ARR News and other Tidbits

[Hulkster]

If both sing we will have a tough time finding whose voice belongs to who....both have almost near similarities :exactly:

[MADDY]

If both sing we will have a tough time finding whose voice belongs to who....both have almost near similarities :exactly:

exactly.... :D

[Wibha]

Yeaps...IR actually appreciates ARR alot..his only qualms is that ARR brought computerised music inside...which spoiled IR's fave orchestra..but after ARR showed what he can do with technology..IR is in full appreciation mode :P...now the next step would be a ARR-IR combo :yes:


NOOOOOOOO......IR is going his way ARR is on his own........combo will lead to more politics and unwanted fan-fights :oops:

ARR is well of separate and so is IR :D

[Hulkster]

Wibha appadi ellei ma....its just a one film combo like how MSV did with IR.....ARR after thiruvasagam release had done a interview where he expressed his desire to work with IR just like MSV did with IR...it may be even a standalone album...:bluejump: :redjump:

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4gxHWQOjlI&mode=related&search=

[sanchay]

http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0001037.html

Another a.r rahman old album???????

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0001037.html

Another a.r rahman old album???????

What is this :shock:

[baba88]

Name of the film: Eni Ellam Sugame
Direction: A.R. Ramesh (1998)
Production: Valli Cine Arts Music: Sirpi
Artiste 1: Abbas
Artiste 2: Sangavi
Artiste 3: R. Sundarrajan
Category : Love
Language: Tamil

[Wibha]

Wibha appadi ellei ma....its just a one film combo like how MSV did with IR.....ARR after thiruvasagam release had done a interview where he expressed his desire to work with IR just like MSV did with IR...it may be even a standalone album...:bluejump: :redjump:

i no dat ARR luves working wid IR and e'thing......... but still yenaku ennamo kavalaya iruku :oops:

[sonia_fr]

http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0001037.html

Another a.r rahman old album???????

What is this :shock:

A terrible mistake from raaga!

[ajaybaskar]

NEW DELHI: A R Rahman is known to be the artful dodger —- preferring
to let his music do the talking, instead of him.

So, when he appeared recently to launch his new music video Pray For
Me, Brother billed as the world's first mobile music video, he lived
upto the part. He fielded media queries with a smile, though not
letting on much about his future plans, instead preferring to say,
"It'll be a surprise."

To his credit, the musical genius has continued to deliver one
surprise after another this year —- be it his refreshingly different
music score for Rang de Basanti or his signing up as an ambassador for
an international satellite radio or his doing the music for the
Broadway musical Lord of the Rings (LOTR). And now, the latest
surprise is the music video —- which is a joint initiative with an
international leader in mobile handsets, besides being the first
offering of the recently set up A R Rahman Foundation.

Shot in black and white by film-maker Bharat Bala, who also did
Rahman's earlier video Vande Matram, Pray for me, Brother says Rahman,
is an anti-poverty anthem, that he had first conceived for the
millennium goals for the UN.
The video also features hip-hop rap artist Blaze and has Rahman in his
favourite black and white ensemble, with unbuttoned white shirt,
fluttering in the wind a la Michael Jackson.

So, was he inspired by Jackson's Earth song, which is also on a
similar theme? "Yes, I have been inspired by Michael Jackson, though
probably not in character, he says, tongue-in-cheek, My voice and
Michael Jackson's have the same range, since we both have a high
pitch, so it probably creates an impression that it is similar."

So, what does he think of his chances at the Oscars, since three of
his songs are in the reckoning? "They have been short-listed, not
nominated," he gently points out. "I am happy, of course," he says
smilingly. With all this on his plate, does he have time for anything
else? "Yes, I am improving my Hindi vocabulary, although I still can't
speak Hindi," he says with a laugh.

[Ramakrishna]

Sajni ad
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/336841753/

[rayan36]

Prelude to Sivaji-Dasavatharam clash on New Year Eve.

Dec 29, 2006

This news is sponsored by www.behindbikes.com


If you thought Sivaji-Dasavatharam was just the clash of the Superstars, then its time for you to do a rethink. It's also a clash between a veteran music director and whom few quarters consider as his prospective successor.

Yes, we are talking about A.R.Rahman and Himesh Reshammiya.




The Mozart from Madras will be performing live in Mumbai for New Year's Eve introducing his anti-poverty song, Pray for me, brother. The song is produced by Bala who earlier did Vande Mataram with Rahman. The program is also slated to be telecast by a private television channel.

"You can call this song, my gift to myself on my 40th birthday," says Rahman.

Interestingly Reshammiya who replaced Rahman for the Kamal starring Dasavatharam also has his first Mumbai concert lined up on the same evening. With expectation for the music of two of the biggest movies to be ever made in Tamil cinema history heating up, fans are assured of getting a musical teaser of what lies ahead on New Year eve.

[rayan36]

A.R. Rahman

This news is sponsored by www.behindbikes.com


Rahman set the audio cash registers ringing with his national hit, Rang De Basanthi. His Rubaroo and Masti Ki Patshala becoming a rage among the Indian youth, Khalbali and Luka Chuppi along with his Chan Chan from Deepa Metha's Water were nominated for the Oscar. His Tamil albums Sillunnu oru kadhal and Varalaru were also well received. The audio of his latest Guru has been doing brisk business through out the country

This year definitely has been a good one for the Mozart.

the tables have turned :wink: :shock:

[muzammil_fr]

Hi Guys, Gift For u For ARR birthday, i Uploads ARR Nokia Concert New year Eve at my web page, click here to go http://67.18.161.118/forums/index.php?showtopic=15763.

[MADDY]

Sajni ad
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/336841753/

thanks Ram....

but i feel, he should have done a orginal score for this movie........Kannada people will not take it rightly if they come to know its just reusing old ARR tunes......atleast they should have gone for a lesser known album like Bose or KKS..... :oops:

[Wibha]

ARR's b'day is coming up :boo: :redjump: :bluejump: :swinghead: :musicsmile:

[MADDY]

ARR's b'day is coming up :boo: :redjump: :bluejump: :swinghead: :musicsmile:

It has come......
:bluejump: :bluejump: :redjump: :redjump: :boo: :boo: :clap: :clap: :swinghead: :swinghead: :yes: :yes: :2thumbsup: :2thumbsup: :victory: :victory: :ty: :ty:


Happy birthday to our

IsaiPuyal
Isaiarasan
Mozart of Madras
Smiling Assasin
musical whizkid
directors' dream
fans' inspiration
youth icon
himalaya of fame
ocean of calm
chartbuster spinner
pied piper of India

may he live 100 years and amuse generations to come.... 8-)

[MADDY]

on his b'day eve....one sweet news:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzJnmVCtHG0&mode=related&search=

Roobaroo got 77128 votes and ya ali came a distant second with 28000+ votes..... :shock: :shock:

didnt i tell u all, they just love him in north....... :D

just to highlight the enormity of this win :
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/lage-raho-wins-cnnibn-movie-of-yr/top/29950-8.html?xml - LRMB wins the movie of the year with 19000+ votes

[Wibha]

Maddy US time-la innum varalai :evil: so I wish him first :D :yes: :ty:

[Wibha]

Happy Birthday A.R.Rahman

MAY U HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:boo: :swinghead: :smokesmirk: :redjump: :musicsmile: :bluejump: :2thumbsup: :cool2: :clap: :bluejump: :thumbsup: :smokesmile: :victory: :swinghead: :musicsmile:

[ajaybaskar]

Happy Bday thala(of music)

[Ramakrishna]

ARR adressing us
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v200760NNBD22j3

[Reality]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjk7A6aOs7Q

[vijayr]

NOV/RR, can you consider adding a link to forumhub from the TFM front page. I wonder why there is not a link at all to forumhub, used to be there earlier, unless otherwise I missed the link somehow. I did a FIND and couldnt locate it.

[rajasaranam]

A good write-up on ARR and his music never missing to mention Raaja too :wink:
http://www.naachgaana.com/2006/12/30/rahmania/

[Guess_Me]

Here is some interesting trivia on Alaipayuthey as said by Mani Ratnam himself. I found this message in a malayalam community posted by a fellow ARR fan. I am posting a translation here.

Today there was a program in CNN-IBN called Being Mani. In that program, Mani said an interesting incident at the time of making Alaipayuthey.

Mani wanted to use a song by Backstreet Boys for Madhavan's intro bike sequence. Since he didnt want to copy the song, he officially contacted them and asked for permission to use it. But the amount Backstreet Boys asked in return was a huge sum. Mani aborted the plan and asked ARR to compose a song and that is "Endendrum Punnagai", which according to him, is the biggest hit in the album. (This should be a true story as I clearly remember the first batch of cassettes (which I bought) didn't have this song. It has to be a last minute addition.)

Then years later when the makers of Inside Man contacted Mani for Chayya Chayya, he too asked for a huge sum which they gladly paid. Mani said it was a sweet revenge on the West from his part. :D

So guys, whenever you encounter someone saying ARR copied BSB, just throw this message on their ugly face.

[vijayr]

Its ridiculous that Mani even thought of using a BB song when he had Rahman with him.

[Scale]

Does the copyright an issue to just showcase someone hearing a song on earphones, riding bike? :roll:

[ajaybaskar]

Yes. there r laws which can punish the user of a song in any form without prior permission.

[jabarullah]

how about the motorbike that madavan used..... did mani get the approval from the manufacturer... funny funny funny.... i just dont understand... how about the shirt, jeans, watch, ullleee seeeluuarrreee.... heheheeh ... if the world put the law that everything must get permission before being used in their film... then only the 'blue film' can be produced easyly ..... just joking.... :rotfl:

[dinesh2002]

[tscii:ea86975707]Rahman makes a 20 months old sing
January 20, 2007
This news is sponsored by www.behindbikes.com

A twenty odd months old child is a big fan of A.R.Rahman’s music and even when she can barely talk, she can sing the entire song of Munbe Va from Sillunnu Oru Kadhal.

We are publishing the video of Sunthriiwi on a request from her mother.

Sillunu oru kadhal

Anything for a fan!

If you want to share any such experiences with our visitors across the globe, shoot us an email to behindw@behindwoods.com

[Read all the emails of our fans and their experiences]

Email from Bamiela Venkat reads as follows.

Dear Editor,

As per our phone conversation I am sending my daughter's video to be published in the wonderful website behindwoods.com. I felt really happy when you told me you can upload it. I am a regular visitor and fan of behindwoods.com and make it a point to check the site everyday, though I forget to check my personal mail. You guys are the best in giving immediate news about Kollywood and Bollywood. I once again thank you and your team in advance, for agreeing to publish my daughter's video.

My Daughter's Website is www.sunthriiwi.com

Her site has got all the details about her including the photos. Please get back to me if anything has to be done.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Bamiela Venkat

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/jan-07-03/19-01-07-a-r-rahman.html[/tscii:ea86975707]

[narayanan]

donno if this news is totally obselete. Remember a flute like sequences in the interludes of 'Thoda Thoda' (Indira). It seems it was'nt a flute and was Rahman whistled for those

Source: Evergreen SPB Laxman Sruti concert broadcasted on Republic Day on Vijay TV.

[Scale]

:omg: Awesome tidbit. Guys check the Ist interlude.... Yes its whistle! IInd Interlude has a bit of flute and ARR on BG vocals. The prelude has a nice scintillating birds(synthetic) chirping sound. Great song!!

Besides, ARR has got some excellent whistle themes(yeah..) in AE - JGM & Oh Maria Interludes also Kya Zera signals ending of stage event performance.

Thanks a lot narayanan!

[ajaybaskar]

Not to forget the opening of Columbus...

[ajaybaskar]

Not to forget the opening of Columbus...

[ajaybaskar]

Not to forget the opening of Columbus...

[NOV]

ok, we wont forget. :lol2:

[Ramakrishna]

ok, we wont forget. :lol2:

comedy panraaru ayya :lol2:

[ajaybaskar]

FILMI CONTENT ON MOBILES

By Eye TV India Bureau

Gone are the days when mobile content providers were happy simply formatting existing filmi content for mobile phones. Mobile users now have movies and videos that are made just for them. If AR Rahman released his latest English album 'Pray For Me, Brother' which was shot on the 'mobile cinemascope format,' by Bharatbala of Vande Mataram fame exclusively for mobile users, a 25-minute movie 'Ctrl+Alt+Del' starring Rahul Bose was premiered recently, which was again made keeping the mobile user in mind.

[rayan36]

Yesudas to felicitate A R Rahman

By Behindwoods News Bureau.

February 01, 2007

This news is sponsored by www.behindbikes.com


Awards in any field are a motivating force to perform better and better. They inspire the person to scale starry heights. Though awards are not new to Isai Pual A R Rahman, when it has been received from a veteran like K J Yesudas, it is sure to be a noteworthy accomplishment.


Swaralaya Kairali is an organization that honors and confers Yesudas award every year for people belonging to music field. This year, A R Rahman is the proud recipient of this prestigious award. The grand award ceremony is slated to be held on the 12th of February this year at Trivandrum, Kerala. Rahman will receive this award from Yesudas. A spectacular music show featuring both north Indian and south Indian music has been intended.

[Ramakrishna]

A.R.Rahman to be honored
IndiaGlitz [Saturday, February 03, 2007]


AR Rahman, the young music director who has consistently been making India proud, has got many awards and accolades to his credit.

Now the young prodigy will be honored with the Swaralaya-Kairali-Jesudas Award for 2007 by the Kerala based Swaralaya.

This was announced by the jury which comprises The Minister for Cultural Affairs MA Baby, playback singers K.P. Udayabhanu and B. Arundhathi, lyricist Poovachal Khader and litterateur Rosemary.

Swaralaya, an organization established with the aim of promoting music, honors music artists every year in recognition for their outstanding performance in Indian film music by giving them awards.

Veteran music director K. Raghavan will also be honored during the occasion, for his contribution to Malayalam film music.

Rahman's prize comprises cash of one lakh, a citation and a statue designed by Kanayi Kunhiraman.

[MADDY]

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/n/i/top_stories/2098/

ARR relives his cildhood days.... 8-)

[ajaybaskar]

It is generally the politicians who say one thing and shamefully take an opposite stance suddenly. Now, it is Ismail Durbar, the composer of Devdas!

Here are some excerpts from his recent Hindustan Times interview (Thanks to Mr. Gopal, ARRFans for the scan):


"I call him (A.R.Rahman) Guru. He also respects me..."
"I remember he won at two different award functions; he went on to win for Taal and Saathiya. See the humility in him... he called me through lyricist Mehboob and said that I deserved both the awards (for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas). That's why I respect him"
Now for a short flashback! This is what he said in a Rediff interview, about one-and-half years back:

"People have told me my work was better than Rahman's in Kisna. (ARR composed 2 songs and ID composed 8 for Kisna)"
"My work has always been better than his . Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was better than Taal. Even Devdas was better than Saathiya.
But it is destiny that he got international fame. Angrezo ne uska haath pakad liya hai toh logo ko lagta hai ke yeh kuch zyada hi hai (Foreigners encouraged him so people think he is very good).
I am not saying this because of jealousy. This is the bitter truth. Whenever my work is good and he takes the awards, I feel bad.
I wonder why people run after name and fame, and not good work. Kyunki hamare yahan bahut kum akal ke log hai (we have very few intelligent people here). We see some foreigners holding someone's hand, and he becomes a big man ."
Ah!! What a jerk!

[Ramakrishna]

old interview of Srinivas where he describes ARR's creative
process in depth.
http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/People/2000/June/srinivas.html

[Wibha]

ram anna thanks for the link :D

[Ramakrishna]

Has anyone heard of this rahman album called Thaayumanavan as told by Raaga?
http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0001038.html

[muzammil_fr]

Hey Guys see the analyse about Tamil Droped Movies, there is 4 movies of ARR in 6 :( http://www.behindwoods.com/features/Slideshows/slideshows2/dropped-movies/dropped-movies.html

[Ramakrishna]

WWW.ARTUNES.BLOGSPOT.COM

[MADDY]

Has anyone heard of this rahman album called Thaayumanavan as told by Raaga?
http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/movie/T0001038.html

its false info i guess :?

[sat_srini]

Nominations for the 52nd Filmfare Awards

Best Music
A R Rahman (Rang De Basanti)
Himesh Reshammiya (Aksar)
Jatin-Lalit (Fanaa)
Pritam (Dhoom 2)
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Don)
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna)

http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/02/08/2219/index.html

[Ramakrishna]

is online voting allowed?

[Dragun]

http://bombilandbeatrice.com/

ARR listed as composer in the Credits section. The music in the trailer is from WOHE.

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqpJHR4Ngc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnc7XQXmUwQ

[Scale]

Carnatic Chills album released by ARR,

http://www.pyarilal.com/images/carnatic_chills/

videos: http://aparnasblog.wordpress.com/

[A.ANAND]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqpJHR4Ngc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnc7XQXmUwQ :ty:

[Ramakrishna]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8889514742500764721&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2538285660841507763&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5646708936680193644
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6642298629495227753&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5188440611575250304&hl=en

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLeL-No9Co
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaoFjzQDd-Y

[Ramakrishna]

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1622689383

[Kumar2020]

http://sify.com/entertainment/movies/imagegallery/gallery/index.php?hcategory=13709686&hgallery=14390349
8-)

[ajaybaskar]

http://sify.com/entertainment/movies/imagegallery/gallery/index.php?hcategory=13709686&hgallery=14390349

http://sify.com/entertainment/movies/imagegallery/gallery/index.php?hcategory=13709686&hgallery=14390349

http://sify.com/entertainment/movies/imagegallery/gallery/index.php?hcategory=13709686&hgallery=14390349

[ajaybaskar]

ARR Speech at Kairali Award

Final Part ( DVD format )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hqQtTD0n3s

Final Part ( WMV format )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KybzinxvTaA

for other parts please visit

http://www.youtube.com/noohu

[Wibha]

:omg: rahman has LONG fingers which is so coooolllll :cool:

[rayan36]

Does ARR really sang in YSR's Chennai 60028 ?

[A.ANAND]

Does ARR really sang in YSR's Chennai 60028 ?arr not sing in this movie!!!thank god :D muthalla ilayaraja rahman musicla padathum apparan rahman ysr musicla padalam 8-)

[Dragun]

[tscii:4720b3b7a7]http://indiafm.com/news/2007/02/20/8931/index.html

Anil - Salman in Subhash Ghai's next
By Taran Adarsh, February 20, 2007 - 02:04 IST

Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan have been teamed in Subhash Ghai’s new film, which is not titled yet. One more lead man is in the process of finalization. Produced-directed by Ghai himself, the film is scripted by Sachin Bhowmick, Kamlesh Pandey and Ghai himself.

A musical film with music by A.R. Rahman, the film will go on floors in May this year. At present, Ghai has completed principal photography of his current directorial venture BLACK N WHITE with Anil Kapoor and Anurag Sinha, a graduate from F.T.I.I., Pune in acting.[/tscii:4720b3b7a7]

[baba88]

Hello,

I need the songs that ARR and Karen David composed together please. Can someone upload them ?

[thumburu]

I read in today's news papers that ARR is going to play "Pray for me Brother" at the UN for the world poverty alleviation

[ajaybaskar]

By IndiaFM News Bureau, February 16, 2007 - 05:48 IST
Post Rang De Basanti and Fanaa we haven't heard much from Aamir Khan
on the filmi scene. However the actor, off late, has been pretty busy
with acting, production and rumouredly also ghost direction.

Firstly he is producing Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na that marks the
directorial debut of script writer Abbas Tyrewala. Recently rumours
had it that the film has been renamed to Main Hoon Na Maqbool. "This
is hilarious", exclaims Abbas Tyrewala. Perhaps the rumour originated
from the fact that Abbas happens to be the writer of both Main Hoon Na
and Maqbool. "But Main Hoon Na Maqbool is a better title. I should
have thought of it before", he adds teasingly. The title of the film
is confirmed as Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

Speaking about the cast of the film Abbas says, "Aamir's nephew Imraan
Khan will be seen as the male lead. He is Aamir's sister's son. I
can't divulge much about him at this moment, but he is definitely one
actor to watch out for!" Genelia D'souza of Tujhe Meri Kasam and Masti
fame has been finalized to play the female lead.

