of their own stupidity but I am so sure there's no one unwilling to correct it. But I couldn't correct it. I heard from people that ladies very good in forgiving and forgetting things as they too soft for them to take so God request them to wipe it thru their tears and make them strong, will ask them to go on whenever they facing problems or trouble. But my God cruel because He let me cry over and over but never teach me to forgive and forgets things. Why I can't concentrate other than in the one I lose? I have no strenght and wonders why me all the time need to read lines. Why I cannot just walk off? I tired of spelling I can't I won't I don't

Things make me think wise ... Hope for the best..

by,
A girl who lost in War

About me..

I am complete easy going person who never care about the minute of her life... For me, everything possible, everything perfect, everything good, everything nice, everything all can be healed ( mind you, even I could say a cancer patient will be cured ).. I don't know why on earth I having this kinda easy-going mentality.. Yet, I know I am happy all because of this attitude..

I like everything in brown, chocolate, colour. Don't ask me, what kinda taste is this.. You will love it if you are with me.. Lot of my friend who become addict of brown because of me..

I love books, mind you I said books not library.. So, I love to read books..

I love to be in jeans and tops.. That will be my favourite dress and ever.. You know what? I preferred half pants too :D But of course, it's depends on, er.. Whatever..

You know I prefer to be alone, maybe I get use to with this! Actually I like silence.. Just say, if I have a boyfriend, I want him to be quiet or keep talking without expecting any response from me.. Of course I love to listen, er it's nice to listen from my loved one.. But basicly, I TALK ALOT! Trust me...

Everyone thinks that I am strict and er, kinda serious person! Well, that's the total tricked! Actually I can make anyone turn freak out! I am such a witty.. ( most of the time I don't agree that I am the one but I know that's me )

Ahh, yes I love to type anything in Times and put in Italic, once I complete my stuffs I will changed to whatever it' has to be.. :)

I am not complicated if you have guts to smile at me..

by,
A girl found herself in you :)