The film about young love is almost reaching completion. Says
Tyrewala, "We will be shooting continuously till the first week of
April. A few months of post-production after that and hopefully then
the movie will be ready for release!"

So is Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na a period film? "No, it is not a period
film," says Tyrewala, "But it is not very modern as well. It has
sensibilities of five years back." While Aamir is producing the film,
PVR Cinemas is presenting it. A. R. Rahman is composing the music for
this film.

Being an Aamir Khan production we question Abbas if there is any
possibility of Aamir Khan making a cameo in the film and he confirms,
"Aamir himself will not be seen anywhere in the film. However there
are a lot of other actors in the film who will make a special
appearance including Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Arbaaz Khan
and Arshad Warsi"

Apart from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Aamir is also producing a film called
Tare Zameen Par that is being directed by Amol Gupte. Aamir plays the
male lead of this film. He will also be starring in the remake of
Tamil film Ghajini that pairs him with Ayesha Takia. Finally there is
Mani Ratnam's Lajjo where he is cast opposite Kareena Kapoor.

http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/02/16/2263/index.html

[sha]

http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/02/24/2298/index.html

congrats.....................

[MADDY]

Hello,

I need the songs that ARR and Karen David composed together please. Can someone upload them ?

baba....this is what i could find out.....

there are 2 tracks - carry me home and Alive...... :D

http://www.myspace.com/karendavid

[Ramakrishna]

Hello,

I need the songs that ARR and Karen David composed together please. Can someone upload them ?

baba....this is what i could find out.....

there are 2 tracks - carry me home and Alive...... :D

http://www.myspace.com/karendavid

Carry me home and Shillong Shillong are the two songs composed by ARR. they are available in www.Karendavid.com, but at present the site is under maintenance.

[MADDY]

Does ARR really sang in YSR's Chennai 60028 ?

that was a cheap publicity gimmick by the audio company which is releasing chennai-28 to bring in ARR fans into it.... :oops:

reg Karendavid, yes Ram, even the myspace link opens only after clicking on it 10 times

also, i had downloaded samples of carry me and shillong from some link........i have re-uploaded it....

http://rapidshare.com/files/18165699/Karen-ARR.zip.html

[ajaybaskar]

A.R.Rahman still not paid fully for Mangal Pandey

A.R.Rahman has been making his presence felt since the last few months with the music of The Rising and Rang De Basanti being greatly appreciated. However, surprisingly, the musician has still not been fully paid for his work in The Rising. It seems that only 15% of the amount due has been paid to Rahman. He received 10 lakhs which was to be paid to the Prague Orchestra. Considering that it was a big film, Rahman left no stone unturned to ensure that the quality of music is good.

After the release of the film, producer Bobby Bedi had said in a television interview that he had recovered the entire money invested in the film. Rahman is extremely selective about the work that he does. And he does not want to get cheated on the few projects that he does. Producer Bobby Bedi was not aware that there was any amount due. He stated that a lot of money had already been paid.

[sat_srini]

New Delhi, Feb. 26 (PTI): Water has been ruling Deepa Mehta's heart and mind since the movie was first pitched by Canada as its official entry for the Best foreign language film category in Oscars. The big Oscar night in Los Angeles is today and the lady is all prepared to walk down the red carpet in an antique tissue saree of her mother.

Meanwhile, whether she wins or not, Deepa has already set her eyes on projects beyond Water. The much-in-news issue of racism will be the theme of Deepa Mehta's next film titled 'Exclusion'. The film is based on an incident that occurred in early twentieth century known as 'Komagata Maru.' It deals with exclusion laws passed in Canada at that time to keep Asians at bay.

Though Deepa Mehta denies ever being a victim of racism herself, she agrees that the menace is a reality and according to her it is related to "economy". "There was a time when the west didn't consider the Arabs white, but today they do, since Arabs are rich today", she says.

"Racism hasn't got to do with the colour of your skin, rather its whether you belong to a developed world or not" adds Deepa. Asked if she thought if Shilpa Shetty was a victim of racism in the 'Celebrity Big Brother', she gives a definitive yes.

Coming back to 'Exclusion' in which Deepa would be directing Amitabh Bachchan, Deepa says, "I am still writing the film, it will go on floor only after that, John and Seema will be there in my film, and A R Rehman will be giving the music".

And while Deepa is writing Exclusion, there is something else that is coming from the director's kitty, a film titled 'The Julia Project'. "Its a film by Universal Pictures, I will be just directing the film. The Julia Project is a story set in America after the civil war, its story of an American girl falling in love with a Korean", says Deepa about the movie.

Speaking of the film 'Water', when she first started Water seven years ago it became a target of religious fundamentalism forcing her to stop the project.

With a changed star cast and a changed location Deepa made what she says "a better Water".

"We retained the original screenplay, the location was changed though. From Varanasi we moved to Sri Lanka, but no we didn't tried to recreate Varanasi, it was not possible. The place we depict is somewhere near Indo-Bangla border in 1938", she says.

Talking of the universal appeal of the film Deepa says "Even though the film is based in India, every country has a group of people who have been marginalised, Water also deals with one such group(widows), so people will relate to the film."

" What makes Water most special is my beleif in the subject. First time I saw the widow ashrams on a visit to India, I knew I had to make a film on these women," says Deepa.

Coming to the Oscar ceremony it's not the flashbulbs or the red carpet that Deepa is thinking about -- all that she is looking forward to is the company she will be in at the event. "I'm really looking forward to meeting all the people at the Oscars,".

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200702260321.htm

[MADDY]

Though Deepa Mehta denies ever being a victim of racism herself, she agrees that the menace is a reality and according to her it is related to "economy". "There was a time when the west didn't consider the Arabs white, but today they do, since Arabs are rich today", she says.

"Racism hasn't got to do with the colour of your skin, rather its whether you belong to a developed world or not" adds Deepa. Asked if she thought if Shilpa Shetty was a victim of racism in the 'Celebrity Big Brother', she gives a definitive yes.

Coming back to 'Exclusion' in which Deepa would be directing Amitabh Bachchan, Deepa says, "I am still writing the film, it will go on floor only after that, John and Seema will be there in my film, and A R Rehman will be giving the music".


In which generation is she in?? :shock: ........India is a economic power house in Asian region with its GDP featuring in top 10 biggest in the world......with all major steel manufacturing co.s to sit in India in the next few yrs doubled with IT supremacy, India is set to maul the G-8 in the next 10 yrs and will knock on USA's door for being the biggest economy in the world.....Even if India bcomes the richest nation in the worl, they will still have racist intent on us.........wake up Deepa and dont call us a developing nation anymore...... :evil:

Deepa Mehta clearly doesent understand Indian sensitivities and sensibilities.......i wonder y ARR is joining hands with her again...... :? .........his non-controversial image will take a beating if he joins hands with such superficial-view ppl........ :cry:

[Shankar]

>>>>>>>
Deepa Mehta clearly doesent understand Indian sensitivities and sensibilities.......i wonder y ARR is joining hands with her again...... Confused .........his non-controversial image will take a beating if he joins hands with such superficial-view ppl........ Crying or Very sad
<<<<<<<

Professional association doesn't have anything to do with your convictions and belief (That's the reason why I felt Raja shud've worked in Periyar)
Let's accept that arr is gonna get a better exposure with deepa mehta as a director (whether she's worth being noted in international circles or not is a different issue. Even pandit Ravishankar is known in Intern'l circles - it doesn't mean anything) and it is good for him. If we are from this part of the world, your talent alone doesn't matter. Whom you associate with also matters most to get the right visibility. This is where Raja lacks, and I'm happy that arr isn't making that mistake.

[thumburu]

And losing at the Oscsrs is still a lot more honorable than winning the coterie driven filmfare award [ where the likes of HrithikRoshan wins the best actor award for an abysymal movie dHOOM 2!!!]

[Ramakrishna]

ARR interview
http://rs56.rapidshare.com/files/18480479/Part_4.mp3

[dinesh2002]

what about the songs that ARR was nominated ?? are the winners anounced or havent??

[Ramakrishna]

ARR singing Tamizha Tamizha in an Interview

http://rs56.rapidshare.com/files/19164362/Bharat_humko_unplugged.mp3

[MADDY]

http://www.raaga.com/channels/telugu/movie/A0000019.html

most of u must be already knwing this......ARR has scored for a Dr.Rajshekhar's telugu movie - Gangster(Telugu) in 1994.........the songs were like wow 8-) ........i totally forgot abt it for a long time, suddenly, i got the "hello hello premalekha" song in my dream yesterday........and i searched for it in Raaga and got it.......

listen to the tracks and be ready to get surprised if you dont know abt this movie.... :D

[Ramakrishna]

ARR intro in Super Singer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VvEGACOamQ

[rayan36]

http://www.raaga.com/channels/telugu/movie/A0000019.html

most of u must be already knwing this......ARR has scored for a Dr.Rajshekhar's telugu movie - Gangster(Telugu) in 1994.........the songs were like wow 8-) ........i totally forgot abt it for a long time, suddenly, i got the "hello hello premalekha" song in my dream yesterday........and i searched for it in Raaga and got it.......

listen to the tracks and be ready to get surprised if you dont know abt this movie.... :D

It's dubbed in Tamil as Manitha Manitha :wink:

[Ramakrishna]

ARR singing Mera Rang De Basanti

http://rs44.rapidshare.com/files/17901646/unplugged.mp3

[lancelot]

ARR singing Mera Rang De Basanti

http://rs44.rapidshare.com/files/17901646/unplugged.mp3

wow.. thats a beauty. wats the interview? where can i get it?

how come iv never heard of this song?

hehe
:D

[Ramakrishna]

http://arrthegreat.googlepages.com/pictures42

[Ramakrishna]

[tscii:efab4709f2]Kalaignar Karunanidhi, AR Rahman at an awards show
IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, March 06, 2007]

The CavinKare Ability awards was presented amidst heavy security and thronging crowds at Chennai Trade Centre recently.

The special guests of the evening included the Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Kalaignar Karunanidhi, music director-singer AR Rahman, poet and activist Kanimozhi, women’s activist Mohini Giri, CK Ranganathan, the Chairman cum MD of CavinKare and Jayashree Ravindran, the editor of Ability magazine.

The awards were presented to those who got the better of their physical handicaps with sheer determination and courage.

Our honorable CM, while speaking on the occasion, said that he was deeply moved and added that there are lakhs of others who need to be acknowledged and encouraged.

The grand finale of the evening was a stunning piano recital by AR Rahman. [/tscii:efab4709f2]

[MADDY]

[tscii:804fd8d8ca]Kalaignar Karunanidhi, AR Rahman at an awards show
IndiaGlitz [Tuesday, March 06, 2007]

The CavinKare Ability awards was presented amidst heavy security and thronging crowds at Chennai Trade Centre recently.

The special guests of the evening included the Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Kalaignar Karunanidhi, music director-singer AR Rahman, poet and activist Kanimozhi, women’s activist Mohini Giri, CK Ranganathan, the Chairman cum MD of CavinKare and Jayashree Ravindran, the editor of Ability magazine.

The awards were presented to those who got the better of their physical handicaps with sheer determination and courage.

Our honorable CM, while speaking on the occasion, said that he was deeply moved and added that there are lakhs of others who need to be acknowledged and encouraged.

The grand finale of the evening was a stunning piano recital by AR Rahman. [/tscii:804fd8d8ca]

more on this:

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/rahman-inspires-disabled-singers/35131-8.html

[A.ANAND]

arr'ikum kalaignar'ikum ethavathu pirachanaiyya???konjam kovama irukara mathiri irukku :confused2:

[Ramakrishna]

Rahman inspires disabled singers - video
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/35131/rahman-inspires-disabled-singers.html

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.arrahmanworld.net/video/arrahman-1.wmv

[Ramakrishna]

Watch a short exclusive interview with ARR on his official website

http://www.arrahmanworld.net/video/arrahman-1.wmv

This interview was shot on the day PFMB was released.

Unfortunately, for reasons beyond even ARR's control, the rest of the website
still remains to
go live.

Please spread the word on this exclusive through word-of-mouth and other forums.

Thanks,
Gopal and Vijay

[sat_srini]

[tscii:2fb3604d9b]Fame, fortune... humility

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

A.R.Rahman, who usually lets his achievements do the talking, opens up with disarming modesty and frankness.


SHARING THOUGHTS ON WORK AND WORSHIP: A.R.Rahman.
Levity marks the exchange with Allah Rakha Rahman. Likewise brevity. Punctuated with an abstruse smile or a friendly chuckle, the relaxed, freewheeling discussion at his studio throws light on the mindset, beliefs and work culture of the composer.

Rahman's `day' actually begins after the Sun goes to rest. Today young music directors toe his line — they work through the night like he does. "Really? Their wives must be cursing me!" he laughs. "But seriously, earlier, during the day I worked for others. And at night I would do jingles and stuff. So that's my creative time," he explains.

Fame and Fortune sit lightly on Rahman's shoulders — rather they don't sit on him at all! You've come across creators who are visibly impatient with those who don't understand their work ... "How can I feel so? There are so many things others know and I don't," he says simply!

In mature terrain


Has being religious got something to do with this humility? "Today the term has too big a connotation. You could call me spiritual." He comes slightly forward. "Your heart has place for only one dominant aspect — Ego or God. If God is in your heart, it would mean the death of ego and you'd take things with equanimity. Also, it all depends on what you think is ultimate." He ruminates and adds, "Of course, recognition makes me happy and I'm thankful to God for all that has come my way."

Probably they've come his way too soon. "Yeah! My father (Sekar, a composer, arranger and conductor for Malayalam films) never got anything he wanted. I strongly believe his unfulfilled goals are being realised through me. That he's blessing me from above," he pauses. "But you also have the media hyping it all up and blowing things out of proportion. Violence in cinema, for instance! It makes you feel the whole world is in bloodshed. It's true up to a point, but there are nice things too." Even as he fields a poser, his thought process is so quick that he keeps moving from one topic to another. For all that he's a person who talks little. "Yeah! That's why I can't speak any language properly," he quips.

"After `Vande Mataram' [his album] I stopped singing duets ... only spiritual and patriotic songs I decided. But again perceptions change, so I've sung `Tere Bina' [`Guru'] and a duet for `Sivaji' [Rajinikant's next]." You mention the range that was made discernibly tough for Hariharan in the `Vennilavae' song (`Minsara Kananvu'), and he smilingly nods. "When a tune gets approved such things happen. But it doesn't show in the cassette as it does when he sings live." Rahman's penchant for jazz chords comes out now and then. `Hey Goodbye Nanba' (`Aaidha Ezhuthu' — `Yuva' in Hindi) is an example. "True. I love jazz. But very few understand it. So whenever it's suitable I use the progression," he says. Hindustani is another choice genre. "I like listening to Kishore Amonkar, Hasu Patel and others. And the melodies of the 1960s fascinate me. At the same time the youngster in me digs rock and jazz," he laughs. M.S.Viswanathan is an all time favourite of Rahman. "A real master," he commends.

So how does he see himself 20 years from now? "I don't see myself," he chuckles and noting your expression says, "Seriously! That's the problem with me. A problem and a boon."

Rahman is now doing `Azhagiya Tamizh Magan' and `Chakkarakatti' in Tamil. "Yeah. I also do Tamil films." He gives a cryptic look and continues: "My roots are here. I gained fame from here. I don't want people to say `He was in Tamil once, now he's gone away to Hindi and English.' Again it's the confidence level of a director that makes me accept or reject a film. Sometimes I'm wrong." He shrugs and continues: "Today Tamil film music is mostly fast beats. `Chakachakachaka' it goes on. That makes me hesitate doing more of Tamil." You begin to understand the look! Yet his melodious `Munbe Vaa' [`Sillunu Oru Kadhal'] was a major hit. "But I read a review that described it as being like 1950s' music," he smiles wryly. "You need the conviction to do what you feel is good. Not because you assume it would sell." Today's `cut and paste' music, where composers unabashedly use loops available in the market and pass it off as theirs, is appalling. "Yes. Piracy is rampant. One should have a conscience, feel someone up there's watching."

The other composers in the family — sister Rehaina and nephew G.V.Prakash — must be coming to him for guidance. "They don't," is the crisp reply.

Probably they are afraid to approach him. "Come on! I won't chew them up," he guffaws. "And frankly, they're doing fine."

Point well made


`Are you searching for a reason to be kind, then pray for me brother!' reads the huge Rahman Foundation poster in the room.

"It's the theme song we did for the U.N., for fighting poverty. I try to do my bit. There's a lot to be done for children, in art. Sometimes I feel we are in a shell. There are no in-betweens for kids here. It's either classical or light music. No `Lion King,' no `Bombay Dreams,' no jazz ... our cultural stuff is great. But we have to know what's happening around us and cater for it," Rahman talks passionately on the subject.

`Jodha Akbar' (Hrithik and Aishwarya) and `The Golden Age' with Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen (Scottish composer Craig Armstrong joins Rahman for the project) are among his forthcoming films.

"At one end of the spectrum I'm making 15th century Moghul music, at the other it is regal British music, and there's a Vijay film in between! Sometimes I suddenly wake up from sleep, frightened. `How are you going to do it?' I ask myself," he laughs. That's again the modest music maker for you!

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/03/09/stories/2007030900380100.htm

[/tscii:2fb3604d9b]

[rayan36]

Excellent interview :thumbsup:

[lancelot]

beautifull A R Rahman, just Beautifull

hehe
:D

[ajaybaskar]

Wat a modest person this man is... That makes him different from other MDs

[MADDY]

forgot to remind u guys:

Yesterday - 12th March was ARR's 13th Wedding anniversary..... 8-)

can never forget this date as my cousin-sis also got married on the same day - 12th march 1994 :D

[Wibha]

forgot to remind u guys:

Yesterday - 12th March was ARR's 13th Wedding anniversary..... 8-)

can never forget this date as my cousin-sis also got married on the same day - 12th march 1994 :D

wat!!!!!!!! i never new his wedding anniversary date :D. 13 yrs coooll

[rayan36]

:notworthy: Happy Anniversary my dear 'Guru of Music' :notworthy:

[sat_srini]

[tscii:6111f81b3b]I need my own space: AR Rahman

New Delhi: Veteran Musician A R Rahman has made it to the Limca book of records for the year 2007. CNN-IBN's correspondent Reshil Charles quizzed him about his works and his reclusive nature.


Reshil Charles: 15-years after Roza, do you think there is something that you would like to change in your music style?


A R Rahman: I don’t think so. I think there is a personality attached to my music. There are so many different things happening that sometimes I feel that I should do similar stuff more.


I am looking forward to some of the biggest projects this year. There is Lord of the Rings musical happening in May. Then there is Jodha Akbar, which is again a big project.


Reshil Charles: People are saying that they can smell a Rahman track from a mile away. Is that a good thing or do you think that there are styles that you want to make different?


A R Rahman: You can consciously try to be different. But there is a personality for which people know me now. That is enough to recognize something. I feel good about it.


Reshil Charles: What do you have to say about your music label?


A R Rahman: My first production Pray for me Brother has already done well. Start has been very good. We have certain plans. Once it comes out, everyone will know.


Reshil Charles: Pease tell us about the status of The Lord of the Rings?


A R Rahman: It’s in the rehearsal stage right now. On May 9 I think it is going to be previewed first. We are looking forward to it now.


Reshil Charles: You often go into a shell of some kind. Why do become reclusive about things?


A R Rahman: I need to work. I need to be in my space and be with myself.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/showbiz/03_2007/i-need-my-own-space-ar-rahman-35938.html
[/tscii:6111f81b3b]

[sat_srini]

Limca Book honours A R Rahman

By Businessofcinema.com Team

13 March 2007, 11:31 AM
MUMBAI: The 2007 edition of the Limca Book of Records, launched recently, features music maestro A R Rahman among five Indians who are chosen to be a part of the People of the Year section.

George Abraham, for his exemplary work for the blind, M C Marykom, the first woman to win three world boxing titles, cardiologist Dr Devi Prasad Shetty and tennis icon Mahesh Bhupati also feature among the chose five.

The 2007 edition of the record book celebrates over 10,000 remarkable achievements of Indians from around the world.

Says Coca-Cola India president and CEO Atul Singh, "The all-new and invigorated Limca Book of Records 2007, provides a platform to Indians, unknown, unheard and unsung to showcase their special talents. The book truly catalogues "India at her Best".


http://www.businessofcinema.com/?file=story&id=2665

[sat_srini]

India's Rahman hopes to create Oscar-winning music

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Top Bollywood musician A.R. Rahman said on Tuesday he was working to create music that strikes a chord with Western audiences so that Indian film music could one day win an Oscar award.

Three of Rahman's compositions were shortlisted for an Academy award this year, but none of them eventually made it to the final Best Original Song category.

The 41-year-old composer blames this on the failure to create music that western audiences could identify with.

"We have to give something which they are accustomed to and then the chances of bagging the award increases," Rahman, known for experimenting with new instruments and sound, said on the sidelines of a news conference.

"We have to create music which is popular there."

Rahman was chosen by composer Andrew Llyod Webber to compose music for his stage production "Bombay Dreams" in 2002, a runaway success which brought the Indian composer international fame.

Though happy with his songs just being shortlisted for the Oscars, the stocky, reclusive musician, who first found Bollywood fame in 1992 and has since created hit music for several films, said Indian film music was not good enough to catch the western ear.

"We have to understand that the song we create here, the popular song, is alien to the western audience."


http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSDEL20931520070313

[Wibha]

Reshil Charles: You often go into a shell of some kind. Why do become reclusive about things?


A R Rahman: I need to work. I need to be in my space and be with myself.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/showbiz/03_2007/i-need-my-own-space-ar-rahman-35938.html


:clap: :clap: :clap:

[Hulkster]

I am surprised rahman is talking about music being identified by them is worthy of oscar awards...i mean rahman himself has made some albums which may not be identified by them but when it comes to music it has no parallels..so what if the guitar or piano is used in a indiaish rhythm..it still has been used in a extravagant way..if westernised music was the way to win awards for a indian movie..than YSR should be winning it soon already..come on ARR you have created albums far better than some of the oscar award winning songs(not bgm scores..thats different from indian film music)....dunt give up yet :notworthy:

[sat_srini]

[tscii:2d34b93019] 'I don't talk about causes, I would rather do my bit'

AR Rahman speaks to us about his jugalbandi with wife Sehra, cricket, and issues close to his heart.

AR Rahman walks in, straight from the airport, into a room full of waiting journos and photographers, all in a frenzy to outdo the other for an exclusive with this self-confessed recluse.

Anyone else might have blown his fuse for having the microphone shoved under his nose for the umpteenth time, and being asked to say 'something' for Team India. But not Rahman. He smiles politely, and refuses to say anything that doesn't concern him and his work.

Doesn't he like cricket? "I do, but this is hardly the way to show it," he says. So what does he feel for, so much that it shows? "Causes. I want to remove poverty from India, and change the immunity that we have developed towards it. I want to do a lot for the specially challenged people. I want to change a lot of things.

But I don't talk about them either, for I'd like to do my bit and see that making a change." Like his first English solo for the UN, Pray For Me Brother? "Yes. This is my first humble step in making music that is for the whole world as an audience. I was very nervous when the song was released. I'm glad it's worked," says Rahman.

Amidst all this, no one notices a shy, quiet woman standing a few paces away, waiting to catch Rahman's eye. His wife, Sehra. "We have flown in straight from Glasgow. He must be very hungry," she says softly.

Is it always like this? "Always. I get to see more of him at concerts and TV than in reality," she smiles. Our photographer wants her to be clicked, but she manages to evade him, and go and stand in a corner.

Back to Rahman. His recent compositions have been for three contrasting films – Sivaji, Lord of the Rings, and now Akbar Jodha (excluding Guru, that is). How does it feel to be composing in different languages and time frames at the same time? "Terrifying," laughs Rahman.

"To wake up one morning and find yourself working on an epic, and a commercial Tamil number together can be petrifying." Sometime ago, he'd said that he could not be unapologetic while presenting his kind of music to a Western audience.

Has that changed now? "To a large extent, yes. But if one's used to eating burgers, one can't develop a taste for paav bhaaji overnight. There has to be a bridge, and that's my music's flavour – 'bridgey'," he says.

From a distance, Sehra tries to catch Rahman's eyes again. But he's busy posing for our lensman. "Do I look sleepy? I've hardly slept since a couple of days," he says. So how does he spend his leisure time? "I try and spend time with my children." The couple has three kids – Khatija, Rahima and Ameen – two daughters and a son. "My kids love my music, thankfully.

My eldest daughter is already learning music," he says. At this point, we request a picture with his wife. And finally, he looks for her, their eyes meet, and he nods for her to join him. Your wife is so shy, how does she handle all the fame, and recognition? "She handles our home, I take care of the rest," he quips.

kanpur.times@timesgroup.com


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City_Supplements/Delhi_Times/I_dont_talk_about_causes_I_would_rather_do_my_bit/articleshow/1764098.cms

[/tscii:2d34b93019]

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:a39497769a]Honours galore for Rahman
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]



Awards and honours have become a routine for AR Rahman. The ace Music director who made his beginning with Roja, emerged a much sought-after music composer not just in the country but also abroad.

Recently at a function held to commemorate the launch of the 18th edition of Limca Book of Records at New Delhi, Rahman was honoured with an award in recognition of his contribution to the Indian music industry.

A happy Rahman said, ¡§The award comes from a reputed firm which recognizes rare and rich talents and it is a great treasure for me.¡¨

Besides AR Rahman, ace tennis player Mahesh Boopathy was also presented an award on the occasion.


[/tscii:a39497769a]

[sat_srini]

[tscii:0cd50798ee]Top Ten albums of the week

By Joginder Tuteja, March 16, 2007 - 10:30 IST


1) ‘Guru’ stays on at the top of the charts as none of the new releases of 2007 have made any impact whatsoever at the music stands. It has been a dull phase so far with the first quarter of 2007 threatening to go by without a single new release making a mark except ‘Namastey London’ to an extent.

6)Water - Surprise of the week. Just last week it was speculated that ‘Water’ entering the charts was just a flash in the pan but its sudden jump in the charts indicates otherwise. A quality album. It may not be yet another ‘Guru’ in the making but is being liked by the connoisseurs of good music

http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/03/16/2395/index.html[/tscii:0cd50798ee]

[ajaybaskar]

Rahman in Whistling Woods

He was visibly delighted when he saw the best in the world of music. All these facilities, right here in India and that too at a place that is supposed to be teaching youngsters the ropes of cinema. It was too good to be true, but it was.

The occasion was the inauguration of the state of the art (this time it is really serious) studios (TV, film and sound) at the Whistling Woods International film school run by (dream merchant) Subhash Ghai. Also present at the occasion were prominent film makers Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Abbas Mustan, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kamlesh Pandey.

Rahman, speaking on the occasion told that the current crop of students were really lucky to have such facilities at their disposal. He recounted his early years when he had to struggle to get access to facilities. Rakeysh Mehra too praised the school for its standards that were nothing short of international. Subhash Ghai, founder of the school reiterated his commitment towards providing guidance and opportunity of the highest order. Looks like there is going to be no shortage of Rahmans and Mehras in the future.

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/mar-07-02/16-03-07-ar-rahman.html

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:54cfdd6cc7]Rahman inaugurates studios at WWI

A.R. Rahman inaugurated the on campus state of the art film and TV studios and the sound recording rooms at the Subhash Ghai run film school Whistling Woods International.

Speaking on the occasion Rahman spoke on how fortunate the students of the school were. “When I was 11, I wanted to go to Berklee College of music but couldn’t go there. I was forced to be with 50 year olds who wouldn’t be really serious. But now students have an option of learning specialized fields from here and it is one of the finest film schools in the world”, said Rahman.

Rang De Basanti director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was also present at the occasion. “When I was shooting for Rang De Basanti in Film City, Whistling Woods was under construction. I used to come here during lunch breaks and I could feel the positive vibes here”, said the director.

Chairman Subhash Ghai too had a lot to say about the school, “Our idea is to provide the best facilities to our students to train them in the latest technology that is being used for film-making today. At Whistling Woods, we combine creativity and hard work with cutting edge, state of the art technology to get the best out of our students.”


Also present at the occasion were director duo Abbas-Mustan, Rang De Basanti writer Kamlesh Pandey and director Vishal Bharadwaj.

Bharadwaj who was shooting for his short film on AIDS titled Blood Brothers on the campus of the school with Oscar winning cinematographer Guillermo Navarro was also felicitated at the occasion.[/tscii:54cfdd6cc7]

[sat_srini]

Check this out - Being A.R.Rahman at CNN-IBN

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/36286/being-a-r-rahman-musically-yours.html


Awesome interview!!!!

[sat_srini]

Check out these videos of A.R.R inaugurating Subash ghai's whistling woods international academy. Rahman mentions about working on an English movie "Bombil and Beatrice". Subash Ghai confirms that Rahman would be the music director of his next film. So, a lot of interesting projects to look out for!!!

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/gallery/events/11829.html

[vijayr]

Check this out - Being A.R.Rahman at CNN-IBN

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/36286/being-a-r-rahman-musically-yours.html


Awesome interview!!!!

Thanks for the link man. The interviewer was pretty cool and Rahman,as always, is lucid and kicks ass. That was fine stuff by CNN-IBN. I'll have to watch out for them.

[muzammil_fr]

Check out this guys http://www.maalaimalar.com/asp/news/dis_news_gallerydet.asp?galdetid=19235

[rayan36]

Rehman to tap talent amongst the disabled

Two disabled vocalists are lucky to get an opportunity to sing with music director AR Rehman.

While Rehman has brought many new faces to the music, he is now keen to tap the musical talent of disabled persons.

It's an annual ability award that recognises the spirit of achievement by disabled people, but Rahman proved a point.

While his concert mesmerised the audience, the vocalists who accompanied him were two disabled artists. Rehman says he is now determined to tap the musical talent among the disabled.

"I think in India there are scores of such talented artists. I want to spot at least two such artists every year," said Rehman.

"The disability has not affected the motivation of the award winners," said M Karunanidhi, Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu.

For the award winners it was an opportunity to inspire other disabled people and to motivate them to dream beyond their personal triumph.

"There might be obstacles, but if we have the determination we can overcome all," said Anjali Arora, Ability Award Winner.

"Life is not counting on what we don't have but looking at what we have," said Neha Bansal, Ability Award Winner.

The spirit of the award has a message for all that often disability is not in the body but in the mind.

Source: http://www.ndtvmusic.com

[ajaybaskar]

T-Series acquires audio rights of Subhash Ghai's next

T-Series has acquired the audio rights of Subhash Ghai's untitled film starring Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor in the lead. Other artistes and technicians will be finalised shortly. The music will be composed by AR Rahman, and the film will be directed and produced by Subhash Ghai under his banner Mukta Arts.

[baba88]

A.R.Rahman's Leo Coffee ad:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ShuXB6kVzDI
Listen to 2:00 - 2:12

Harris Jeyaraj's Majunu song:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YqV71jDNe_8
Listen to 2:34 - 2:44


What a copycat !!!!

[Dragun]

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=30&contentid=2007040403485939075899eeb

Shattered Dreams
Raj Kumar Santoshi shelves London Dreams after Salman Khan's hair transplant problems clash with Ajay Devgan's dates
Ram Kamal Mukherjee

Raj Kumar Santoshi, of Damini fame and China Gate infamy, is today a man of shattered dreams. Literally. His most ambitious project to date London Dreams has been shelved because nobody seemed to give him the time of day. The film which is about a rock band in England was to star Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, and ironically eight songs for the feature have already been recorded. The film though has been plagued by cast-related issues from the onset. Akshay Kumar was initially to play the lead along with Devgan, but opted out abruptly.

Salman Khan's dates then went awry thanks to his thinning hair, and Ajay Devgan supposedly could not accommodate any fresh dates.

This, though, is just the actor bit. The actresses had their own musical chairs in turn. For instance, immediately after the film was announced Salman requested Santoshi to replace Priyanka Chopra (who was Santoshi's original choice for lead actress) with beau Katrina Kaif. This merry-go-round though was to continue and soon enough, Vidya Balan found herself playing the part.

When contacted about this fiasco, a source said, "Raj Kumar has lost interest in the project because he feels that the project is taking too long and the combination dates of Ajay and Salman are now working out because both of them are extremely busy actors." The only thin hope Santoshi had was of Devgan lending him some dates after his current commitments. But as it turns out that Devgan is pre-occupied with his directorial venture, which he will dive right into after his current slate of shooting dates with various other directors.

Despite the writing on the wall, Santoshi chose his words carefully when we asked him about his 'dream'. He said, "As the director of the film, I can't decide whether a film will be made or not. It's true that we have been unable to get combination dates from Ajay Devgan and Salman Khan. However, we're making efforts to solve the problem."

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/nanohv/ar2.JPG

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/nanohv/ar1.JPG

[rayan36]

Kollywood's new source of funding

By Behindwoods News Bureau.

April 6, 2007


Kadir who had directed films like Idayam, Kaadal Desam, Kaadalar Dinam, Kaadal virus is known for sensitive portrayal of love in his films. Music in his films will be one of the many high points. This director was in hibernation after Kaadal virus but is currently booked by Sahara


television to make a film in Tamil titled 'maanavar dinam'. Industry sources reveal that a lot of Bollywood producers are targeting Tamil directors these days as Tamil films have a good market in the international arena just like Hindi movies and profits are also assured largely. Abbas Mastan who had produced Gupt in Hindi is funding 'evano oruvan' in Tamil. It is heard that Ram Gopal Verma is keen about stepping his foot in Kollywood and Rajkumar Santoshi, Yash Chopra and UTV are discussing diverse projects in Tamil. Looks like Bollywood is spreading its wings widely and extensively.

[Ramakrishna]

Hi all,

I am a radio jockey in this small conservative town called "College
Station" in Texas. On my show, I play a lot of Indian movie music and
not to mention - a lot of music composed by AR Rahman.

The maximum number of calls and enquiries that I get during the show
are when I play ARR's music. The other day, a Nigerian lady called me
from her car and asked me "Mon! What is this song Ding, Ding Ding.
Its fantastic mon!" She was asking me about the Daler Mehendi song in
Rang De Basanti. I really coudn't help, but have a big smile on my
face.

Yesterday, I played Mukalla, Mukabla from Kathalan and the phone was
of the hook. So, I guess my point is that ARR's music really has a
flavor that makes it attractive to people from all races. My friend
from West Virginia simply loves the songs "Aye Udi Udi(Saathiyaa),
and Shabba Shabba(Daud)."

I remember a long time back, during the release of the movie
Kathalan, Director Shankar had a similar opinion. He was travelling
in New York by taxi cab and handed the Kathalan tape to the driver.
The driver was all gung-ho about the music.

Well! That's my 1 cent for the day.

source: yahoogroup

[ajaybaskar]

Donno whether ppl know this...

http://www.arrahmanworld.net/

[rayan36]

Donno whether ppl know this...

http://www.arrahmanworld.net/

Been there, it's 'coming soon' not soon enough :roll: , love the visuals though, it's like a gate to heaven with mesmerizing orchestra :2thumbsup:

[Ramakrishna]

our musical God's interview to talk asia, CNN
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5061673625405570389

[A.ANAND]

ROBO:CONFIRMED
Robo (Tamil: ) is a forthcoming high budget Tamil film directed by Shankar.[1] The film is produced by Adlabs,[2] who have previouslt ventured in Bollywood.

The film is set to be released on Diwali 2008. the movie. The film stars Ajith in the lead role, and is directed by Shankar. Ajith's role in the movie is unknown as yet, and the cast has yet to be finalised.

The film's release is originally scheduled for Diwali, 2008. It is set to be released in box offices in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Andhra Pradesh.

Ajith Kumar[3] is confirmed to act in the film. Shriya Saran, Reema Sen, Asin, Priyanka Chopra and Trisha Krishnan are being considered for another role in the film, however it has not been finalised as yet[3]. A. R. Rahman[3] is set to compose the music for this film. The film is set for release in late 2008. Shooting will start after Ajith Kumar's next project, Billa[3] is completed

SOURCE:ARRAHMAN YAHOOGROUP

[selvakumar]

Anand,
Can we trust your source? "YahooGroups". Is this news from someone close to ARR or something written by a ARR fan.
I am curious ! :)

[Ramakrishna]

Anand,
Can we trust your source? "YahooGroups". Is this news from someone close to ARR or something written by a ARR fan.
I am curious ! :)

no Selva, the guy who posted that news in Yahoogroup gave the source as Wikipedia. I don't think Wikipedia is trustworthy because it can be edited by anyone.

[Ramakrishna]

MOST AMAZING ARR VIDEO
http://d.turboupload.com/de/1453126/f4ulz9874l.html

[A.ANAND]

MOST AMAZING ARR VIDEO
http://d.turboupload.com/de/1453126/f4ulz9874l.html :2thumbsup: :ty: rama!!!

[kb]

Rahman live in concert in CHICAGO on JUNE 9th

http://ev8.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=C&linkID=searscentre&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=



ellarum vanthu serungo...

[sat_srini]

[tscii:2b1003cf00] IIFA announces winners of Technical category


Indiantelevision.com Team

(18 April 2007 6:45pm)


MUMBAI: IIFA awards for the technical category announcement was made following an industry voting audited by PriceWatehouse Coopers, the auditing firm for the IIFAs and the Oscars. Fans from India and across the globe voted online for their favorite movies and performers of the year on www.msn.co.in.

The voting started on 3 April and there have been thousands of Cinema lovers who exercised their votes. The Idea IIFA Awards invites viewers from across the world to decide the best performances in Indian Cinema.

The trophies will be presented at the eighth IDEA IIFA awards ceremony to be held on 9 June 2007 in Yorkshire.

Patriotic sentiments and emotional awakening of Rang De Basanti stood out, as the winners of technical awards for the eighth Idea IIFA awards were announced. Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra's film picked up a whopping seven awards in Best Cinematography for Binod Pradhan, Best Editing for P.S. Bharathi , Best Art Direction for Samir Chanda, Best Background score and Best Song Recording for A.R. Rehman, Best Sound Recording for Nakul Kamte and Best Sound Re-recording for Hitendra Gosh.

Reacting to the announcement an elated Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra said "I am overwhelmed with the response that Rang De Basanti has generated. The awards in the technical category truly encourage and applaud the excellence of people who work behind the scene in making a film so successful. I would like to thank my fans across India and the world and the IIFA platform for appreciating our film."

Close behind came Rakesh Roshan's Krishh a story of India's first ever super hero that bagged two awards : best action for Tony Siutung, Shyam Kushal and best special effects ( Visuals) EFX studios. Dhoom 2, an extravagant visual delight that captivated audiences with Hrithik Roshan's diverse looks to the breathtaking locales in sixteen reels grabbed the awards for best costume designing by Anaita Adajania and best make up for G.A. James for Hrithik Roshan's distinctive and unusual looks.

Omkara Vishal Bhardwaj's interpretation of William Shakespeare's classic, Othello that took us straight into the heartland of India where, politics and power equations are bread and butter of the inhabitants has picked the award for beedi jalaile in the category of best choreography for Ganesh Acharya.

The IIFA Weekend is a four-day extravaganza taking place from the 7 to 10 June 2007 with events in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, York and London. The weekend will include business forums, film premieres, workshops, a glitzy awards ceremony and fund-raising events for charity. The events in totality are expected to boost tourism in the host region, Yorkshire, by more than £9.5m and set to attract 28,000 visitors from all over the world.

Wizcraft International Entertainment is an event management company which showcases its expertise on the world stage. Having begun its operations in 1988, Wizcraft has conceptualized and produced events staged in Mauritius, UK, New York, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, Iraq, Australia and Sri Lanka among others.
The company is focused on providing Global Event Management Solutions at the doorstep of its clients. [/tscii:2b1003cf00]


http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/apr/apr270.php

[ajaybaskar]

Another feather to ARR's big Hat.

[ajaybaskar]

A.R.Rahman's sound engineer S. Sivakumar in AM Studios

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/464011301/

[sat_srini]

Don't know if this has been posted before. Check the following link for "Banyan theme" composed by ARR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdEcNe0wrwU

[ajaybaskar]

Will Isai have A R Rahman?

By Behindwoods News Bureau.

April 21, 2007

S J Suryah's recent releases Thirumagan and Vyabari have bombed at the box office without a trace and the director turned actor is dismayed over this. He is said to be at the cross roads in his career when he is contemplating whether to continue his acting department or just stay behind the camera directing actors or do both.

Having come to a conclusion that acting under somebody's direction does not yield the desired result, S J Suryah has deduced that it is best for him to act in his own direction. Hence he has approached Nick Arts Films who had given him the first break, to fund his next film Isai which will be directed by him and also will have him in the lead role.

Going by the past history of the music department in S J Suryah's earlier films especially New and Ah Aah where A R Rahman had done a remarkable job in delivering lilting melodies, will Isai have music scored by the Isai Puyal? We'll have to wait and watch.

[A.ANAND]

appa 'puli'with pavan enna achu??

[ajaybaskar]

Puli paduthiruchu...

[Dragun]

Puli oru jilebi thaan-da :)

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:3ae6996617]After the Oscar-winning Elizabeth, Shekhar Kapur has finished work on the second film of his trilogy. Kapur talks to Smita Sarkar on The Golden Age

Shekhar Kapur would rather blog than speak. But we’ve caught him at the right time — he has just finished shooting and has a moment to breathe.

And, of course, when the topic is his
favourite Elizabeth I, once queen of England, it doesn’t take much to galvanise the otherwise
soft-spoken director.

The Golden Age — the much-awaited second phase of the Oscar-winning Elizabeth — is nearing completion. Shooting has just got over, and the sound and background scores are now being worked on. A.R. Rahman has done the music for the film, along with Oscar-nomine Craig Armstrong. And Kapur is full of excitement.

“There are two aspects to the story — there is the individual, micro aspect of Elizabeth’s
personal tribulations and there is the larger macro aspect of the political turmoil that
England goes through,” he says.

Kapur, clearly, is passionate about the subject of queens, for let’s not forget he shot to
international fame with a film called Bandit Queen. The new film, on Elizabeth I, is set
against a period that saw a violent rift between the Catholics and the Protestants in England.

“At that time, the Spanish threat was looming large on England. Spanish King Philip II
commanded the fabled Spanish Armada and was out to dominate England in the high seas.
Elizabeth, a Protestant, attracted the ire of the devout Catholic Philip II — a situation
further complicated by the fact that nearly 60 per cent of the English Parliament and the
majority of her subjects was Catholic,” the filmmaker says.

Add to that a series of treacherous plots to dethrone her by members of the Royal family and you have a historical thriller. “If not for a freakish storm that damaged the Spanish Armada, Spain, and not England, would’ve been the colonial power ruling the world for the next 500 years,” Kapur says.

“Shekhar likes doing films that are biographical in nature,” explains executive producer and
close associate Mohan Chopra. “Elizabeth is not the only character he has worked on. He has also made Bandit Queen, which was biographical. He is a very keen observer of human nature.

Biographies may not be all that he’ll do, but at this point of his career this is what he wants
to do,” Chopra says.

The Golden Age is slated to be released on October 12 in the UK and the United States. Produced by Universal Studios, the $57 million film was shot in places such as the Westminster Abbey in London and parts of Scotland.

There is some excitement in film circles about the music in The Golden Age. “Knowing Rahman, there will be more than a hint of Indian music in this film,” says Chopra, who is also the producer of Rahman’s recent solo album Pray for Me Brother. “The producers love his skills and his diversity. His coming together with Oscar nominee Craig Armstrong will be very much likefusion food,” he says.

Sound production for the last leg of the film is underway in the prestigious Soho Studios in
London and Kapur is busy supervising that. Now that a major portion of the work is done, the crew is visibly relaxed. “It took Shekhar a very long time to prepare and start work on this film,” says Rajesh Rajilal, his assistant in London for the last five years. “After completing the screenplay, he had tapped producers in Canada and Australia. He wanted this to be a big budget film. It’s his dream project,” Rajilal says.

Understandably, for the period is rife with drama. If England was at a political crossroad, so too was Queen Elizabeth — and this turmoil serves as the common thread between Kapur’s two films on the subject. In The Golden Age, Elizabeth feels an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Walter Raleigh — a love denied to a Queen who had sworn everything to England. To keep
Raleigh near her, she encourages Bess Throckmorten, her lady in court, to cultivate a
relationship with him. This is the second phase of Elizabeth’s life that Shekhar captures in
The Golden Age.

Keeping the thread of continuity alive are Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush, who play the same roles as in the first film — those of Queen Elizabeth and Sir Francis Walsingham, respectively. Joining them are Clive Owen, (Walter Raleigh), Samantha Morton (Mary Stuart), Abbie Cornish (Bess Throckmorten) and Jordi Molla (King Philip II of Spain).

“Golden Age is about immortality. It is what happens to people when they are in positions of absolute power. They then aspire to divinity and feel they are set apart from other mortals,” Kapur writes in his website.

Meanwhile, what’s clear is that his saga of Elizabeth does not end with The Golden Age. Kapur is planning out the third in what is going to be his Elizabeth trilogy. The theme will be
mortality. “For that, I will wait a while — for Cate Blanchett to start looking 10 years
older,” says Kapur.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070422/asp/7days/story_7669196.asp


[/tscii:3ae6996617]

[A.ANAND]

Puli paduthiruchu...puli'iku 'chicken kuniya'vam!!! :lol:

[baba88]

The starting of the song Rakasiya Kanavugal from the movie Bheema is inspired from Mayilirage starting.
hahahaha HJ did it again !!!

[Ramakrishna]

The starting of the song Rakasiya Kanavugal from the movie Bheema is inspired from Mayilirage starting.
hahahaha HJ did it again !!!

Has tha album released? :?

[A.ANAND]

The starting of the song Rakasiya Kanavugal from the movie Bheema is inspired from Mayilirage starting.
hahahaha HJ did it again !!!vazhga hj sevai!!!

[muzammil_fr]

http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/specials/cinema/specials/bharathiraja_070427.html

Guys what is this news, ARR is composing for this movie or anything, because in cinesouth.com too i read that ARR compose for those 3 movie, plz confirm it guys plz.

[sat_srini]

Music is by Himesh Reshammiya

[inetk]

[tscii:56b3932240]http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/04/29/stories/2007042900160500.htm

Will the songster outlive the studio?
SHARADA RAMANATHAN

As Rahman's career hits the halfway mark, where does he go from here?

AS Allah Rakha Rahman crosses the 40-year mark in 2007, this mid-career whizkid peaks as the uncontested national trendsetter in contemporary film music.

He has, arguably, introduced the new sound that is the chic-techno film music; music that gets created in the intimacy of the music-maker and his machine with the song visualisation as their common purpose.

Mixed milieu

Rahman is perhaps the third generation novelty in film music, a novelty that emerged from the fertile backdrop of south Indian and, specifically, Tamil film music. Rahman emerged from a milieu that is a curious mix of Carnatic and western fusion, quintessential of the new globalised Tamil Nadu sensibility; a trend set by the likes of L. Subramaniam in classical fusion, and Ilayaraja in film music. By his own admission, among Rahman's early influences are Zakir Hussain and his fusion group, Shakti, which has a strong presence of Carnatic rhythm. And there is no mistaking the subliminal influence of his predecessors in his musical impulse.

M.S. Viswanathan immortalised his first forays into experimental film music in Kollywood in the 1960s and 1970s, when he introduced genres ranging from bhangra to western jazz and pop. MSV's repertoire was mostly real-time compositions by full-fledged orchestras. MSV's contemporaries include musical giants like S.D. Burman, Naushad Ali and Madan Mohan.

Ilayaraja's arrival was heralded by the nascent new-techno music of the 1980s. He is acclaimed as the pioneer of multi-track techno music and sounds in composing and orchestration. Ilayaraja's best-known Bollywood counterpart was R.D. Burman. MSV and Ilayaraja have left a legacy of composition-value film songs, which served the requirements of their films and yet hold their own as creations for posterity.

Emergence

After MSV the creator and Ilayaraja the pioneer came Rahman the innovator. The 1990s belonged to him. Rahman emerged at a time when technology was a given, and was creating global access to musical sounds from anywhere to anywhere. He was moulded by the age of jingles and music videos, downloads and virtuality.

Rahman is the innovator of what may be described as `Studio music'. It is often critiqued that while Ilayaraja controls the machine, it is the machine that controls Rahman! Harsh as this criticism might be, Rahman's music is the outcome of separately and distinctively worked out multi-track musical phrases and sounds that are subsequently mixed and patched together as one layered musical piece. The lyric is often fitted in.

In contrast to MSV and Ilayaraja's virtuosity, Rahman's music reflects his effort to synergise his musical vision with the possibilities of technology and musical arrangement. His is studio music that does not easily accommodate a sense of the `live'. One is often amused by Rahman's stage shows where the technical sound is cleverly managed, but the singers struggle to cope with their breathless songs simply because the songs were never meant to be sung live. They are musical phrases pieced together for a cinema trend that itself is predominantly cut-and-paste.

What makes Rahman the numero uno of Indian film music? Despite contemporaries like Anu Malik, what has made Rahman the first among equals?

It is clearly a combination of his audio and visual appeal. His musical arrangement is technically excellent and justifies his musical vision. He has the special talent to enhance the digital ambience to produce sound with a three-dimensional feel. He has the ability to evoke energy and mood through a song, and create touching moments through sound. He is intuitive in picking on the right inspiration for the right musical moment, say, Arabic for Hamma Hamma ("Bombay"), Indian raga-pop for Que Sera Sera ("Pukar") or Turkish for Maya Maya ("Guru"). And even if he is not the first to pick on the right inspiration, he will ensure some kind of a `first' — a new voice, a new instrument or just a new turn of phrase. And he is the best at wrapping and delivering sound so that a nation swings to it.

International profile

And then there is the international profile to boot. Rahman packages what is now known as global music. He simplifies the main melody, fuses it with sounds from world music and arranges it skilfully. This has made his music more edible and sought after in the international scene. From the remixed versions of Vande Mataram and the Indian national anthem to the Broadway musical "Bollywood Dreams", Rahman is the mascot for new-age nationalism and international merchandising.

In an era when people see rather than hear music, Rahman is also camera-friendly. He comes across as an eclectic fusion of spirituality and youth. He is casual and yet not informal. He exudes humility and confidence at once. He is the cool dude that the young can identify with, and the elderly find endearing. Along with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, he has fulfilled the great Indian populist need for a `national hero'.

What next?

As Rahman's career hits the halfway mark of his life hitherto, one wonders, where does he go from here? He is still riding high, but his audiences are somewhat over-familiar with his sound, which is also easily imitated and replicated by others. And cinema and its music is, almost reflexively, looking for a dark horse to emerge and take on its new trends of reality cinema, docu-drama, and an "Indianness" that is seemingly less enamoured with the great American dream. A multiplying Indian, middle-class global audience that wants to "go back to its roots" or desires to explore the "Indian" narrative; and an increasingly aware slum, small-town and rural audience that is celebrating its own robust rhythm.

Will Rahman be able to think outside his box and reinvent himself to synchronise with future cinema? Will he cope with the changing face of audiences? Will he be able to churn out never-before surprises and sounds yet again? If his musical acumen is any indication, we can certainly hope that the songster will outlive the studio. But as the adage goes, only time will tell.[/tscii:56b3932240]

[music man]

A.R.RAHMAN THE GREAT

Today I was watching one old SPB live program on Vijay TV. After singing many songs, he came to sing the song "Thoda Thoda Malaranthena" from the movie INDIRA...

After the song got over, he said one interesting thing about the song praising Rahman's genuisness in tat song..

He said tat the instrument tat comes in the song(1.13 minute) is not flute but Rahman himself whistled tat tune(he whistles tat sound).. I was totally surprised...I have never thought it to be a human made sound...Now I am hearing tat song again and again...

Then he praised Rahman lot and prayed tat Rahman shud get an Oscar award for those 3 songs and get an award scoring for a Hollywood movie...

Friends...Please hear tat song again in tat 1.13 minute...

[Ramakrishna]

:clap: :clap: :thumbsup:

[rsubras]

Prakashraj is planning to produce a film which will be directed by Suhasini manirathnam :D... It wud be nice if Suhasini can get A.R.Rahman to score music for this venture.... Indira is one of those very few lovely albums from Rahman which impressed listeners from the very first hearing..... Fresh, Sweet, melodious....... Suhasini maa'm are u listening??? :D

[krish244]

Yes, even I was surprised when SPB said that. I heard the song today and its very nicely done indeed.

thanks,

Krishnan



A.R.RAHMAN THE GREAT

Today I was watching one old SPB live program on Vijay TV. After singing many songs, he came to sing the song "Thoda Thoda Malaranthena" from the movie INDIRA...

After the song got over, he said one interesting thing about the song praising Rahman's genuisness in tat song..

He said tat the instrument tat comes in the song(1.13 minute) is not flute but Rahman himself whistled tat tune(he whistles tat sound).. I was totally surprised...I have never thought it to be a human made sound...Now I am hearing tat song again and again...

Then he praised Rahman lot and prayed tat Rahman shud get an Oscar award for those 3 songs and get an award scoring for a Hollywood movie...

Friends...Please hear tat song again in tat 1.13 minute...

[Ramakrishna]

KSR said in an interview to local channel that ARR didn't do Dasavathaaram due to tight schedule. He said ARR mite do the rerecording of Dasavatharam

[Guess_Me]

[tscii:2e9fb57643]A.R.Rahman on Television!
http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14441305

A.R.Rahman is making his entry into Tamil television. HMV Saregama India, is all set to launch a statewide talent hunt across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh titled Ooh La La La with ``Isai Puyal` A.R.Rahman as the brand ambassador and judge for the show.

A press meet will be held today in Chennai in which he will address the media about the talent hunt. Saregama and Rahman come together for a true search of hidden creative musicians worldwide. Auditions for Ooh La La La will be held in Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem, Thirunelveli and Chennai across Tamilnadu. And in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vizag, Rajamundri and Thirupathi in Andhra Pradesh.

The criteria and challenge for selection would be that each band has to compose music to the lyrics of Valee, one the most famous lyric writers who would be giving lyrics based on the theme of “Hope”.

The talent hunt will be telecast on Sun TV (Tamil) and Gemini TV (Telugu) as a thirteen week half hour episodes. Vasundhara Das would be one of the judges for the episodes. The winners of this talent hunt will cut an album with Saregama India Ltd.

The highlight of the television programme will be Rahman speaking on camera to aspiring musicians and giving them valuable tips on the beauty of acoustic instruments, the logic behind composing a theme music etc. [/tscii:2e9fb57643]

[dinesh2002]

[tscii:3324794747]A.R.Rahman on Television!
http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14441305

A.R.Rahman is making his entry into Tamil television. HMV Saregama India, is all set to launch a statewide talent hunt across Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh titled Ooh La La La with ``Isai Puyal` A.R.Rahman as the brand ambassador and judge for the show.

A press meet will be held today in Chennai in which he will address the media about the talent hunt. Saregama and Rahman come together for a true search of hidden creative musicians worldwide. Auditions for Ooh La La La will be held in Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem, Thirunelveli and Chennai across Tamilnadu. And in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vizag, Rajamundri and Thirupathi in Andhra Pradesh.

The criteria and challenge for selection would be that each band has to compose music to the lyrics of Valee, one the most famous lyric writers who would be giving lyrics based on the theme of “Hope”.

The talent hunt will be telecast on Sun TV (Tamil) and Gemini TV (Telugu) as a thirteen week half hour episodes. Vasundhara Das would be one of the judges for the episodes. The winners of this talent hunt will cut an album with Saregama India Ltd.

The highlight of the television programme will be Rahman speaking on camera to aspiring musicians and giving them valuable tips on the beauty of acoustic instruments, the logic behind composing a theme music etc. [/tscii:3324794747]


:clap: ..... those lucky people who gets to sing/plat instruments infront of ARR.... wow!!! great opportunity they r giving to budding talents.... wut more....with the help of the Maestro himself!!!

[Ramakrishna]

[tscii:afd869ec23] Rahaman asphyxiated by hysteric fans!
By Behindwoods News Bureau.
May 02, 2007
We have had talent hunts of all kinds, for singers, dancers, actors, comedians and what not and now we have a talent hunt for an entire music troupe. This initiative has been taken by Sun TV and Sa Re Ga Ma. This search that is going to span the entire of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will finally zero in on one talented group that will get a golden opportunity to make a musical album that will be released by Sa Re Ga Ma.

The hunt will be quite a thorough process covering almost regions of Tamil Nadu, right from Chennai to Coimbatore and Tirunelveli touching Salem and Madurai too. A similar search will be on in Andhra. At the end of the regional search, the best teams will be required to set to tune a song written by Kavingar Vaali under the title Nambikkai (confidence). The team that impresses the most will walk away wit the big prize. The contest will be aired on Sun TV this June onwards.

When the event is this big, the judges too have to be big enough to justify the event. It doesn’t get bigger than this! A.R.Rahman will be judging the teams and he will be accompanied by singer-actress Vasundhara Das. The official curtain raiser for this talent hunt was held on Wed evening (May 2nd) at the Park Hotel in Chennai in which Rahman participated. The news of Rahman’s presence somehow leaked and within no time there was a huge crowd outside the venue and when finally it was time for Rahman to leave it was pandemonium. Rahman was virtually engulfed by the wave of admiring fans and why not, after all this is Rahman’s first real public appearance after the Sivaji audio release. The crowd did not spare any effort in making their appreciation for the wizard’s music evident. But Rahman, caught in the middle of a huge crowd had a tough time. After what seemed to be a very long time Rahman finally managed to get away from the swarming fans.

The organizers of any function in which Rahman has to participate please be prepared, the man has just delivered one of the biggest musical hits in the history of Tamil cinema. It would only count as common sense to expect huge crowds to gather to catch a glimpse of the man who has given them ‘Balleilakka’, ‘Athiradee’ and other chartbusters.

As for A.R.Rahman, we have only one thing to say. Please don’t feel flustered, we just don’t know how else to express our appreciation. Your music is truly mesmerizing. [/tscii:afd869ec23]

[music man]

I dunno whether I am the only one to experience tis problem or not..This website hardly opens...Its happens so often...For the past 3 days, this site didn't open..
How u guys manage to log into this site??

[dinesh2002]

I dunno whether I am the only one to experience tis problem or not..This website hardly opens...Its happens so often...For the past 3 days, this site didn't open..
How u guys manage to log into this site??

same here..i had to refresh a few times and wait for 5 -10 mins for 1 page to load....

[music man]

same here..i had to refresh a few times and wait for 5 -10 mins for 1 page to load....

This is too bad :cry3:

[Ramakrishna]

ARR press meet videos

http://www.behindwoods.com/features/Interviews/Interview4/ar-rahman/ar-rahman.html

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/gallery/events/12188.html

[muzammil_fr]

Unity Of Ligh
A Concert A.R.Rahman With Lata Mangeshker now online at http://www.uyirvani.com/forums/index.php?showforum=118

[sat_srini]

The Telegraph Graphiti Cover Story on ARR


http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/484680574/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/484680576/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/484680578/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/484680580/

[vigneshram]

Meet the 'Meow'sic Lovers...

Ever seen cats listening to Ilaiyaraja, Rahman, Yuvan's songs and their awesome expressions
http://vigneshram.blogspot.com/2007/05/meowsic-lovers.html

[dinesh2002]

check this out guys....:

http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/photos/index.shtml

[Wibha]

check this out guys....:

http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/photos/index.shtml

:lol: ARR wud never do dat :twisted:

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:08e93145cb]Tryst with a music monarch

MALATHI RANGARAJAN


Always ahead of his times, M.S.Viswanathan inspires and influences composers big and small.

Creating magic: M. S.Viswanathan.

The music that wafts through the spacious third floor apartment at Valmiki Nagar, Chennai, indicates it’s composing time at the household. Even as your hands hesitatingly reach for the bell, the door opens and you are welcomed into a melodious milieu.

M.S.Viswanathan — the name that casts a spell on millions of music buffs worldwide, is back in action. “What do you mean? I’ve always been in action. If you are making a movie let me know, I’ll work for you,” he guffaws. The septuagenarian is now the composer of a film titled, ‘Vaaliban Sutrum Ulagam.’ (‘Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban’ was one of MGR’s mega hits). Smiles MSV: “The hero looks a lot like MGR. Vaali is the lyricist.”

Not hi-tech

Music gizmos are not for him. Even today it’s a live orchestra he’s comfortable with. “But handling hi-tech stuff also needs skill. Only that I believe in full-fledged rehearsals. Why, I can’t even operate that radish in your hand,” he cheekily points out to your mobile.

Infirmity can’t keep the veteran away from the magic of music — magic he has created over the years and which still breathes fresh. He refutes the argument about changing tastes of youngsters. “Recently there was this teenager at one of our shows at Puducherry. He sent up a note requesting us to sing ‘Ninaippadhellam …’ a song we composed 38 years ago for ‘Nenjil Or Alayam,’” he says.

Teaming up with T.K. Ramamurthy in the first few decades of his career, MSV continued to create mesmerising pieces after the two parted ways. He has tried innovations rarely attempted by film composers of his era. The strikingly different beats for the ‘Vellikinnam Dhaan’ song, use of traditional percussion for an item number, trying out the raga with just four notes (Mahati — the song, ‘Adhisaya Raagam …’), eloquently adopting merely five instruments for a song and a 100 for another — the feats have been incredible! “I like to experiment,” he smiles simply.

Every song in Sivaji Ganesan’s ‘Karnan’ is a scintillating exercise and stirs you to this day. “Producer-director Panthulu sent Kannadasan and me to Bangalore for composing. They were ready in just three days! Those were the times when we never went out of the recording studio to work. ‘If you have it in you, you can even compose on the beach. Only that people could drop a few coins if you had your towel lying there,’ Kannadasan would quip,” recalls MSV. The lyricist-composer duo has given many riveting songs to Tamil cinema. “Matter, meter, melody are all I know,” he says softly.

These days we have singers mushrooming with every film. But MSV didn’t use many fresh talents, though a few such as Yesudas made it. “It wasn’t in my hands. Producers have the last word and when they wanted established singers I had no choice. See Ananthu here. He’s a great talent and he’s been with me for a decade now, and I’m still trying to get him a break. Each one’s time has to come,” is his philosophical response.

Besides solos and humming in his own films Viswanathan has sung for many other composers too. The Rahman composition he sang was a major hit. “One morning Rahman called me up and requested I sing for ‘Sangamam.’ I was hesitant and thought I’d go in person and tell him so. But there was a festive air at his place and I got to know it was his birthday. I didn’t have the heart to say ‘no’ then. So I went ahead. Only my voice was recorded. And when I heard it with the BGM and Hariharan’s voice joining mine, I was floored.” MSV is always lavish in his praise when he notices his potential.

Into acting

For a few years now he has been into acting too. “It happened by chance. Director Saran and actor Vivek were after me to do a role in ‘Kaadhal Mannan.’ The next thing I knew Kamal Haasan insisted I do a role.”

MSV recalls an incident when he met Sivaji Ganesan at a wedding. “ He looked at me seriously and said, ‘Viswanathan, I’m planning to make music for films. I saw your performance.’ I jokingly retorted, “It’s your fate that you had to see me act. And if you compose it will be my fate to have to listen to it.” He recalls the exchange with laughter.

There’s yet another facet of MSV — that of producer. “That was a blunder. AVM Chettiar used to tell me, ‘Goddess Saraswati has blessed you amply. Don’t try anything else…’” For a moment he is pensive.

No conversation with MSV is complete without his reference to Hindi film composer Naushad. “He’s like God to me. Imagine my joy when he came to my concert in Mumbai, sat through the entire show, and even sent a note asking for the song, ‘Odam Nadhiyinilae …’ [A memorable strain by Sirkazhi Govindarajan],” he says.

M.S.Viswanathan’s achievements are awesome (check out msvtimes.com), and his simplicity, stunning!

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/05/11/stories/2007051150860100.htm[/tscii:08e93145cb]

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:e5d1d9348a]S J Surya`s New Film
Tamilfilmratings.com [ 14 May 2007 ]

Director turned Actor S J Surya will start his new project called Isai shortly. Surya will direct this film and he will take up the hero’s role.

As the name suggests music will be a highlight in Isai. Sources say that the film will be colourful and will attract youth audience.


[/tscii:e5d1d9348a]

[dinesh2002]

check this out guys....:

http://www.cinesouth.com/masala/photos/index.shtml

:lol: ARR wud never do dat :twisted:

yup....but sad ARR is the victim of their lame joke cinesouth.... :roll:

[vigneshram]

Who's the Best? Raja or Rahman?
http://vigneshram.blogspot.com/2007/05/whos-best-raja-or-rahman.html

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.zshare.net/image/maestro-jpg.html

[sat_srini]

Rahman composes a song especially for Taj Mahal

Rahman has composed an "anthem" to help gather support for the voting campaign to nominate the Taj Mahal as one of the seven wonders of the world.

"The Taj has always been a source of inspiration for me, and it is not just about the love between Mumtaz Mahal and Shahjahan but about everybody's love. I think this monument deserves to be on the list of seven wonders of the world, and we should all strive for it," Rahman told reporters here.

The music director was commissioned to compose the album by IMCL, who are the official facilitators in India for the New Seven Wonders List that will be announced on July 7 this year in Lisbon, Portugal.

"In the preliminary rounds of voting, we saw that India had absolutely no vote share and the Taj barely scraped through the final 21 nominees. To create awareness among Indians that they have to vote for the Taj, if it has to be shortlisted in the final seven, we asked Rahman if he would compose an anthem," said Bharat Kapadia of "India Unites for The Taj" campaign.

Rahman himself admitted that he "hardly had any time" to actually compose the song. "I finished the song this very afternoon. I have even co-written some of the lyrics myself, which is a first for me."

When asked whether the government had supported this initiative, Kapadia said: "We have approached ministry of tourism but they have not yet taken a final decision on whether they should participate. We are hopeful."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Rahman_composes_a_song_especially_for_Taj_Mahal/articleshow/2072511.cms

[sat_srini]

[tscii:d0769ac3bd]43 days to go, vote to see Taj among seven wonders of the world

Mumbai, May 24: Nearly 359 years after it was built, its luminescent white marble and jewelled arches stand as a testament to a king’s ardent love and passion for his wife. It figures on every lover’s “must visit” list. And today, the Taj Mahal wants your vote—to get recognised and included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World (see box). Currently among the 21 finalists competing to be included in the list, the Taj is fighting for one of the six spots on the list—the Pyramids of Giza are already part of the list being the only surviving ancient seven wonder.

The ‘India Unites for the Taj’ movement—it has sprung up to garner votes from our one billion-strong nation for the marble marvel—was kick-started on Thursday by music maestro A R Rehman by releasing an anthem for the campaign. Titled Ek Mohabbat (One Love), the track was conceptualised within a week—recording was wrapped up at 1 pm on Thursday—and is a tribute to love. “Love is the common element, whether its Adam and Eve’s love, Laila and Majnu’s love or the love between you and me. That’s what I like best about the song,” said Rehman as he pulled out his PDA phone and registered his vote. He will be performing the track at all his nine concerts on his upcoming US tour and seek votes.



“While there is no doubt that the Taj holds a special place in every Indian’s heart, we were shocked to find that voting from our country was abysmally low. It was then that an integrated interactive solutions firm, IMCL, decided to spearhead this movement and resolved to get the Taj on the New Seven Wonders list,” said Bharat Kapadia, Chairman, ‘India Unites for the Taj’ campaign. IMCL was recognised as the sole official voting facilitator in India only three weeks back.

Taj’s great rivals remain the Great Wall of China, the Potala palace in Tibet and the Colloseum in Rome, among others. The ‘India Unites for the Taj’ campaign plans to spend Rs 120 crore in the next 43 days—the New Seven Wonders will be announced at an official ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7 (07/07/07).

“Our ad pitch is Daav par hai Bharat ka sammaan, kijiye Taj ke liye matdaan,” added Kapadia, who is scouting for sponsors and celebrities to endorse the campaign. “We have identified 40 cities where the mobile and internet penetration is significant,” said R D Bhatnagar, vice-president (Projects and Operations), IMCL.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=237984[/tscii:d0769ac3bd]

[dinesh2002]

Rahman composes a song especially for Taj Mahal

Rahman has composed an "anthem" to help gather support for the voting campaign to nominate the Taj Mahal as one of the seven wonders of the world.

"The Taj has always been a source of inspiration for me, and it is not just about the love between Mumtaz Mahal and Shahjahan but about everybody's love. I think this monument deserves to be on the list of seven wonders of the world, and we should all strive for it," Rahman told reporters here.

The music director was commissioned to compose the album by IMCL, who are the official facilitators in India for the New Seven Wonders List that will be announced on July 7 this year in Lisbon, Portugal.

"In the preliminary rounds of voting, we saw that India had absolutely no vote share and the Taj barely scraped through the final 21 nominees. To create awareness among Indians that they have to vote for the Taj, if it has to be shortlisted in the final seven, we asked Rahman if he would compose an anthem," said Bharat Kapadia of "India Unites for The Taj" campaign.

Rahman himself admitted that he "hardly had any time" to actually compose the song. "I finished the song this very afternoon. I have even co-written some of the lyrics myself, which is a first for me."

When asked whether the government had supported this initiative, Kapadia said: "We have approached ministry of tourism but they have not yet taken a final decision on whether they should participate. We are hopeful."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Rahman_composes_a_song_especially_for_Taj_Mahal/articleshow/2072511.cms

wow....Rahman's music for Taj Mahal ...... 8-) cant wait for it....!!!

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:8499fcb9b1]





Rahman's anthem for Taj Mahal
IndiaGlitz [Friday, May 25, 2007]



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.



[/tscii:8499fcb9b1]

[Wibha]

ARR :notworthy: great work :clap: :clap:

[A.ANAND]

His month-long U S tour kicks off on Sunday. Before whizzing off, A R Rahman was in town for quick chats with the media. Some questions:
News is that you've teamed up with Subhash Ghai again after Kisna.
Nothing like that. We were working on a movie called Motherland. It didn't happen because he had date hassles with his hero. But we've been in touch. Now, he's come up with Yuvraj.. which I've accepted.

You're judging the Tamil music band hunt show Oo La La?
Yes, with Vasundhara Das but it's not on a national level. Right now, we're only doing 20 episodes. It's restricted to Tamil Nadu. If it clicks there, we'll try to push it to the national level. Large-scale ventures are possible only if there's time.

What's the news on your music for the stage show, Lord of the Rings?
The preview is on in London already. It releases on June 19. The preview has drawn positive reviews. I'm quite overwhelmed with that because I've worked on it for quite a while.

After asking her to sing for me for 17 years, my sister did just that in Sivaji. I don't think I'll have to wait that long for Himesh. It's on the cards. It should happen soon. You're suddenly into several anthems.
(Laughs) No, no, it's just that lots of companies approach me for anthems. The idea has to connect with me instantly, as with Pray for me Brother. Taj is aimed at creating awareness to get the Taj into the list of the Seven Wonders of the World. Anthems seem to find me.

Is Himesh Reshammiya singing for you?
(Laughs) Of course, I remember he wanted to sing for me. After asking her to sing for me for 17 years, my sister did just that in Sivaji. I don't think I'll have to wait that long for Himesh. It's on the cards. It should happen soon.

What went wrong between Farah Khan and you for the music of Om Shanti Om?
She approached me for her film. I placed a condition for 33 per cent of the music rights. She refused that and the deal fell through. I forgot about it but I don't believe she has. I can't believe she's gone on record saying all kinds of things about me.

After that, everyone who comes to me is mentally prepared for my terms and conditions. These terms are followed all over the world, so why not here?

Sivaji seems to have generated quite a bit of buzz in Chennai.
Thank you. After a long time, I've composed music, which is completely commercial. It's quite peppy and entertaining with all the variety you can think of.

Why have you done fewer Hindi films?
(Smiles) I don't think so. I've done quite a few Hindi films. In fact people down South complain that I do more Hindi films than South Indian films.

Lajjo has been shelved.What happens to the compositions you've done for it?
Excuse me! The film has not been shelved. You can't take frivolous news reports and the Internet as your Bibles. No official word hasbeenissued.The film is on. I've finished 80 per cent of its score yesterday. Mani (Ratnam) and I worked on some details of its music last evening.

Don't you think you've become synonymous with period Hindi films?
I love doing history-oriented projects. They give me a broader canvas, whether it's Lagaan, Mangal Pandey or Jodha Akbar.

Aren't there 12 songs in Jodha Akbar?
Ooof! Who told you? There are only six songs in the film.

A qawwali is already being talked about. Really?
That's good news for me. But I can't officially talk about it right now.

What's next?
(Smiles) Mr Ghai's on my platter and Aamir Khan's Gajini.

[A.ANAND]

G. Srinivasan is no more
May 28, 2007

We regret to announce the sudden and tragic demise of Mr. G. Srinivasan, 48, producer of Guru, brother of director Mani Ratnam, and practising chartered accountant on May 27th in a trekking accident in Manali. Family members state that he lost his balance at about 11.00 a.m. while trekking at Halan (14 km from Manali), slipped into a 50-foot gorge and fell to his death. His wife Sandhya and daughter Shreya were with him when the incident occurred. His body was retrieved about three hours after the incident took place. He was in Manali since 10 days on a holiday.

The producer was holidaying in Manali with his family for the last 10 days. It has been announced that his body will be brought to Chennai for the last rites by Monday. Mani Ratnam and wife Suhasini, currently in Madrid attending a retrospective of his films, are expected to be back in the city on Monday night Srinivasan's sister Sundari, currently visiting her son in the US, is also expected back.

Srinivasan is survived by his wife Sandhya and three daughters Shreya, Akshaya and Divya, brother Mani Ratnam and sister Sundari. His eldest brother G. Venkateswaran met his end under tragic circumstances about foru years ago. Srinivasan and Ratnam are the co-founders of production company Madras Talkies that produced highly acclaimed films including Iruvar, Dil Se, Kannathil Muthamittal and Yuva.

Galatta.com offer their deepest condolences at the untimely demise of Mr. Srinivasan and prays that his soul may rest in peace.

Meanwhile,Galatta.com!

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:a5eecc8d77]Gangai Amaren and Chinmayi on a musical trip

‘Musicians must be open to debate’



In the spirit of healthy debate, unassuming composer-songwriter-RJ Gangai Amaren disagreed with versatile singer-musician-psychologist-entrepreneur-RJ-voiceover artiste and blogger Chinmayi Sripada, when the two met over lime soda at Amethyst recently.

Sudhish Kamath shared the table.

Chinmayi: Once, from the soundproof box at Aahaa FM, you gestured asking me whether I had eaten and I nodded without knowing you were actually saying, Loosu thaane nee?’ (Are you nuts?)

(They both laugh.)

Chinmayi: So, what did you do this morning?

Amaren: I worked on my book, ‘Yaen Nadanthathu.’ It is about the purpose of life, why we are created and what we’re destined to do.

Chinmayi: I think about that a lot.

Amaren: All people born before you, in a way, are responsible for shaping who you are. You tend to get influenced before you evolve your own style. That’s why I think the present crop of heroes and lyricists are responsible for t he deterioration of lyrical content. I admit I’ve written lines that have double meaning. Today, it’s all direct single-meaning. Tell me how you feel when a child sings: ‘Chinna vida varattuma?’ or ‘May matham 98il major aanene’?

Chinmayi: (Speechless)

Amaren: Not all those who are successful do good work all the time. They do it for the market. (changing topic) I think young singers and musicians deserve their freedom to experiment. Ilaiyaraja believes what he has is enough for the composition. A. R. Rahman absorbs what you have and then works with it.

Chinmayi: Raja sir instils the much-needed discipline among young singers. It is like a gurukulam. Traditionally, gurus tell you that it is better you make all the mistakes in front of the guru than in front of people.

Amaren: If we have to adhere to tradition, a temple has to be lit with oil-lamps. Why bring electricity into Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, why install AC for Tirupati Venkatachalapathy?

Chinmayi: I only cited this as an example for discipline. Just for the sake of argument.

Amaren: We only argue because we derive good things from an argument. Difference of opinion is essential to find the truth. If we agree on everything, there can’t be a discussion, there can’t be discovery. Musicians must be open to debate.

Chinmayi: When you have to learn, you learn. Once you’ve learnt, you are free to go anywhere and perform.

Amaren: Discipline is necessary I agree. But, it curbs freedom.

Chinmayi: Why can’t we respect a composer’s style? He has a right to use his singers as instruments or tools. Even Rahman sir tells you to give your inputs but it doesn’t mean he will take all of them. The only differ ence is that while working with Raja sir, I get nervous and weak in the knees. And with Rahman sir, it is a fun experience.

Amaren: Which do you prefer?

Chinmayi: In a classroom, we need a Math Teacher and an English Teacher. We may be scared of Math but we need discipline to learn it. Learning English is more fun but both are necessary. If everything is similar, what about variety, th e spice of life?

Amaren: (laughs) Rahman is a trendsetter in many ways, after Ilaiyaraja, in the history of Tamil Cinema. Then, what movies have you seen?

Chinmayi: Chennai 600028, of course.

Amaren: Ayyo! Bore! You call that a movie? (laughs) No, I know how scared they were before releasing the film. I felt sorry. I have directed 22 films but when my son (Venkat Prabhu) was going to make his debut, I didn’ t feel like listening to his script. I was afraid I would influence his thought process with my old-school thinking (mimes an exaggerated, melodramatic plead: ‘Yendaaaa ipdi pannen?’). When we saw the first copy, we were ve ry happy. The style was different. Okay, what else, what other controversy can we rake up?

Chinmayi: You just want to finish my career, don’t you? Tell me about your radio experience on Aahaa FM?

Amaren: It’s a good platform for me to get nostalgic and helps revive memories. Our influences, our foray into the music business…

Chinmayi: People still say you look just like Ilaiyaraja. You have a standard response.

Amaren: I laugh. Of late, even he laughs a little too. It is impossible for anyone not to follow and be influenced by Ilaiyaraja. It’s not possible for anyone to do what he can. In my opinion, he needn’t have done a ‘ Thiruvasagam’ to prove anything.

Chinmayi: Sometimes, good things need a new capsule. To come up with a parallel, Rahman did that to ‘Vande Mataram’ and infused a new sense of patriotism when people nearly gave up singing the national anthem.

Amaren: I agree. Thiruvasagam is intended to inculcate bhakti but it showcases his music. I have to ask you this. I have seen some of you bullying children on that game show.

Chinmayi: Vijay TV’s Super Singer?

Amaren: Why do you torture them till they go back crying? They are kids, not playback singers. Do they need this when they have to study? You discourage them and destroy their confidence?

Chinmayi: Naresh Iyer was noticed by Rahman because of a reality show. He was a rejected contestant but today, he’s the last man standing.

Amaren: I agree, but when kids see their image on TV, it leaves an indelible mark on their lives.

Chinmayi: Kids get fan-mail from the U.K.; we end up as the bad guys. The kids are all happy. You have judged competitions too. You see, different people have different ways to encourage talent.

Amaren: Okay! Then, it’s all justified. It’s wonderful, such a pretty sight actually. Kids crying, parents crying… (They both laugh, but argue for another hour)

[/tscii:a5eecc8d77]

[ajaybaskar]

http://hari-iyer.blogspot.com/2007/06/ar-rehman-oakland-oracle-arena-concert.html

[Ramakrishna]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qNk8s_5sE2k

catch this guys :D

[sat_srini]

Check this out :

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CL_pYpYJCkI

[A.ANAND]

[quote="Ramakrishna"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=qNk8s_5sE2k

catch this guys :D[/quote}yaaru intha ammaiyar mr.rama sir???'kathal sadugudu' song-sa bosnian kuttu song-sa mathi kalakkarannga :

[sat_srini]

Fan Frenzy Greets A.R. Rahman at Bay Area Show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By LISA TSERING
India-West Staff Reporter

OAKLAND, Calif. - Halfway through a lively show at the Oracle Arena June 2, A.R. Rahman put on the brakes, and took a moment to ask the audience to pause in their revelry.

"You are all in high spirits right now," the composer said softly. "But think about those who are in hunger, or living in poverty." Seated at a grand piano, he started to play the gentle "Pray for Me Brother," inspiring thousands of fans to wave their lighted cell phones in the dark, swaying to the music.

It was just one of many memorable moments during a three-hour concert that saw the sold-out crowd leap to their feet for his greatest hits from "Dil Se," "Taal," "Roja" and "Bombay," and newer, but just as distinctive, songs from "Rang De Basanti," "Water" and "Guru."

The show wasn't all Bollywood - when Rahman performed "Vaaji vaaji en jeevan si sivaji" and "Athiradee" from "Sivaji," the hotly anticipated Rajnikanth starrer due out June 15, his South Indian fans erupted in hysteria, gyrating in the aisles and screaming, "Sivaji! Sivaji!" A performance of the film's "Sahaana saaral" by Chitra and a young male singer got an equally enthusiastic response.

From the beginning of the concert, when the maestro appeared on a high riser at the back of the stage greeted by a fireworks display, to the ending strains of "Vande Mataram," his signature closing piece, A.R. Rahman led an unforced program that veered between the extremes of his prolific catalog, from haunting ballads to infectious rockers. Some of his musicians told India-West backstage that the song list hadn't been put together until the last minute, which lent an air of spontaneity to the show.

Rahman is an unlikely megastar. Softspoken, humble and completely dedicated to his music, he spent most of his time onstage behind a large bank of keyboards, out of the spotlight, as his longtime musical director, K. Srinivas Murthy, led a group of Indian and Western musicians and percussionists.

The composer has always been willing to cede attention to his guest stars, who included ace guitarist Rashid Ali and University of South Florida music student Patrick Hernly, a gifted young percussionist who blew the crowd away with a virtuoso centerstage display of tabla bol.

Vocalists Sukhwinder Singh, Hariharan, Chitra, Madhushree, Sadhana Sargam, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer and other talented voices, along with scene-stealing drummer Sivamani, got some of the best response with songs from "Guru," including sizzling versions of "Tere bina" and "Barso re."

But one of the major discoveries of the evening was Neeti Mohan, an extraordinary young vocalist who added sparkle to a version of "Guru's" "Mayya mayya" when she appeared onstage wrapped in a huge, voluminous, bright red length of silk. As she slowly turned, dancers unwrapped her to reveal a saucy belly-dancing costume, and Mohan, accompanied by two more belly dancers, writhed to the item number's Middle Eastern beat. Mohan, who is a trained dancer, singer and actress with a spot on "Coke [V] Popstars 2" and a role in the Sunny Deol production "Socha Na Tha" to her credit, is also the lead singer in a Mumbai pop band called Aasma.

"Rang De Basanti" produced some of the most exciting scenes of the night as Naresh Iyer teamed with rapper/lyricist Blaaze on the rock anthem "Paathshala/Be a rebel," and Sivamani tore up the drums on "Khalbali" as dancers in shiny white bodysuits moved around the stage.

Hariharan, accompanied by Sadhana Sargam, lent a delicate touch to "Sapnay's" "Chanda re" and - since no Rahman show would be complete without it - turned in a haunting version of "Roja" in Hindi.

Sukhwinder excelled on "Ramta jogi" and his usual marathon version of "Chhaiya chhaiya," and was joined by Stanford University's talented a cappella troupe Raagapella on "Chan chan" from Deepa Mehta's Oscar-nominated film, "Water."

Naresh Iyer, too, got plenty of stage time on songs like "RDB's" "Roobaroo," performing a duet with Rahman on vocals.

Fans hoping for songs from "Lagaan," "Bombay Dreams" or "Jillendru Oru Kadhal," one of 2006's biggest Tamil soundtracks, will have to wait until Rahman's next show, as he deliberately left them out this time around.

Rahman's between-song patter was economical, at one time giving a brief mention to the fact that several of "Water's" songs had been shortlisted for a Best Song Oscar nomination.

He also mentioned his efforts to help bring the Taj Mahal to international prominence with a new campaign to add it to an official list of the New Seven Wonders of the World (as India-West readers know, Rahman has agreed to compose a song to spread awareness of New7Wonders.com, the New Seven Wonders voting campaign on the Internet). "Officially, the Taj is not a Wonder of the World," he said. "That's a fact. Ask your friends to vote for it on the Net."

Rahman even showed his comic side when he made a thinly veiled barb at pop music phenomenon Himesh Reshammiya. Telling the audience that he'd been working and traveling a lot lately and had caught a cold, Rahman said he told his doctor that he was concerned that he couldn't perform with such a nasal voice.

"The doctor said not to worry - that's the 'in' thing," said Rahman.

Rahman seemed genuinely touched when he learned that the City of Oakland had proclaimed June 2 as "A.R. Rahman Day" in the city, and warmly accepted a plaque from a representative of Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente.

This show was quite different in tone from Rahman's most recent California shows. His Hollywood Bowl performance last July (the first Indian concert in the venue's history) focused on more of a crossover international sound, with music from "Bombay Dreams" and the Chinese epic "Warriors of Heaven and Earth"; while Rahman's 2001 and 2003 shows featured marquee names such as Udit Narayan and were more emotionally resonant, tending more toward romantic material and more sensitive solos at the piano than 2007's largely high energy rock focus.

Deepak Mehta of Mehta Entertainment, making his debut as an international promoter with this tour, and his brother, promoter Vinod Mehta, made special concessions to VIP ticketholders by laying down a red carpet in the VIP section, where guests sipped complimentary champagne.

"I feel proud of the show," Deepak Mehta told India-West afterward. "It was an excellent show, and to put this kind of thing on is not a small thing."

Mehta also mentioned that he will be bringing top-selling qawaali artist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to Chabot College in Hayward, Calif., June 30. See www.MehtaEntertainment.com for details.
:by indiawest


http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id=1181237002&archive=&start_from=&ucat=7

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:e687019c09]Arguably the bestselling recording artist in history, A.R. Rahman makes a long-awaited stop in Toronto
Jun 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Prithi Yelaja
Toronto Star

A.R. Rahman's loyal contingent of ethnic Japanese fans live in hope that he will one day give a concert in their country.

The groupies follow him everywhere. A dozen of them, waving placards besieging "Please come to Japan," were camped outside hotels where he was staying in San Francisco and Vancouver.

They will doubtless be in Toronto when Rahman lands, along with a troupe of 70 singers and dancers, for a nearly sold-out concert at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday.

His huge fan base is a testament to his status, by some estimates, as the bestselling recording artist in history. With more than 200 million album sales, he's arguably bigger than Elvis or the Beatles.

But in his characteristically humble way, Rahman, who has a degree in Western classical music from Oxford University, explains it this way over the phone from Vancouver: "I'm not a pop artist. Most of my albums are film soundtracks and when the movies become a big hit, so do my songs.

"It used to be before all the downloading started, you could easily sell 20 to 30 million albums in India. I've had about 10 films that went on to become big cult hits, so it's a calculation of that," says the soft-spoken Rahman, 41, adding with a chuckle, "We don't get paid royalties like (in) the U.S. If that were the case, I would be a very rich man."

Further boosting his popularity was the fact that Rahman's films previously were dubbed in three languages: Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Miami University in Ohio offers a course on his music and last year 150 students there put on a show with Rahman as the chief guest.

To say that his concert here is long-awaited, is an understatement. It was supposed to happen two years ago as part of a world tour that included London, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The North American leg was postponed due to scheduling conflicts with other projects, namely the theatrical production of Lord of the Rings, for which Rahman wrote the musical score in 2006.

Indeed, Rahman has often collaborated on crossover projects – he composed the music for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Bombay Dreams, as well for Deepa Mehta's movie trilogy: Earth, Fire and Water. His more recent Bollywood work includes Rang De Basanti and Guru, which had its worldwide premiere here earlier this year.

With more than 75 film scores to his credit, Rahman confesses he is on a mission with his music.

"In these hard times music is really an uplifting shrine where all communities can come together. There's so much turmoil happening in life whether it's religious, political or racial. Music is all about love. It's a unifying force," says the Chennai-based Rahman, who is married with three children.

"Even in India and Pakistan, when Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was there, most of the Indians were listening to him and Pakistanis were listening to Lata Mangeshkar."

Bollywood could not come up with a better storyline than Rahman's true life. Born A.S. Dileep Kumar to a Hindu family in Chennai, India, his father died when he was nine. The family ran a small firm renting out musical instruments. In 1988, after his sister was miraculously cured of a mysterious illness by a Sufi saint, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Allah Rakha Rahman. A devout Muslim who prays five times a day, Rahman says he has never faced a backlash because of his conversion.

"In life, the journey is what's interesting. Everyone has their struggles. Each person gets led into a path. We had some trouble and we got redemption through this path. Religion is a personal thing and I think people respect that."

Rahman was doing jingles for television commercials in 1992 when director Mani Ratnam tapped him to do the score for the movie Roja, which became a massive hit.

Aside from performing his film songs, he has a few surprises in store for fans on Sunday.

"Each concert is slightly different. I go by instinct. Nowadays when you do a concert it's all over the Net ... but you need to keep some mystery to keep the excitement going."

Laughingly, he adds, one thing he definitely won't be doing is dancing.

"I don't dance. You wouldn't want to see me dance. The fans would all ask for their money back."

[/tscii:e687019c09]

[littlemaster1982]

ARR's intro in Super Singer. This Video gave me goosebumps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VvEGACOamQ

ARR :notworthy: :notworthy:

[sat_srini]

Star-struck Yorkshire Celebrates As Bollywood Honours Talent

Saturday 09th of June 2007 Over 20,000 fans witnessed the grand opening of a star-studded extravaganza, which began late Saturday night, to honour Bollywood personalities for their performances in the last year.

The elaborate set decoration, mega decibel music and presence of top names of the Indian film industry - Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Aishwarya, Yash Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, the Deols, Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta - made the event a spectacle for the audience.


Speaking at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony, Amitabh praised Yorkshire for its hospitality and added that last year was eventful for the Indian film industry as not only did it taste major achievements but also new genres of filmmaking were experimented with.


He reiterated that Bollywood now had a global platform.


The awards night has begun well for "Dhoom:2", "Fanaa" and "Rang De Basanti", as they have bagged two awards each.


The Best Editor's award has gone to P.S. Bharti for "Rang De Basanti", Best Make-up award was bagged by J.A. James for "Dhoom:2" and Anaita Shroff Adajania won the Best Costume award for her brilliant innovations with outfits in "Dhoom:2".


Versatile singer Sunidhi Chauhan received the Best Female Singer award for her runaway hit song 'Beedi Jalaile...' from the film "Omkara", Bollywood's adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Othello". Meanwhile, Shaan bagged the Best Male Singer award for 'Chand Sifarish...' from the film "Fanaa".


The Best Lyricist award has gone to Prasoon Joshi for penning the song 'Chand Sifarish...' from "Fanaa" while A.R. Rahman has won the Best Music award for his soulful melodies in "Rang De Basanti".


The versatile Boman Irani and svelte Lara Dutta are hosting this year's IIFA awards, which marks the end of the IIFA Weekend that brought top names of the Indian celluloid to the island.


IIFA had decided to roll out a 'Green Carpet' this year, deviating from the tradition of a 'Red Carpet' welcome to celebrities, as it has taken up environmental issues in a bid to save the planet.


The grand finale will be showcased to around 500 million people across the world

http://newspostindia.com/report-2893

[somusic]

Hai guys,
ARR Best Selling artist and about Matt duntley with Rehman.........................


Artists claimed to have sold 100 million records or more
Rehman albums have been sold more than other famous artist of the world
To see the list of best selling artist of the world and the source of BBC report,
Here is the Link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_selling_music_artists


Matt remains one of the UK's top orchestrators and conductors for film, records and live concerts but combines this with developing his own career as a composer and record producer.He worked with all the world's famous composers.

Matt Duntley has enjoyed very successful collaborations with the superstar Bollywood composer A.R.Rahman on The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Meenaxi: Tale of Three Cities and Bose The Forgotten Hero and orchestrated the Sony/Columbia movie Warriors of Heaven and Earth for A.R. (The soundtrack was later released to critical acclaim as Rahman's first orchestral recording for Sony Classics). Recently he worked with him on the most expensive Bollywood movie ever made The Rising and conducted the score in Prague. He arranged and orchestrated an A.R. piece recorded by Vanessa Mae for her new Sony recording and is also currently arranging A.R.'s film music for a series of film music concerts in 2007.

Rehman wants a new world to compose.........he thinks different everytime and succeeds in delivering it.........

Music the Life Giver

[thumburu]

ARR's Taj campaign song "ek hi mohabbat" is being aired by many satellite channels recently. Has a "dejavu" feel with the Guru song at parts

[Ramakrishna]

She's got a super famous brother, but has been struggling like any other newcomer to make it in the music industry. Her hard work, though, has finally paid off. AR Rahman's sister Raihanah makes her big film singing debut with the film 'Sivaji'. Her music is fast-climbing the music charts and she couldn't be happier.

"Rahman called me and said he'll test my voice for a song in 'Sivaji' and will use it only if the director Shankar approves. I almost jumped out of my seat when my song got approved," she chuckles.

Though Raihanah has about 40 songs to her credit in various Southern languages, she accepts that 'Sivaji' is her big break, insisting that it is not just because Rahman's composing it. "If he had to help me out with my music, he would have taken me in all his films by now. The fact that it took him 17 long years to launch me proves he does not compromise on his professional attitude," she asserts.
But does it get difficult to live up to Rahman's expectations since he's such a perfectionist? "When it comes to music, he expects 100 percent commitment. There is no excuse for performing badly; it does not matter if it's me or another singer," she adds.

However, while we all know him as the flawless musical genius, nobody really knows Rahman the brother, the son or the husband. "Its tough but we have all accepted that he has given himself to music. He is the sweetest person I ever know, a guide, a guru at times, but he can cut off from every single person while he works, even family. Even as a kid he was a very shy boy, but today he keeps us all in place. But I must say, I am the luckiest to have him as my brother," she smiles. Yes, we totally agree!
Why it took AR Rahman 17 years to launch his sister
Divya Unny
Sunday, June 10, 2007 22:47 IST

[Vaz]

17 years to launch his sister.... Maybe they meant having her voice in a big budget movie...?

As far as I remember she has sung in Parthale Paravasam, Kangalal Kaithu Sei and Kannathil Muthamittal.

[Ramakrishna]

[tscii:4ed09237fe]ARR Interview
Is your style of composing more methodical or is it more spontaneous? By methodical, I mean do you follow a similar pattern while composing music or do you just let your mind free and it just comes to you in a sudden moment?

It is more spontaneous, I would say. At the same time, my style is not completely intuitive. I believe in testing my music thoroughly before I share it with the world. Sometimes notes just come to my mind and I compose something. After hearing it two-three times, I suddenly start disliking the piece (smiles). The same cluster of notes that sounded so melodious and catchy just two-three days back now start sounding routine and mundane. It is surprising, but this has happened several times with me.

Sometimes, I just discard the entire notation; sometimes I decide to give it a little bit of twist here and there to create something better and then there are times when I have to really do a big overhaul to give the notations a different look. I just go by my instincts when I am doing this "repair work." Many times, I just blank my mind, pray and play around with a few notes to come up with a composition. Also, as I always say, music is a spiritual thing not a formula.

Is there a particular raga that you keep going back to when you are composing? Is there a favorite for you?

Raag Des? (laughs). Everyone says I keep composing in Des. Yes there are some rags that I like a lot and sometimes I keep going towards them and I have to stop myself from going there while composing every tune. In Lord of the Rings musical, you are going to hear a lot of Indian classical music getting blended into some interesting western music, it is going to be a concoction that many will love. Imagine the characters of Lord of the Rings and then imagine the notes of raag darbari and raag yaman kalyan intermingling in the background! (smiles slyly).

What about your ‘famous' working hours? Is it true that you work the whole night and sleep in the mornings?

Yes, it is true (laughs loudly). My music making schedule starts at around 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. and then goes on till 6 a.m. It is so quiet at night and the earlier hours of dawn, I just love it. Lataji was really surprised when she came to know my schedule, so for her one time I recorded in the morning (Smiles shyly). Another thing is that I only work in my studio in Chennai. It is not a very big place but it is equipped with everything that I need to create what I do.

It's been a while since you have gone international. How did it happen?

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is a very well known composer of musicals, hired me to compose his maiden stage production Bombay Dreams. It cost about $7 million and was one of the more expensive Broadway productions then. Before, I also worked on the theme song for the Indian version of the Chinese/English costume drama Warriors of Heaven and Earth with the background of the ancient Silk Route. I used Chinese, Turkish and Indian musical instruments. We got the music recorded in Prague. I composed this soundtrack in just three days!

Actually to tell you the truth, I was really scared to compose in any other language than Tamil when I first started out. Back then, composing for a Hindi movie was a big step for me. And now, I feel composing in English is a lot of fun and I find it easy as compared to composing for any other language! Music should have no bounds. As a music director sometimes I am amazed by how well the music I make fits into a language that I don't even know! I can still convey the emotions through my music. That is the beauty in music. There are no language or religious barriers in music!

Are you a very religious person?

Yes. I believe that my highest musical inspiration comes from Allah. I was here two days back listening to Farid Ayaz and his qawwali ensemble perform at this festival. I just closed my eyes and listened and was completely lost in their compositions.

It is believed that creative people need stimulants to create great music. Any comments?[/i

I always thought that every creative person in the music world had to drink or take dope to be a good artist or composer. But then I heard Ilayaraja. He was making such beautiful music and leading a pure life. I was under the impression that if it's music, whoever it is, they must have some bad habit. I always thought they have to drink, smoke and have cocaine to get their inspiration. The man who changed these impressions altogether was Ilayaraja. He proved that he can make good music without any bad habits. Even now he is an inspiration for me being so religious today and with the grace of God, I don't need to drink or smoke to make my music.

A.R. Rehman is a phenomenon not only in the Indian film industry, but also in the world music scene. How does it feel to be so popular? Does this popularity come with more responsibility and expectations from everyone to outdo oneself every time?

Scarry? (laughs). Expectations are there. But, I am a human being too. Even I have good and bad days. When I am composing, I just shut myself out from everything. It is just me and my music and the various sounds and beats that influence and inspire me. At this time, I don't think about expectations or timelines. I just take my time to feel every note and compose. By the grace of my God, I compose music that everyone likes and accepts.

You have been often criticized in the media for only using very feminine and shrill voices and never experimenting with husky ones as far as women singers go. What kind of voices do you like? Who are some of your favorite singers?

Yes, I do go for softer voices. I like delicate and soft voices, but most importantly, I like voices that have their own distinct personality. I don't want voices that sound like Ashaji's or Lataji's voices! Also for all songs I have different voice requirements and that is why so many singers have sung for me. I also am very open to hearing new voices. I will be sinning if I don't provide an opportunity to talented people. Sometimes, I hear a voice and instantly know where it will fit.

For example when I composed "Luki Chupi" for Rang de Basanti, I knew from the beginning that it was a song made for Lataji's voice.

Favorite singers?

I don't want to say someone's name and then just upset the others! But I really like voices of Hariharan and of course Ashaji and Lataji's voices.

According to you, what is the single most compelling factor in your music?

I think it is the right combination of melody and tempo. To achieve this balance is very tricky. Sometimes you fall in love with some notes so much that you ignore the importance of the beats that is going to make those notes sound even more melodious. I feel that in my songs I am able to achieve a balance between the melody and the tempo so even though "Chaiyya Chaiyaa" is foot-tapping, it is extremely melodious too.

Does music have the power to bring peace?

Music is very powerful but since it does not use any physical force to get its message across, it is not considered as an influential tool. Yes, I believe music has power to bring peace, both within oneself and also among people.

What is a typical day in the life of A.R. Rahman?

It's very boring you don't want to know (laughs loudly). The typical day in the life of A.R.Rahman doesn't include any socializing, interviewing or partying. I am a very solitary person and prefer to spend my time in my studio surrounded by my music systems, my instruments and my musical gadgets.

Sometimes when I am listening to a song, I don't know the composer but yet I can say it is a composition by Rahman. What is this intangible something that makes the song your song?[/i

I think it is personality. Just like every person talks differently, walks differently, my compositions reflect my personality and maybe my listeners know it and catch my tune.

What do you do when you are not composing music?

I like spending time alone with my family. It is a very peaceful feeling. My wife and three kids also travel with me whenever possible. Apart from that, when I am not composing music, I don't feel alright. I just feel an urge to get to my studio and start composing. I keep thinking about some tune that I heard somewhere and keep humming it.

In Indian cinema, whose music are you most influenced by?

I love hearing R.D.Burman and Naushad compositions. These days I am also discovering a new love for Madan Mohan compositions. I am also learning Hindustani classical music from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

What would you be doing if you were not composing music?

I would have been a car chauffeur probably[/tscii:4ed09237fe]

[Vaz]

Good interview with interesting questions... and interesting answers! Not the usual thing about how he got Roja... his difficult childhood... Here for the first time we have been given some indications as to how he comes up with a tune! I'd love to have even more explanations on his creative thought process.

[Vaz]

Hi Ramakrishna

Where is that interview from?

[Ramakrishna]

I got it from Orkut

[ajaybaskar]

Mani Ratnam keen to make a new film with Aamir Khan -Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 (EST)

The new film will have the same team as he now shelved Lajjo, comprising Aamir Khan, Mani Ratnam and music director A R Rahman.

13 June 2007 (Sawf News) - The director who made Guru with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, isn't sitting back in regret because his film Lajjo has been shelved after much trouble with producer Bobby Bedi. He is on to a new film with the same team - Aamir Khan and music director A R Rahman.

Lajjo, based on Ismat Chugtai's novel was nixed after the Ratnam had too many differences with Bedi. Reportedly the two clashed over the copyright of the story.

Ratnam's Mahabharat has also gone into oblivion.

A source from Ratnam's office says, "Mani is not taking it easy because of the cancellations. He is very keen to work with Aamir Khan who was a part of Lajjo. He is already planning another project with him."

The script of this new, as yet unnamed, film is being completed and it will go into production by the end of the year, says Mumbai Mirror.

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX-9wFpoHic&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtSg0TdpV8Y&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky3nasxFN14

If i were a gal, i wud've certainly fallen in love with this man..

:lol:

[sat_srini]

'When Rahman calls, you go without asking questions'

Arthur J Pais in New York | June 18, 2007 17:03 IST


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."

Photographs: Paresh Gandhi

http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/jun/18rahman.htm

[ajaybaskar]

Sultan of Music - A Special Feature
by Rediff.com
Mumbai, June 15 2007


A R Rahman appeals to a wide variety of people for different reasons. Not everyone likes to work with him, though. Some filmmakers whisper that he takes too much time to get a song ready but there are also many who say that he can compose and record a song within half a day.

For every critic who swears that Rahman is a two-note composer who is more interested in the sound (he's a mere sound engineer, said one detractor), there are many who hail him as an innovator.

"I admire the way he understands the director's requirement," says Mani Ratnam, who gave the composer and singer a break in Roja [Images] about 15 years ago. Together, they have worked for over half-a-dozen films like Dil Se and Guru.

Aishwarya Rai [Images], who got to sing some of Rahman's compositions on the screen very early in her career in the Tamil film Iruvar and then recently in Guru, says that the best thing about Rahman's compositions is that they don't seduce you immediately.

"You must give you the permission for them to let you grow on you," she says. "And then see if you can get them out of your mind."

Composer and producer of such record smashing musicals as The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber who gave Rahman a break in his Bombay Dreams over five years ago, remains a great admirer.

Malaika Arora and Shah Rukh Khan in the famous Chaiya Chaiya song from the film Dil Se"I think he has an incredible tone of voice," says Lloyd Webber. "I have seen many Bollywood films, but what he manages to do is quite unique -- he keeps it very much Indian. For me, as a Westerner, I can always recognise his music because it has a tone of voice of its own. It's very definitely Indian, yet it has an appeal which will go right across the world."

For writer and lyricist Vairamuthu who has worked with Rahman in several Tamil films, the 41-year-old composer's passion is unbeatable. He said in an interview recently, 'The total submission of his life for the cause of music; his thirst for creating not any chaff but only grains appeals to me the most!'

The filmmaker Subhash Ghai [Images] who got an amazing number of fresh melodies from Rahman in the film Taal [Images] says the composer can never stop surprising a producer or a director -- and, of course, the listener.

"We have had arguments, long discussions and big differences while we produced the music of Taal," says Ghai. "But who could have come out with that unique score?"

In another interview, Ghai said: 'Rahman has a strange kind of spirituality within which he lives. He knows technique, has a rare sense of sound and a great ear. He has a sharp intellect and understands not just the sound of music and quality of voice but also the market forces and how to move from post to post. That is the need of the hour. I love him both as a composer and as a friend. He is very sweet to talk to. The only thing is you talk and he listens!'

Many singers, including Kunal Ganjawala, have said that Rahman has them rehearse without raising a fuss, and the song is okayed within hours. He inspires singers but never overwhelms them, Ganjawala said.

"Sometimes, I wondered whether he is too nice a person to tell a singer that he did not like the way the number was sung," Ganjawala said. "You secretly fear that he is not going to use the song!"

Singer Harini said a few years ago: 'The best part about singing for Rahman is the freedom he gives the singer. Even for my first song he let me sing the way I was comfortable, even though I was a nobody then.'

Lyricist Gulzar [Images], who has worked with composers such as S D Burman, Salil Chowdhury and Rahul Dev Burman, says working with Rahman in such films as Dil Se and Guru has meant a lot to his writing career.

'He is a milestone in Hindi film music,' says Gulzar who is older than Rahman by about three decades. 'He has single-handedly changed the sound of music in the movies. He has broken the mukhda-antara-mukhda scheme of composition and replaced the traditional patterns of tuning. He can set tune to a near-identical rhythm in two different songs. But these songs will still catch the listener off-guard even when played immediately after each other. Instead of having the fixed format, the song can also run like free verse with his kind of music.'

Though Rahman gave up his formal education following his father R K Sekhar's premature death at age 40, he would not give up his musical aspirations. He worked for a number of top composers in the South, especially M S Viswanathan, as a musician. Rahman also composed music for many jingles in his late teens.

Those who have known him from his childhood still remember the early signs of his musical gift.Aishwarya Rai in a still from the film Guru

'Filmnews' Anandan, a well-known publicist, remembered in an interview some years ago how Rahman was initiated into the world of films while he was still a toddler and was called Dilip Kumar. The family embraced Islam after Sekhar's death and his widow's marriage to a Muslim businessman.

Anandan remembered Rahman going to the film studios with his father Sekhar who was an assistant music director in Malayalam films.

'Once a music director overheard the four-year-old trying out a tune on a harmonium,' Anandan said. 'He quickly spread a cloth over the keys. Undaunted, the child repeated the tune, this time running his fingers confidently over the cloth. Who would have thought then that the boy would scale such heights?'

Rahman says he has a simple explanation for his success. "I believe that every individual, even an atom, can move only with the will of God," he offers. "I don't take credit for doing all this. If I did, then I would fall flat."

[ajaybaskar]

A.R. Rahman's laptop with 'Lord of the Rings' music missing
Malaysia Sun
Tuesday 19th June, 2007
(IANS)


A laptop containing new compositions of popular Indian music composer A.R. Rahman is part of a bag that went missing when he arrived here Monday night for the theatrical version of 'Lord of the Rings' scheduled for Tuesday night.

Rahman arrived at the Heathrow airport from Washington after a successful performance in the US, but was stunned to discover that one of two bags checked in were missing. The missing bag contains his laptop as well as designer clothes.

He said as he frantically called British Airways to inquire about his missing baggage: 'I don't know what to feel, I don't know what to say. I am very confused. I am disturbed. I have lost my laptop containing the whole data of my work and music.'

He added that the laptop contained his new compositions as well. He was supposed to wear the designer clothes for the 'Lord of the Rings' musical.

A spokesman of British Airways told IANS that Rahman should contact the airline with his details. 'After he contacts us, we will do everything possible in our power to get the missing bag back.'

The West End production of 'The Lord of the Rings' is scheduled to open Tuesday evening at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in Covent Garden.

Based on the hugely popular trilogy of novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, it features direction by Matthew Warchus, book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus, and music by Rahman and Varttina with Christopher Nightingdale

Parvez Alam, editor of India-EU Film Initiative, told IANS that 'Lord of the Rings' is the most expensive musical ever staged outside Las Vegas, and the first major stage adaptation of Tolkien's classic trilogy.

Rahman's music in collaboration with Varttina, exhilarating choreography, remarkable staging and stunning design will combine to transform Drury Lane into Tolkien's Middle-earth in a mesmerising and spectacular theatrical event featuring an ensemble of over 70 actors, singers and musicians.

Alam said that this was the second musical by Rahman after the success of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Bollywood Dreams'.

Reports say that the adaptation was savaged by many critics when it opened in Toronto last year. Cut and substantially rewritten, it has cost 25 million pounds to bring it to London, making it the most expensive musical ever staged outside Las Vegas.

According to reports, the new version was applauded by the audience at a preview in London.

This follows the 70th anniversary of Tolkien starting to write the trilogy and the 50th anniversary of the publication of the complete trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King'.
__._,_.___

[Guess_Me]

A.R. Rahman's laptop with 'Lord of the Rings' music missing

Laptop with new compositions missing?

Was someone of the name "Harris Jayaraj" on the flight too? :D :D

[ajaybaskar]

A.R. Rahman's laptop with 'Lord of the Rings' music missing

Laptop with new compositions missing?

Was someone of the name "Harris Jayaraj" on the flight too? :D :D

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Yathu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX-9wFpoHic&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtSg0TdpV8Y&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky3nasxFN14

If i were a gal, i wud've certainly fallen in love with this man..

:lol:

OMG!!! How lucky is this guy to meet the legend! :notworthy:

:lol: He puts the camera on him and then on ARR, just incase people don't believe him! :lol:

[Yathu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX-9wFpoHic&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtSg0TdpV8Y&mode=related&search=


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky3nasxFN14

If i were a gal, i wud've certainly fallen in love with this man..

:lol:

OMG!!! How lucky is this guy to meet the legend! :notworthy:

:lol: He puts the camera on him and then on ARR, just incase people don't believe him! :lol:

[A.ANAND]

A.R. Rahman's laptop with 'Lord of the Rings' music missing

Laptop with new compositions missing?

Was someone of the name "Harris Jayaraj" on the flight too? :D :D :lol: :lol: :lol: IRUNTHALUM IRUKALAM!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/june-07-03/21-06-07-ar-rahman.html

[Ramakrishna]

ARR first interview after Roja

http://rahmaniac.4shared.com/file/18012652/ae22c46c

[dinesh2002]

A.R. Rahman's laptop with 'Lord of the Rings' music missing

Laptop with new compositions missing?

Was someone of the name "Harris Jayaraj" on the flight too? :D :D

then its Thala Deepavalli than avarakku!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Guess_Me]

ARR first interview after Roja

http://rahmaniac.4shared.com/file/18012652/ae22c46c

What is the password, Ram?

[Ramakrishna]

ARR first interview after Roja

http://rahmaniac.4shared.com/file/18012652/ae22c46c

What is the password, Ram?

password: jan6

[Ramakrishna]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=8d69d4e1-f2a4-4e7c-9eca-985cf4bb3306

[Ramakrishna]

S.J.Surya on AR Rahman
This is the translation of the second part of S.J.Surya's article about A.R.Rahman from Kumudam. The original tamil article can be found at http://www.kumudam.com/hotmain.php
(requires registration... Free)

"SHOT 1
There are quite a few interesting incidents behind the making of the song “Thottal Poo malarum” from NEW. One day, I told A.R.Rahman, “Can you do a remix of a old tamil song for NEW?”. He had never done a remix, so he told me that will not do a remix.
I requested him, “Sir, please… Lets remix the song “Pesuvadhu Kiliyaa”. If you do a remix, that’ll be great”. He wasn’t convinced. But, I did not give up. “Sir, think of it this way. If you remix that song, you will receive the blessings of lyricist Kannadasan (One of the all-time-best lyricists in Tamil) from up above!”, I tried convincing him.
At one stage, unable to stand my pestering (!!!), he had tried it out. But according to him, it did not come out that well! But since I kept forcing him, he said, “Ok… I’ll do ..But not this song… Shall I try “thottaal poo malarum”. But, I will change the tune”
I hesitated a bit… I thought, “Aha!! The tune of the original song is good.. It would be nice if he changes only the rhythm. But he wants to change the tune itself!!” Rahman understood what I was thinking and immediately said, “I make good tunes, Surya!!!”
“Ooops… Sir, Don’t mistake me!! Oh…My God!!!”, I retreated… Rahman started laughing!!!
Then he asked me, “When does your shooting finish?”. I told him it was at 1:30 am.. He asked me to come to his studio at 2:30 am.
--cut--

SHOT 2
I reach there at 2:30 am after the shooting to find the CD ready there, waiting for me! He had gone off to sleep just 5 minutes back, asking the people there to give the CD to me when I reach there! I get back to my car and played the CD. I was spell bound! I immediately realized that entire Tamilnadu is going to be spellbound over this song!
I called up choreographer Brinda, cinematographer Guhan and art-director Anand right away and asked them to come over to AVM Studios. Sincere persons that they are, they reached AVM by 3:00 am. I opened the doors of my car and played the song in high volume. They were enthralled! Their reaction to this song was same as that of mine!

Left AVM at around 4:15… Was so excited that I was in no mood to go home and sleep. So, I roamed all over Chennai in my car, listening to this song again and again. I reached home only at 6:00 am. I send a message to A.R.Rahman - “Hats off to you genius”. That would have definitely brought a smile on his face!
--cut—

SHOT 3

There is one small similarity between both of us (I am happy to say thatthere is some similarity between me and the genius). Both of us are nocturnal creatures! Both of us like working in the nights.
The way he composes tunes is a beauty in itself. It is like a tapas. Unlike other music directors, he does not compose music, surrounded by people. Whoever be the director, he gets the “situation” for the song and composes the tune all alone. Will anyone do a tapas in the midst of a crowd?
You all will be surprised if you know how World’s No.1 composer sleeps. For that, lets move to the next shot!
--cut—

SHOT 4
Once I had taken my brother-in-law along to ARR’s studio for a recording. Work was going on till 4 am. Then Rahman came to me and said, “I feel very tired. I will sleep now, wake up at 6 and finish the work”. Then he went off to sleep.
I came out, woke up my brother-in-law, who was sleeping in the visitor’s area. “You want to see how Rahman sir sleeps?”, I asked him and escorted him inside. We stealthily opened the door and went inside. There was “Isai Puyal” – sleeping in a corner of the singers’ cabin - on the floor, even without a pillow – just like how people sleep on the “Thinnai” in villages.
My brother-in-law was shocked. “Such a “big” personality… sleeping like this… I am so surprised”, he exclaimed. The fact that he was going to wake up at 6 am and continue his work was yet another surprise. Lots of such surprises surround the man!
One thing that Rahman does not like – flattery. Suppose we start praising him in front of him. He will tolerate it for about a minute. Then he will try to change the topic of discussion. Then, he will try to avoid us. If u still continue praising him, he will run away from the place!!!
--cut—

SHOT 5
God creates humans using flesh and blood. But for mothers, he just fills up with LOVE. I have got a loving and caring mom, Anandam. Similarly Rahman sir has also got a great mom - Kareena! Very spiritual person. She has unlimited devotion towards Allah.
The audio cassettes of NEW were released by both our moms. That was a memorable moment.
When Rahman has finished composing for a movie, the first copy does not go to the producer or the director. He give it to his mother. She goes to the mosque, offers the CD to God, prays and then returns it to Rahman. Be it Lagaan or whichever “big” movie it may be, the first CD always reaches his mom. Who else in the world, apart from a mother, would wish more for the success of a son? Very good character… A great woman.
There is a cupboard in Rahman’s house. Since biggies like Ram Gopal Verma, Shankar, Mani Ratnam spend their nights working at their place, his mom makes snacks and delicacies (like murukku, seedai) and fills the cupboards with them. We do our work, munching these tasty delicacies. Some jolly moments!!!
Dear God, give the mother and her children a happy and prosperous life, without any difficulties."

[littlemaster1982]

RK,

Thanks a lot for posting the article :ty:

[littlemaster1982]

Found this beautiful piece of writing in a blog. Just reading this gave me goosebumps.


Rahman has been constantly reinventing himself since he began composing film music. He can be called a master of innovations. His style of composing cannot be categorized into one formal pattern. For me I would prefer calling it the Rahman genre of music. It will encompass all sorts of music, rhythm, sound etc. that can be ever thought by human brain. Something that constantly puzzles me is that he has never stuck to a particular style of composition or a genre of music and yet gives a unique treatment classified as Rahman sound. After evaluating all possible reasons for this uniqueness I found one aspect consistent with his composition and i.e. Melody.

Thakshak as an album is any music lover's delight since one can find an amalgamation of different types of songs:

Classical : Rang De
Goanese folk: Jumbalika (originally from En SwasaKatre)
Rain song : Boondon Se Baatein
Punjabi folk: Dholna

It is difficult to pick one song for review but I found something unique about Khamosh Raat. It was just not possible for me to fit this song in some particular genre. So lets dissect this song a bit.

The lyric of this song is written by Mehboob and sung by RoopKumar Rathod. Initially it was little surprising to see his name but after listening to the number I don't think anybody else could have done justice to it.

The song starts with a smooth guitar strumming. The initial part sounds like someone is just getting the chords right and doing some checking of the instrument. The tune starts from 0:28 and one can feel that the person is ready to mesmerize you with the rhythm. This tune captivates the listener for a brief period of 7 secs. The melody in this tune is absolutely mesmerizing and forms the backbone of the song. In fact the entire number is based on the rhythm created by a guitar. RoopKumar Rathod begins singing from 0:37 and it starts off indeed slowly with no accompanying beats at all.

The song genuinely progresses in a step by step manner where beats get on added as one goes through the entire number. Rahman's tunes are so complex that it is difficult to understand in the first hearing itself. The simple reason is that he never follows a set pattern of antara mukhada type of a song. On top of it the layering of orchestration makes it even more difficult to understand the tune of the number.

From 1:13 slow beats start accompanying the number : can't tell you much about the instrument but definitely not tabla or drums. The voice of the singer suits the mood perfectly and forms a serene atmosphere. Along with this Rahman starts introducing the Bass guitar along with the normal Hawaaian guitar. Its hardly a minute and a half into the song but the maestro does so many things. Absolute genius. The hint of some solid orchestration comes in the 2nd minute of the song. He uses some accompanying beats along with the guitar. Listen to the beauty of a Hawaaian guitar from 2:23 to 2:37. The beauty of guitar in the song lead me to do some research. It was found that Rahman collaborated with Nadaka, a French-Canadian, who calls his guitar a geet-taar (string of songs). A quintessential Indian in thought, he has several stage shows and albums in melodic fusion to his credit. He also lent additional vocals for this number. An ample proof of the fact that music has no barriers.

Now the beats have started in the form of claps accompanying the guitar. The best part (2:38) starts when the singer starts singing "Jhooki Jhooki Palkein Jab Uthi Nainon main thi madhyam madhyam". Wow. I am really in short of words to describe the tune here. The tune, singing, orchestration, lyrical brilliance seems to have culminated at this point in time. The entire combination simply enthralls the listener and makes one jump with joy. Rahman's songs can make you express the emotions which in itself is so difficult to capture in a number. The goosebumps starts again at 3:14 when the singer follows the same tune and sings,"Sooraj tha pe Noor sa ,Uski tham madhyam madhyam" and this time accompanied with the clap like beats. This time it sounds even better than the earlier stanza. Rahman knows how to add to the beauty of a song and this number is an adequate proof for that. The drums slowly take over from 3:50 when RoopKumar Rathod sings "Aur Door Kahin Roshan Hua,Ik Chehra". From an initial sombre mood of the song one gradually gets into the groove and starts swaying with the beats. As if this was not enough Rahman introduces a female chorus singing "Sa Pa Ma Ga Ma Pa..etc etc." just lifting the overall mood of the song.

The song as if comes to a standstill at 4:20 when RoopKumar sings "Jeene Ka tha Hum mein Dum Par nahin tha koi Humdum". A beautiful piece of poetry just magnifying the importance of one's beloved in life. Now the song gradually reaches the crescendo with more orchestration and beautiful usage of instruments. From 5:25 the song reaches it's high when violin is also played in the background. The chorus this time the male one probably Nadaka's voice joins to give the classical feel.

The entire song can be described as a journey of a lover. It begins with his infatuation, where he is still absorbed by the feeling of getting close to his beloved. Then it gradually progresses to his feelings and a greater passion to be closer to his lover. Ultimately it reaches a point where the lover feels, this is it, "Done, full and final".She is the one and then one is committed for life.

I just cant stop myself from writing but guess it's already a long post. I am hopeful to pick up the guitar one day and sing this song for my beloved. The underlying beauty of this number is again "Melody" as described earlier and this is what I call Rahman genre.

http://rahmanishtyle.blogspot.com/

[ajaybaskar]

Robo`- Shankar's next film

By Moviebuzz | Monday, 02 July , 2007, 12:38

Shankar is going to get a red carpet reception, when he comes back to Chennai tomorrow (Tuesday July 3), after a month long sojourn abroad. Three weeks after its release, his Sivaji continues to rock, and superstar Rajnikant has given him full credit for it, by saying- "Shankar is the creator of the film and he has worked hard for it".

Now, what next is the question people in the industry are asking? According to sources close to him, Shankar will be totally concentrating on the films being made under his banner 'S'pictures for the next three months. He will be giving some creative inputs to his in-house directors Balaji Sakthivel, and Simbudevan who are immersed in the making of their films for the company.

Meanwhile the grapevine is abuzz with rumours that Shankar is finally starting work on his ambitious pet project Robo, a futuristic science fiction thriller set in the year 3050 of Chennai. The entire shoot of the film can happen only on sets, and also involves a lot of CG work, to give the futuristic look to the film. And that means millions of dollars, and a producer willing to blow up money, and a bigger market to exploit the film.

Actually Shankar has a commitment with Telugu financier and producer Tirupati Prasad to make a film for him. But the latest we hear is that a major Bollywood production house has roped in Prasad as Executive producer, and together they are planning to make the Shankar film in Hindi for a global audience. The production house has also the "dates" of Hrithik Roshan, who is keen to do a film with Shankar.

Though Shankar had initially talked about doing the project with Kamal Hassan in Tamil, he realizes that for such a big project you need a Bollywood hero for the global audiences. Imagine Hrithik, Hindi cinema's best action hero ( Krissh,Dhoom-2), A.R Rahman the only Indian musician with an international following and Shankar. The combination will rock!

And the latest on Robo is that a Hollywood studio, who is already making a film in Hindi, has shown an interest in the project. They want to be co-opted as presenters of the film, are willing to partly fund the project, which will definitely cost upward of Rs 100 crore. Now the ball is in Shankar's court. He will have to take a call in the next few weeks.

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.charuonline.com/kp233.html

http://www.charuonline.com/kp238.html

[dinesh2002]

http://www.charuonline.com/kp233.html

http://www.charuonline.com/kp238.html

actually what r these articles about.... my tamil reading is bad :? ,sorry....

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.charuonline.com/kp233.html

http://www.charuonline.com/kp238.html

actually what r these articles about.... my tamil reading is bad :? ,sorry....

These articles are written by Charu Niveditha, a leading writer in Tamil. He has mentioned that with 'Guru', ARR has scaled new peaks when it comes to BGM. He has praised the movie like anything and has defined it as a landmark film made in India.

In the second article, he has praised ARR for his work in Pray for me, brother. He gives the reasons y he respects ARR more than IR.

[ajaybaskar]

I recently gotta chance to watch 'Coffee with Anu' featuring Deva and director Vasanth. whn Anu asked about ARR, Deva was completely out of words and said that he would've remained in Doordarshan itself if he had already known that ARR would enter cinefield. he also added that he congradulated ARR for his recent song (he didnt mention which song) a month back. He was all smiles when he said this and finished with a note tat ARR is a gr8 human being too..

[dinesh2002]

http://www.charuonline.com/kp233.html

http://www.charuonline.com/kp238.html

actually what r these articles about.... my tamil reading is bad :? ,sorry....

These articles are written by Charu Niveditha, a leading writer in Tamil. He has mentioned that with 'Guru', ARR has scaled new peaks when it comes to BGM. He has praised the movie like anything and has defined it as a landmark film made in India.

In the second article, he has praised ARR for his work in Pray for me, brother. He gives the reasons y he respects ARR more than IR.

:clap: :thumbsup:

[Dragun]

Uzbek singer Iroda Dilroz remixes Kadhal Sadugudu (Alai Payuthey) and Mustafa Mustafa (Kadhal Desam)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNk8s_5sE2k

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pRua2Chq4TE

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:bcfa2f2fa0]Techno whiz Shankar too takes up Robot

IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, July 04, 2007]


Director Shankar is flying high on the success of his Sivaji. With big names like Rajnikanth, AVM, A R Rahman and K V Anand in the company, the ace director of Tamil cinema has rendered a blockbuster in Sivaji.
Now all eyes are on his next venture.
Speculations are high on his next directorial venture. Sources close to the director say, “It looks likely that Shankar would venture to do a movie in Bollywood next. It would likely be his ambitious project Robo and may star a popular Hindi actress”.
It would be another mega-budget movie from Shankar and would star either Shahrukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan. Shankar has reported held discussions with both the sought-after heroes of Bollywood.
As usual the director is still tight-lipped about his next project. Shankar had earlier directed Nayak, the Hindi remake of Mudhalvan and it starred Anil Kapoor as the hero.

[/tscii:bcfa2f2fa0]

[Ramakrishna]

Hi,
I saw one Interview with Tamil film director Praveen kanth( Rakshakan,Star,Jodi fame) in KTV on 4/07/07.When asked about why ARR refused to score in his new film Thullal , Praveen kanth said
" I do have good raport with ARR and still good friends, I would like to mention that ARR is not a man who work for MONEY,FAME,FRIENDS REFERALS. He is man who is completly dedicated to GOD and work for god."

----------------------------------------------------

Source: Yahoogroup :roll:

[Wibha]

:clap: just now read the articles :D :clap: :clap: really good

[wizzy]

rahman's interview during roja http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z8ymIeFUqM

[ajaybaskar]

Did anyone read this article?

Kamal and Rajini to pay Guru Dhakshina to K Balachandar.


Tamil Super stars Rajini Kanth and Kamal Hasan are going to do a film for their Guru K Balachander as Guru Dhakshana. Kamal Hasan will provide the script for this movie.Kamal Hasan will direct the film and A R Rahman will compose the music. Sanjay Dutt is being approached to play the villain role. K Balachandar is facing financial crisis and his shishyas want to pay Guru Dhakshina - Andhravilas

http://andhravilas.com/movienews.asp?id=34430

[Movies]

Guys,

What happened to this years National Award? Isnt it usually around June first week?

[ajaybaskar]

Guys,

What happened to this years National Award? Isnt it usually around June first week?

The announcement of the awards has been postponed indefinitely after allegations surfaced that the jury had been biased and apparently played favorites.

[dinesh2002]

Praveenkanth's next film to have ARR as music dir.... soucre : himself :

Sanjay Says > : Tell me abt the technicians who r all work with u in the next project?

Praveen Kanth Says > : A.R. rehman music and leading camera man

http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/halloffame/Praveenkanth(06-07-07).asp

ps : the sad part, he is the hero of the film :lol:

[Ramakrishna]

Praveenkanth's next film to have ARR as music dir.... soucre : himself :

Sanjay Says > : Tell me abt the technicians who r all work with u in the next project?

Praveen Kanth Says > : A.R. rehman music and leading camera man

http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/halloffame/Praveenkanth(06-07-07).asp

ps : the sad part, he is the hero of the film :lol:

aaha :shock:

[A.ANAND]

Praveenkanth's next film to have ARR as music dir.... soucre : himself :

Sanjay Says > : Tell me abt the technicians who r all work with u in the next project?

Praveen Kanth Says > : A.R. rehman music and leading camera man

http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/halloffame/Praveenkanth(06-07-07).asp

ps : the sad part, he is the hero of the film :lol:

aaha :shock:ENNA KODUMAI SIR ITHU!!! :banghead:

[Sanjeevi]

Praveenkanth's next film to have ARR as music dir.... soucre : himself :

Sanjay Says > : Tell me abt the technicians who r all work with u in the next project?

Praveen Kanth Says > : A.R. rehman music and leading camera man

http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/halloffame/Praveenkanth(06-07-07).asp

ps : the sad part, he is the hero of the film :lol:

aaha :shock:

Tamil ARR down anathaey (definitely not now) inthalala than :banghead:

[dinesh2002]

Praveenkanth's next film to have ARR as music dir.... soucre : himself :

Sanjay Says > : Tell me abt the technicians who r all work with u in the next project?

Praveen Kanth Says > : A.R. rehman music and leading camera man

http://www.galatta.com/entertainment/halloffame/Praveenkanth(06-07-07).asp

ps : the sad part, he is the hero of the film :lol:

aaha :shock:

Tamil ARR down anathaey (definitely not now) inthalala than :banghead:

yup.... doing music for such low standard films, dun Praveenkanth have a mirror in his house ??? i mean not to sound mean, but come on la... aiyoo... where is the heroic stamp in his face? he looks allot like a villian/background actor....

y not these dirs stick to thier profession, look wut happened to SJS, if he sticked to his direction profession he would be already somewhere by now... i loved his Vaali & Kushi allot....

[thineshan54321]

haha http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-slide-shows/movie-1/music-directors/tamil-music-directors.html

behindwoods stripped them... it clearly mentions rahman's beats are only inspired and there is only 3 mentions. The rest are YSR, HJ, and others. :lol:

[Mahen]

Trisha signs Gautham movie!
By Moviebuzz | Monday, 16 July , 2007, 08:28
Has Gautham Menon abandoned his Surya film Vaaranam Aayiram? Last week he signed up Trisha to do a woman oriented musical, set against the IT background with four new guys in the lead!

And Gautham has pulled off yet another surprise by ditching his favourite music director Harris Jayaraj, and signing up A.R Rahman for this yet untitled film which will start rolling from August first week.

Gautham himself is producing this film, which will be a quickie and he plans to wrap it up in three months. There are rumours that a Mumbai based corporate is backing the project, which is likely to release in December.

Meanwhile Gautham and Harris have jointly taken off to the backwaters of Kerala, to compose songs for Vaaranam Aayiram!

[inetk]

[tscii:82f718c748]Hollywood's Big Brown - The Rahman refrain
Indian Express

http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/205870.html

If India is consistently visible in the world’s movie capital today, it’s in no mean measure due to AR Rahman. Apart from the two musicals that he has been involved with—Bombay Dreams and Lord of the Rings—his film compositions pop up persistently on US film and television soundtracks.

In 2005, the Nicholas Cage-Jared Leto starrer, Lords of War, used the haunting Bombay Theme tune first heard in Deepa Mehta’s Fire. Rahman’s enduring romance with Hollywood continued with Spike Lee’s 2006 heist flick, Inside Man (starring Denzel Washington). Chaiyya Chaiyya, originally composed for Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se… was part of the film’s background score. That very year, the opening episode of the CBS series, Smith, featuring Ray Liotta, used the same number.

Rahman’s music, if not his name, is a brand in the US, not the least because of the original score that he contributed to the Chinese film, Warriors of Heaven and Earth, and the Raga’s Dance track he crafted for the Vanessa Mae album, Choreography.

Rahman has gone where no Indian music director has gone before. And it’s only the beginning of a journey that is destined to take him places.[/tscii:82f718c748]

[united07]

Rahman fans...should not miss this...

Check out http://www.lagaandvd.com/blog.php?topicid=44

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:632b0822a7]Shankar to direct Hindi 'Robot'?
- 25.07.2007
Everyone is always eager to know the next production company, hero and film for director Shankar.


Hotnews!

Bahrain to Kodambakkam ¡V Sadiq's route
Shankar to direct Hindi 'Robot'?
Venkat Prabhu's new film is 'Desiya Nedunchalai 47'
News of marriage is fabricated ¡V Meera Jasmine faction upset
Karu Palaniappan is lying ¡V Kamalini distressed
Singapore cultural event - ban on actors who ditch
I'm a good politician ¡V Sarath Kumar
Jithan Ramesh's nightmare
Ilayaraja on Kalaignar TV
There's no heroism in Hindi ¡V AR Murugadoss
Urmila turns director
Actor refutes rumour of secret marriage
White Elephants split
more...



Even though Shankar maintains his usual wall of secrecy, little tidbits of info does leak out now and then.


According to the little bird in Kodambakkam, Shankar's next target is Bollywood. He has already directed the Hindi version of 'Mudhalvan.' His next film is supposed to have Shahrukh Khan as the hero. As is his wont, this is also expected to be an action film on a mega budget of nearly 75 crores.


The film happens to be none other than 'Robot' that was to have starred Kamal. The story remains the same.


Sharukh is at present working in 'Om Shanti Om' and he is expected to start work on 'Robot' after this shooting is completed.





[/tscii:632b0822a7]

[Ramakrishna]

[tscii:5cb95310c9]http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=713a5a78-9db4-492c-a9f6-931f5e4e5303&MatchID1=4491&TeamID1=8&TeamID2=10&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1121&PrimaryID=4491&Headline=Ram+Gopal+Varma+EMke%2fEM+dragons

RGV on Rahman and other stuff

----------------------------------------------------------------
You worked very well with AR Rahman in Rangeela and Daud. So what happened? Break-up?
I don't think I could call it a breakup. Rahman is a very rare individual. I know only one of his kind, I don't think there's anybody nearly as sincere as Rahman in the music business.

When you listen to his music, you don't have a choice.. while making Rangeela, I used to have sleepless nights, trying to work out how I would do justice to the music he had composed.

I work at a certain pace and am very impatient by nature. I want to do things yesterday and Rahman will do it day after. It's basically that delay in time – I don't have the patience to wait – this is the only reason I haven't worked with Rahman after that.[/tscii:5cb95310c9]

[littlemaster1982]

Congratulations to the "Mozart of Madras" A.R.Rahman.

Filmfare Award for Best Music Director (2006)

Rang De Basanti and Jillunu Oru Kaadhal

[dinesh2002]

Congratulations to the "Mozart of Madras" A.R.Rahman.

Filmfare Award for Best Music Director (2006)

Rang De Basanti and Jillunu Oru Kaadhal

JILLUNU ORU KADHAL??? for tamil also?????????? :D :D :D how u know man!!!???

[littlemaster1982]

Dinesh,

I heard this in Tamil Films in thread. Seems they announced in Radio Mirchi :redjump:

[Ramakrishna]

Super, he is getting a south filmfare award after a long time i guess. Which was the last time he got a South filmfare award?

[A.ANAND]

Dinesh,

I heard this in Tamil Films in thread. Seems they announced in Radio Mirchi :redjump:unmayathan sollarinngala mr.littlemaster???unmaya iruntha :bluejump: :bluejump: :2thumbsup: romba nalaikku piragu namma boss kedacha unmaiyana anggigaram :clap: :clap:valzga namma 'thalai' :D :D :D

[Ramakrishna]

Dinesh,

I heard this in Tamil Films in thread. Seems they announced in Radio Mirchi :redjump:unmayathan sollarinngala mr.littlemaster???unmaya iruntha :bluejump: :bluejump: :2thumbsup: romba nalaikku piragu namma boss kedacha unmaiyana anggigaram :clap: :clap:valzga namma 'thalai' :D :D :D

unmaithaan Anand :wink:

[littlemaster1982]

Anand,

Thalaivar vishayatthula naan poi solvena :D

[MADDY]

i think filmfare should be proud to have ARR's name in their awardees list :D

does this award make him the winner of highest number of filmfare awards? :roll: i think he must have 20 or 19 by now

[littlemaster1982]

Filmfare Awards (India)

1995 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rangeela
1998 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Dil Se
1999 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Taal
2001 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Lagaan
2002 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Saathiya
2002 - Filmfare Best Background Score - The Legend of Bhagat Singh
2004 - Filmfare Best Background Score - Swades
2006 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rang de Basanti

Filmfare R D Burman Music Debutant Award - Roja (Hindi)

South Indian Filmfare Awards

1993 - Best Music - Roja
1994 - Best Music - Gentleman
1995 - Best Music - Kadhalan
1996 - Best Music - Bombay
1997 - Best Music - Kadhal Desam
1998 - Best Music - Minsaara Kanavu
1999 - Best Music - Jeans
2000 - Best Music - Mudhalvan
2001 - Best Music - Alaipayuthey
2006 - Best Music - Sillunnu oru Kaadhal (yet to be announced officially)

[MADDY]

Filmfare Awards (India)

1995 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rangeela
1998 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Dil Se
1999 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Taal
2001 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Lagaan
2002 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Saathiya
2002 - Filmfare Best Background Score - The Legend of Bhagat Singh
2004 - Filmfare Best Background Score - Swades
2006 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rang de Basanti


South Indian Filmfare Awards

1993 - Best Music - Roja
1994 - Best Music - Gentleman
1995 - Best Music - Kadhalan
1996 - Best Music - Bombay
1997 - Best Music - Kadhal Desam
1998 - Best Music - Minsaara Kanavu
1999 - Best Music - Jeans
2000 - Best Music - Mudhalvan
2001 - Best Music - Alaipayuthey
2006 - Best Music - Sillunnu oru Kaadhal (yet to be announced officially)

he has won a RD.Burman award for Roja(hindi) from filmfare which makes the count -19...... :?

[selvakumar]

Congrats A.R.Rahman !
You have proved your critics wrong and it was lot more REFRESHING to hear your songs be it "New Yark Nagarm" Or "Munbe Vaa". 2006 was indeed a special year for your fans. :clap:

Many more Congrats and Keep up the good work !

[A.ANAND]

Thanks, brother ramakrishna and brother littele master!! :D :D :ty:
unmaiyana,nermaiyana uzhaipukku kidaitha vetri intha award :cool2:

[littlemaster1982]

Anand,

Anything for Thalaivar :thumbsup: