Latest News & Other Tidbits on AR Rahman (II)

[ajaybaskar]

Is there an youtube link for the end credits?

[thamizhvaanan]

It's "Swasame". Did a quick search on YouTube, and found this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fWO2Yd-s0AE

:cry2: dont get emotional :oops: :D

more than recognition for thalaivar, its the glee that is born out of "same-to-same" feeling shared across people of different countries/cultures/ethnicities :bow: this guys' music really can connect people 8-)

That strengthens my gut feeling that if ARR was born in US, he wud've already won a lot of oscars..

No no, I don't think so. I firmly beleive that our rich musical tradition has a very important role in producing musical stalwarts such as MSV, IR and now ARR. Newton's quote can't suit anybetter:

"If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of Giants"

:D

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:7190ba946f]An international film titled The 19th Step featuring the veteran Kamal Haasan as one of its protagonists is one movie that will keep Asin occupied in 2009.

The actress is reported to be appearing as a princess in the period film to be released in English, Tamil and Japanese.

The 19th Step will be the first Indian film to be made on martial arts. The film’s story will revolve around the origin of the traditional Kerala martial art called Kalaripayattu.

Bharath Bala Productions and Walt Disney will be producing The 19th Step, while Bharath Bala wil be the director.

Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, is reprted to plat a pivotal role of a Samurai who is on a mission to learn the secrets of Kalaripayattu in the movie.

The production of the film will begin in Kerala during August.

http://www.nhatky.in/ghajini-asin-takes-the-19th-step-12318972[/tscii:7190ba946f]

[thamizhvaanan]

I watched this movie yesterday... and i was triple surprised... and felt goosebumps all over...

this song actually comes when the movie ends and continues until throughout the end credits... the whole song is used...

and apart from this they hav used two other songs in the movie... the first one is dum dum dumakku from "alaipayuthey"... they hav used the prelude of this until the pallavi starts...

and the second one is "rang de" song... in hindi... this comes in a indian function where they sing this song in a musical orchestra...

the quality of these songs in the movie was really good and this movie is a must watch guys... though its not much boring, to get the feeling when our beloved songs comes in the background of an english movie... that too to hear thamizh in that...

and the most important thing is... for all these three songs, they hav given credit for AR Rahman in the end credits...

Rahman, neenga engayo poiteenga!!Wow.

All those who said that ARR went global "only" due to bollywood must eat their words now :D

[ajaybaskar]

It's "Swasame". Did a quick search on YouTube, and found this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fWO2Yd-s0AE

:cry2: dont get emotional :oops: :D

more than recognition for thalaivar, its the glee that is born out of "same-to-same" feeling shared across people of different countries/cultures/ethnicities :bow: this guys' music really can connect people 8-)

That strengthens my gut feeling that if ARR was born in US, he wud've already won a lot of oscars..

No no, I don't think so. I firmly beleive that our rich musical tradition has a very important role in producing musical stalwarts such as MSV, IR and now ARR. Newton's quote can't suit anybetter:

"If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of Giants"

:D
I do agree,TV. What I meant was the recognition... :D

[lancelot]

Is there an youtube link for the end credits?

check Yathu's post.. he gave the link where the movie ends and leads to the credits...
hehe
:D

[lancelot]

It's "Swasame". Did a quick search on YouTube, and found this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fWO2Yd-s0AE

:cry2: dont get emotional :oops: :D

more than recognition for thalaivar, its the glee that is born out of "same-to-same" feeling shared across people of different countries/cultures/ethnicities :bow: this guys' music really can connect people 8-)

That strengthens my gut feeling that if ARR was born in US, he wud've already won a lot of oscars..

I watched this movie yesterday... and i was triple surprised... and felt goosebumps all over...

this song actually comes when the movie ends and continues until throughout the end credits... the whole song is used...

and apart from this they hav used two other songs in the movie... the first one is dum dum dumakku from "alaipayuthey"... they hav used the prelude of this until the pallavi starts...

and the second one is "rang de" song... in hindi... this comes in a indian function where they sing this song in a musical orchestra...

the quality of these songs in the movie was really good and this movie is a must watch guys... though its not much boring, to get the feeling when our beloved songs comes in the background of an english movie... that too to hear thamizh in that...

and the most important thing is... for all these three songs, they hav given credit for AR Rahman in the end credits...

Rahman, neenga engayo poiteenga!!

downloaded the movie yesterday.. will go home and watch it... but am wondering if i should watch Man on a Wire first? hehe

hehe
:D

[sat_srini]

All the ARR related videos from the "Accidental Husband" are uploaded online thanks to Aravind (ARRYG)

Rang De
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=535624735560850515&hl=en

Swasame
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8119399758689547775&hl=en

Yaro Yarodi/Chalka
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6694677015712493166&hl=en

[R.Latha]

CM to honor Rahman
January 19, 2009
As a tribute to his achievement at the Golden Globe earlier this month, Rahman will be felicitated in an event in Chennai. The event will be chaired by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi and kingpins of the industry are expected to attend the felicitation ceremony organized in this regard. An official announcement in this regard is expected anytime soon.
A. R. Rahman


First time for an Indian, Rahman brought home the Golden Globe under the best Original Score category for the film Slumdog Millionaire, directed by the British director Danny Boyle. While billions of his fans all over the world rejoiced at the announcement, Rahman, in his signature style, mentioned at the award night that he dedicated the honor to all Indians.

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/jan-09-04/rahman-19-01-09.html

[Ramakrishna]

Fm Rainbow Interview ( contd )



You have composed many songs based on many Raagas. In particular, " Kannodu Kanbathellam" is based on the Bhimplas. " Minsara Kanna" based on Vasantha, and " Sowkiyama Kanne" based on a North Indian rag Maand.



Singer Nityashree Mahadevan



" Salutations to you Rahman Sir. I am Nityashree Mahadevan. While, I had worked with you, I have known your stupendous and infinite knowledge on Swara type of music. You have told us the Swarams even for very difficult portions.



For eg :- " Sala Sala Sala Sala Rettai Kilavi…………….."



Sir used to tell us the minutest anuswarams of the song. I have full faith that he has indepth knowledge on Carnatic Music, and has very sharp ears for the same. This is for certain, as he had explained to me such intricate complex Swarams, so as to make me understand the same.



Have you composed any song, on any Raag that you have thought before hand or in your mind ?



For eg ;- the Kamas, Mohanam or Sivaranjini Raagas.



Have you felt that you should compose a tune for a particular raga ? You have composed a lot of songs which are raga based.



" Ottagatha Kattiko" is also a Raaga based song. The Raaga is Dharmavathi. In fact very heavy ragas like the ' Naatakurinji" raga has been used for " En Veetu Thottatil". Do you have any aspiration to do a film, which would be of Carnatic style ?



ARR :- I am very thankful to you, as a praise from you is certainly a big thing for me. Many people are still saying that I am a recorder and haven't accepted me as a Composer. The songs of K.V. Mahadevan have lot of raga influence in them. I think, he was a Nadaswaram Player. Balu Sir used to tell me that K.V. Mahadevan used to love Nadaswaram a lot. In the same way, his tune also used to have all that. While composing a song, when I used to compose it in Rag Yaman, it used to sound like Raja Sir song, or KVM or MSV Sir's song. So, when thinking as to how to do it, I thought of doing with North Indian ragas. We can do it with Desh, Mand or Peeru ( I am not sure if this is the correct name), or we can do it in darbari. I started doing it with that perspective, and coincidentally, it started reaching North Indian audience also. The intention of trying to fix North Indian raga style to make South Indians hear turned the other way around, and North Indians started liking it.



The ragas which I like are the challenging ragas. Whenever music is composed out of ragas, it is appreciated by music loving people, but it doesn't reach the normal audience. But if we try doing something in some ragas, it reaches the common people.



Recently, there was a song based on Raga Ritigowla which became a hit. I did a song "Azhagana Ratchasiye" in that raga. I like Raag Bhatia the most. It's a very unusual raga. Of course, Sindhu Bairavi is evergreen. I think each and every composer will have a talent of his one. Its important to see how each one of them bring out the essence of the raga, and get the feel out of the unheard portion, and it's a big thing. But , I haven't listened to any song in recent times, with such a push. i.e. wherein the raga is pushed and when it sounds different.



For eg :- There is a Bangladeshi song ( He sings a portion of the raag ) . At one point, in the song, it looks like Yaman . So, such innovative compositions are good and the youngsters must do the same. I think I am also young ( smiles ) . I also have a desire to do a Carnatic Musical based movie, but haven't found the time for it. Thank you very much.

http://www.4shared.com/file/81918051/f1c30630/Rainbow2.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/81920600/7d2aec6e/Rainbow3.html

[Thalafanz]

There is a a movie called Al-Risalah where ARR involved. I think ARR composed one song. How come nobody discuss about this or did I miss it??? :roll: :oops:
How is the song??? :)

[A.ANAND]

I feel on top of the world: Rahman

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/i-feel-on-top-of-the-world-rahman/83449-8.html

[SoftSword]

There is a a movie called Al-Risalah where ARR involved. I think ARR composed one song. How come nobody discuss about this or did I miss it??? :roll: :oops:
How is the song??? :)

u mean the marhaba mustafa song...
this song was well discussed during the Jodha Akbar period...

[Scale]

Thalafanz,

Al Risalah has only one song Marhaba Mustapha from AR released quiet sometimes back. Check the archives.

[R.Latha]

[tscii:4da0158b86]ஆஸ்கர் விருது: ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான் பெயர் பரிந்துரை

பெவர்லிஹில்ஸ், ஜன.22: திரைத் துறையில் உச்சபட்ச விருதாகக் கருதப்படும் ஆஸ்கர் விருதுக்கு தமிழக இசையமைப்பாளர் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான் பெயர் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

‘ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனர்' என்ற படத்துக்கு இசை அமைத்ததற்காக ஏற்கெனவே ‘கோல்டன் குளோப்' விருது அண்மையில் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மானுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது. இந்நிலையில் ஆஸ்கர் விருதுக்கான பரிந்துரைப் பட்டியல் வியாழக்கிழமை வெளியிடப்பட்டது. அதில் ‘ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனர்' படத்தின் பின்னணி இசை அமைப்புக்கும், 2 பாடல்களுக்காகவும் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான் பெயர் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மேலும் ‘ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனர்' படம் சிறந்த படத்துக்கான விருதுக்கும், சிறந்த இயக்குநருக்கான விருதுக்கு அதன் இயக்குநர் டானி பாய்ல் பெயரும், ‘ஜெய் ஹோ' பாடலை எழுதியதற்காக குல்சார் பெயரும், ‘ஓ சாயா' பாடலை எழுதியதற்காக மாயா அருள்பிரகாசம் பெயரும் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. அப்படத்தின் சிறந்த திரைக்கதை அமைப்புக்காக சைமன் பியூஃபாய் பெயரும் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதுதவிர, சிறந்த ஒளிப்பதிவு, ஒலிப்பதிவு, எடிட்டிங் ஆகியவற்றுக்கும் இப்படம் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ரஹ்மான் மகிழ்ச்சி: ஆஸ்கர் விருதுக்குப் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது மகிழ்ச்சி அளிக்கிறது என ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான் தெரிவித்தார்.

கோல்டன் குளோப் விருது கிடைத்ததிலிருந்தே ஹாலிவுட் படங்களுக்கு இசையமைக்க இயக்குநர்கள் கோரி வருகின்றனர் என்றார் அவர்.

http://www.dinamani.com/Cinema/cineItems.asp?ID=DNC20090122144412&Title=Cinema&lTitle=%A3%B2U%F4&Topic=0

[/tscii:4da0158b86]

[A.ANAND]

Gautham greets Rahman

http://www.hindu.com/cp/2009/01/23/stories/2009012350180800.htm

[A.ANAND]

ரஹ்மான்-இசை கலைஞர் சங்கம் பாராட்டு!

http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/movies/specials/2009/01/20-film-music-technician-assn-greets-rahman.html

[A.ANAND]

ஆஸ்கருக்கு அருகில் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான்!

http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/movies/specials/2009/01/23-rahman-bags-3-oscar-nominations-10-for-slumdog.html

[A.ANAND]

Oscar nominations: Three cheers for Rahman
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, January 22, 2009]


The Mozart of Madras A R Rahman is just a step away from claiming the coveted Oscar Awards, the dream of several hundred film personalities in the country.

After spelling magic at the Golden Globe Awards, Rahman on Thursday became the first Indian to get three Oscar nominations for his score in Slumdog Millionaire, which was also was nominated for seven other categories including best film and best director. Interestingly the movie released to packed houses abroad will be opening across screens in India from Friday.

Rahman was nominated for Best Original Score and the numbers 'Jai Ho' and 'O Saya' were shortlisted for the Best Original Song.

Close on the heels of the dual-language film winning four Golden Globes, including one for Rahman, earlier this month, Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy were shortlisted for best director and best adapted screenplay categories.

The nominations were announced at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theatre by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. The awards will be announced on 22 February at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. This is the first time that an Indian has won more than one nomination in Oscar history.

An elated Rahman was as usual humble and reacted in his own way once he received the news of his work nominated for Oscars. Said Rahman, 'I did not think it will get there. God has been really kind. And I have to really thank the prayers of all the people and
their good wishes.

'Something good is happening and I am really happy about it,' he said, adding there is a kind of optimism in the film and so much of positive vibes as you leave the movie hall.

In the original score category, Rahman will compete with Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), James Newton Howard (Defiance), Danny Elfman (Milk) and Thomas Newman (WALL-E).

Rahman will compete with Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman (Down to earth from WALL-E) in the original song category. Gulzar has penned the lyrics of Jai Ho and Maya Arulpragasam for O Saya.

Those nominated in the best director category along with Boyle are David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Stephen Daldry (The Reader), Gus Van Sant (Milk) and Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon).

Slumdog Millionaire also won nominations in cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing and film editing.

[Ramakrishna]

Fm Rainbow Interview ( contd )



You have composed many songs based on many Raagas. In particular, " Kannodu Kanbathellam" is based on the Bhimplas. " Minsara Kanna" based on Vasantha, and " Sowkiyama Kanne" based on a North Indian rag Maand.



Singer Nityashree Mahadevan



" Salutations to you Rahman Sir. I am Nityashree Mahadevan. While, I had worked with you, I have known your stupendous and infinite knowledge on Swara type of music. You have told us the Swarams even for very difficult portions.



For eg :- " Sala Sala Sala Sala Rettai Kilavi…………….."



Sir used to tell us the minutest anuswarams of the song. I have full faith that he has indepth knowledge on Carnatic Music, and has very sharp ears for the same. This is for certain, as he had explained to me such intricate complex Swarams, so as to make me understand the same.



Have you composed any song, on any Raag that you have thought before hand or in your mind ?



For eg ;- the Kamas, Mohanam or Sivaranjini Raagas.



Have you felt that you should compose a tune for a particular raga ? You have composed a lot of songs which are raga based.



" Ottagatha Kattiko" is also a Raaga based song. The Raaga is Dharmavathi. In fact very heavy ragas like the ' Naatakurinji" raga has been used for " En Veetu Thottatil". Do you have any aspiration to do a film, which would be of Carnatic style ?



ARR :- I am very thankful to you, as a praise from you is certainly a big thing for me. Many people are still saying that I am a recorder and haven't accepted me as a Composer. The songs of K.V. Mahadevan have lot of raga influence in them. I think, he was a Nadaswaram Player. Balu Sir used to tell me that K.V. Mahadevan used to love Nadaswaram a lot. In the same way, his tune also used to have all that. While composing a song, when I used to compose it in Rag Yaman, it used to sound like Raja Sir song, or KVM or MSV Sir's song. So, when thinking as to how to do it, I thought of doing with North Indian ragas. We can do it with Desh, Mand or Peeru ( I am not sure if this is the correct name), or we can do it in darbari. I started doing it with that perspective, and coincidentally, it started reaching North Indian audience also. The intention of trying to fix North Indian raga style to make South Indians hear turned the other way around, and North Indians started liking it.



The ragas which I like are the challenging ragas. Whenever music is composed out of ragas, it is appreciated by music loving people, but it doesn't reach the normal audience. But if we try doing something in some ragas, it reaches the common people.



Recently, there was a song based on Raga Ritigowla which became a hit. I did a song "Azhagana Ratchasiye" in that raga. I like Raag Bhatia the most. It's a very unusual raga. Of course, Sindhu Bairavi is evergreen. I think each and every composer will have a talent of his one. Its important to see how each one of them bring out the essence of the raga, and get the feel out of the unheard portion, and it's a big thing. But , I haven't listened to any song in recent times, with such a push. i.e. wherein the raga is pushed and when it sounds different.



For eg :- There is a Bangladeshi song ( He sings a portion of the raag ) . At one point, in the song, it looks like Yaman . So, such innovative compositions are good and the youngsters must do the same. I think I am also young ( smiles ) . I also have a desire to do a Carnatic Musical based movie, but haven't found the time for it. Thank you very much.

http://www.4shared.com/file/81918051/f1c30630/Rainbow2.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/81920600/7d2aec6e/Rainbow3.html

http://www.4shared.com/get/80905216/61327820/RainbowAR1.html

Good interview by ARR.

Kadri gopinath, K.Bagyaraj and various other singers question our thalaivar

[SoftSword]

nice interviews....
arr says he did Bombay Dreams at the cost of loosing 20 movies...
but still it was a satisfying one for him...
man of instincts :notworthy:

[SoftSword]

where is the next part of the interview?

[Ramakrishna]

where is the next part of the interview?

link not yet posted in yahoo group

[SoftSword]

apdiya...
it was an interesting question from nithyashree...

[Ramakrishna]

TThe answer is available text. But audio link innum varala

[SoftSword]

mm ya i read it in orkut...

[Ramakrishna]

Oscars and more await Rahman'
DNA

Music maestro Isaac Thomas Kottukappally was first enamoured by Rahman's tunes
in 1987 in a
Chennai recording studio. This eventually led to Rahman's first break, he tells
Malavika
Velayanikal

Malavika Velayanikal

Chennai: Isaac Thomas Kottukappally has many claims to fame. Actor, director,
scriptwriter,
photographer, ad man, music director … he has been all this and more in
Malayalam cinema,
winning much praise and many national awards. He is invariably the first choice
of most
alternative Indian filmmakers, be it Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Kasaravalli,
Shaji N Karun,
Mira Nair or Sasi Kumar for his exceptional talent in music. And he is also the
man who first
believed in the phenomenon that is AR Rahman.
Those were days when Allah Rakha Rahman was AS Dulip Kumar and used to work with
famous names
in music, Illaiyaraja and Johnson, mostly helping with background scores.
As a filmmaker, Kottukappally used to frequent Prasad Studio in Chennai. "The
chief sound
engineer played some tapes for me and the sound was simply fantastic. I wanted
to know who made
them, and that was Dulip, now Rahman." It was 1987.
Kottukappally was then making an ad film and was looking for fresh music. He
went to the
studio, got Dulip's address and went to his house the next day. "We spoke for a
couple of hours
and he made me listen to some experimental music he had made. I just told him:
'You have to
make music for my ad'. Rahman was not very confident though."
Kottukappally was writing, directing and producing that ad, and insisted that
Rahman compose
the music. He took Rahman to Vijay Garden Studio and screened the film for him.
"He was scared
that the music union might have issues with him playing solo in place of all the
musicians. So
we recorded well past ten at night, with Rahman making music using a single
synthesiser.
Flautist Naveen, a close friend, was the only other music man."
The ad was for Bhavan's Photo Studio, Ernakulam. The 60-second ad jingle was on
every
Malayali's lips for a long time.
"I then told many of my filmmaker colleagues 'This boy is going to be bigger
than Illaiyaraja
in five years'," he said.
In 1991, Kottukappally was making a serial for Doordarshan, Bible Ki Kahaniyan.
"I wanted
Rahman to do the score. But others were sceptical. I had already done around 30
ad films with
him and I swore: 'Watch out! In 12 years and he will walk in with an Oscar'."
They went on to work together on many projects. While Mani Ratnam's Roja was
being made, Rahman
was simultaneously working on Kottukappally's video in English. "We used to
record at the same
studio and I heard Chinna Chinna Aasai while it was being created. Roja was
released the
following year and AR Rahman had arrived," he says.
Kottukappally has always felt attached to Rahman as he "looks quite like my
younger brother".
"We were walking out of the studio one day and Rahman suddenly grabbed my hand.
I could see
that he looked unusually disturbed. 'It is not easy, Isaac cheta. Everyone
expects each song to
be a hit and that just can't be,' he told me. I told him not to worry, all will
be well. And it
was."
The legend that Rahman has become never surprised Kottukappally. He was among
the first to see
it coming.
A glad Kottukappally continues to say: "This is just the beginning. Oscars and
more await Rahman."

[Ramakrishna]

I am proud of Rahman: Zakir
25 Jan 2009, 0347 hrs IST, Bharati Dubey , TNN

Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:



Ustaad Zakir Husain, who has won a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary World Music, finds it "incredibly exciting'' that

A R Rahman has got
Oscar nominations. "I am proud of Rahman.
He is one of us and has gone and done us proud. He has consistently proved that he is a genius,'' said Husain.

About his own nomination for Grammy, he was much more modest: "It is just a nomination.'' Husain, currently preparing for a concert in honour of his father Ustad Allahrakha Khan's ninth death anniversary on February 3, said: "A number of musicians, like Charles Lloyd, Eric Harland and Louis Banks, will be participating. It will begin at 6am in the morning with eminent flute players like Rakesh Chaurasia, Ranjit Barot and sitar player Niladari Kumar.''

Husain, along with fellow musicians, is working towards getting medical insurance for senior musicians who are out of work or ailing. He said: "Corporates have been helpful, and the medical insurance plan for musicians is almost in place. '' The recent strain in the Indo-Pak tension has taken a toll on the cultural ties between the two countries with Pakistani artistes being driven out of the country. He looks at it as a knee-jerk reaction: "Culture transcends political borders and it is one aspect of life that allows us to live in harmony; let's not destroy it.''

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/I_am_proud_of_Rahman_Zakir/articleshow/4027779.cms

[Ramakrishna]

Kalaignar TV interview part 1
http://in.youtube.com/user/ARRSirish

[Ramakrishna]

story behind MUSTAFA MUSTAFA song
As u guys know one the eternal song in rahmans career has some interesting story of its origin
"Let us take a look at an incident that sparked off a sensational bit of composition. The time was about seven in the evening and womenfolk in the kitchen were busy preparing dinner. In walked an exhausted Rahman after a strenuous day at work humming tunes that were spontaneous reactions to involuntary relaxation. He found some brinjal, ladies finger, snake gourd and some more vegetables. Rahman took a kitchen knife and started chopping off the vegetables in a bid to help out with preparing dinner. As he went about slicing the gourd, he sort of hummed 'Podalanga….Podalanga' (Tamil for Snake Gourd). The rest in the kitchen looked at him in an admiring fashion and said 'it sounds good'.
Later when Tamil film director Kadir approached him to compose music for the film 'Kadhal Desam' he wanted a tune that was carefree in nature and yet emphasized the essence of friendship. Rahman hummed the tune he had composed in the kitchen. The director was ecstatic. He got what he wanted. This is how the famous song 'Mustafa….Mustafa….don't worry Mustafa' was born."
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/44506.html

[directhit]

Thalaivar program in Vijay TV 8-)

Vijay TV :bow: :bow: they mentioned Isai Brahma ARR :cool2:

after abt 20 mts of program i started doubting if they are telecasting an old one :? paatha later thalaivar spoke with the GG award in background 8-) oru 5 mts pesa vittu 30 mts program eduthuttanga :P irundhaalum Vijay tv kku :clap:

singer Karthik :thumbsup:

[littlemaster1982]

Thalaivar program in Vijay TV 8-)

Vijay TV :bow: :bow: they mentioned Isai Brahma ARR :cool2:


The intro was simply superb.

18 Varudangal
7 Mozhigal
90 Virudhugal

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

[Ramakrishna]

Thalaivar program in Vijay TV 8-)

Vijay TV :bow: :bow: they mentioned Isai Brahma ARR :cool2:

after abt 20 mts of program i started doubting if they are telecasting an old one :? paatha later thalaivar spoke with the GG award in background 8-) oru 5 mts pesa vittu 30 mts program eduthuttanga :P irundhaalum Vijay tv kku :clap:

singer Karthik :thumbsup:


yaa, awesome!! I really enjoyed the words they used to describe thalaivar.
Sema show. One of the best i have seen. Vellai Pookkal was sung beautifully. its my most fav ARR song. I feel the singer is an ARR fan like us.

[littlemaster1982]

I feel the singer is an ARR fan like us.

No doubts. His excitement after ARR wished him good luck "Avar en perai solradhu kettaale" 8-)

[thamizhvaanan]

[tscii:5698441fcd]
story behind MUSTAFA MUSTAFA song
As u guys know one the eternal song in rahmans career has some interesting story of its origin
"Let us take a look at an incident that sparked off a sensational bit of composition. The time was about seven in the evening and womenfolk in the kitchen were busy preparing dinner. In walked an exhausted Rahman after a strenuous day at work humming tunes that were spontaneous reactions to involuntary relaxation. He found some brinjal, ladies finger, snake gourd and some more vegetables. Rahman took a kitchen knife and started chopping off the vegetables in a bid to help out with preparing dinner. As he went about slicing the gourd, he sort of hummed 'Podalanga….Podalanga' (Tamil for Snake Gourd). The rest in the kitchen looked at him in an admiring fashion and said 'it sounds good'.
Later when Tamil film director Kadir approached him to compose music for the film 'Kadhal Desam' he wanted a tune that was carefree in nature and yet emphasized the essence of friendship. Rahman hummed the tune he had composed in the kitchen. The director was ecstatic. He got what he wanted. This is how the famous song 'Mustafa….Mustafa….don't worry Mustafa' was born."
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/44506.html

Today in one of the interviews Kadhir narrated the same story from his side. [/tscii:5698441fcd]

[Ramakrishna]

Kalaignar TV interview
part 1
http://in.youtube.com/user/ARRSirish
part 2
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=zqBelHHCsoI

[SoftSword]

[tscii:d20df072b5]
story behind MUSTAFA MUSTAFA song
As u guys know one the eternal song in rahmans career has some interesting story of its origin
"Let us take a look at an incident that sparked off a sensational bit of composition. The time was about seven in the evening and womenfolk in the kitchen were busy preparing dinner. In walked an exhausted Rahman after a strenuous day at work humming tunes that were spontaneous reactions to involuntary relaxation. He found some brinjal, ladies finger, snake gourd and some more vegetables. Rahman took a kitchen knife and started chopping off the vegetables in a bid to help out with preparing dinner. As he went about slicing the gourd, he sort of hummed 'Podalanga….Podalanga' (Tamil for Snake Gourd). The rest in the kitchen looked at him in an admiring fashion and said 'it sounds good'.
Later when Tamil film director Kadir approached him to compose music for the film 'Kadhal Desam' he wanted a tune that was carefree in nature and yet emphasized the essence of friendship. Rahman hummed the tune he had composed in the kitchen. The director was ecstatic. He got what he wanted. This is how the famous song 'Mustafa….Mustafa….don't worry Mustafa' was born."
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/44506.html

kadhir told that he was asked to come to mumbai airport and when he met rahman after two days waiting for this song, rahman gave him a casette/player something.... when he heard that, it was "kathrikka... kathrikka... vendakka... kathrikka.." in that... thats how the mustafa was born...[/tscii:d20df072b5]

[SoftSword]

thalaivar also told about he gets reactions from blogs and forums.... i guess he mentioned our mayyam... :)

[NOV]

thalaivar also told about he gets reactions from blogs and forums.... i guess he mentioned our mayyam... :)can you give some link pls?

[Ramakrishna]

thalaivar also told about he gets reactions from blogs and forums.... i guess he mentioned our mayyam... :)can you give some link pls?

http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=1666357#1666357

[NOV]

where does he spk about the Hub? :roll:

[Ramakrishna]

where does he spk about the Hub? :roll:

See the whole interview :poke: :lol:

[A.ANAND]

arrfans yahoogroups kuda forum than!oru velai atha solli iruparo!

[A.ANAND]

Slumdog composer wowing world

http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/entertainment/article/171847

[A.ANAND]

SLUMDOG MUSIC PUBLIC OPINION!


http://sifymax.com/bbhome/max_newpopup_new.php?f=ARRahman_Clive_27Jan09-128k.wmv

[SoftSword]

[tscii:e9c7d45456]did anyone read this...
----------------------------
“A.R. Rahman knows nothing of ghazals”

January 28, 2009

Lashing out strongly on the present generation of music directors and filmmaker, ghazal singer Jagjit Singh asks, “What does AR Rahman know about ghazals? He will never use a ghazal in his films. All they do is pick up tunes from the West.” He rues that there is no poetry in the lyrics these days and language used is tapori, which is a mix of Hindi and English.

The singer says that the audience for the ghazal form of music has only increased over the last few years. He added that he tries to improvise on this ghazals and this brings a lot of audience to his concerts. Interestingly, the singer only performs for a cause nowadays.

[/tscii:e9c7d45456]

[littlemaster1982]

SS,

Idhellam naama kandukkave koodathu :)

[SoftSword]

no master...
just wanted to know who this guy is... and wat all he has achieved...
or he is yet another person who speaks out of jealousy...

[littlemaster1982]

SS,

As far I know, he is an acclaimed musician. But that doesn't mean he can speak like this. Anyway everyone knows the reason behind this.

What he doesn't know is he is indirectly acknowledging thalaivar's achievement 8-)

[thineshan54321]

no master...
just wanted to know who this guy is... and wat all he has achieved...
or he is yet another person who speaks out of jealousy...

to answer that question very very simply and truthfully, its just a guy who spent all his lifetime doing ghazals speaking in despair that he was not given an oscar... i heard his music and I really loved it but this remark is gonna make me hate ghazals.

[Scale]

SS,

Idhellam naama kandukkave koodathu :)

aahaa....:wink: ARR will certainly skip in a similar manner :notworthy:

Mr. Jagjit Singh Do you want to be thrown in to unsurpassed hall of shame?!
cognizing AR humble nature even a amiable response will do that instantly.

[dinesh2002]

AR Rahman's fans maybe raving about the 'Slumdog Millionaire' soundtrack, but that hasn't stopped Rahman from being criticised. For ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh, Rahman's music is not 'real music'; and he has challenged the Oscar nominated music composer to sing ghazals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kinwf3DlY0

[dinesh2002]

that man never hear Tehzeeb's ghazal, A.R.Rahman's 3 composition with Madhushree's excellent rendition.... !!

[crajkumar_be]

Jagjitji ku Tehzeeb pathi theriyadhu pola (the most underrated album of ARR)

Jagjit Singh solradhu PKS la "Somersault adikka varuma" nu kekkara madhiri irukku? :lol2:

IMO Ghazal is one of the most overrated forms of music

Dinesh,
Eppo Sujata Bhattacharya Madhushree aanaanga? I mean from which film?

[Scale]

after tehzeeb :lol: yaarume avangala kandukkalannu ARR dhaan pera maatha solittaru

pattha vachittainghaiya click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kinwf3DlY0)

Pankaj udhas, Alka , Aadesh :thumbsup:

[dinesh2002]

Jagjitji ku Tehzeeb pathi theriyadhu pola (the most underrated album of ARR)

Jagjit Singh solradhu PKS la "Somersault adikka varuma" nu kekkara madhiri irukku? :lol2:

IMO Ghazal is one of the most overrated forms of music

Dinesh,
Eppo Sujata Bhattacharya Madhushree aanaanga? I mean from which film?

craj, i myself am not sure about that. Becoz her 1st song in the whole music industry, Moksha [2001], she was credited as Madhushree. And in Saathiya [2002], she was credited as Madhushree as well.

But in Tehzeeb [2003] and Aaha Ethanai Azhagu [2003] - her 1st Tamil number, Kucch Naa Kaho [2003], Aetbaar[2003] she was credited as Sujatha Bhathacharya. I guess the albums in the year 2003 were the only albums which credited her as Sujatha Bhatacharya.

Before and after 2003 she was Madhushree all the way.... :? But in 2003 she is Sujatha Bhatacharya.... :?

[SoftSword]

Jagjitji ku Tehzeeb pathi theriyadhu pola (the most underrated album of ARR)

Jagjit Singh solradhu PKS la "Somersault adikka varuma" nu kekkara madhiri irukku? :lol2:

IMO Ghazal is one of the most overrated forms of music

Dinesh,
Eppo Sujata Bhattacharya Madhushree aanaanga? I mean from which film?

good one...
i remember... goundars dialog in singara velan... when khushboo kisses the singer in teh 5 star hotel.... :)

[raagas]

:

IMO Ghazal is one of the most overrated forms of music



Not really. Ghazal is never supposed to be a form of music primarily. Ghazal in essence is meant to be having phenomenal poetry, sung beautifully, with minimal music. So, as such, the shining point of any Ghazal is Poetry or Lyrics and not music. However, many great composers have laced some wonderful poetry with spectacular music that the stature of Ghazal has been elevated, in the musical arena.Singers too have done their might. Composers like Madan Mohan are masters in Ghazals and they have weaved some outstanding music around the ghazals. What you are saying is proably about the musical format or the musical-experimentability in Ghazals, which is limited... Yes, because the focus is primarily on lyrics and ghazals have metre. But then, weaving simple, sweet melodious music around a ghazal is also a challenge.

I can only partially agree with him that there are no ghazals in films today. But singling out ARR seemed unnecessary and also it was in very disrespectful tone. ofcourse, ARR too did not have much chance to compose many ghazals and Tehzeeb is the only exception. Still, it was a reckless statement by Jagjit Singh, though he is a wonderful Ghazal singer.

[crajkumar_be]

raagas,
Well, my opinion is formed as a reaction to the obsession with ghazals up north (drinks without ghazals or talk of ghazals or shayari is virtually non-existent there). More to do with the people's adulation rather than the merits of 'ghazal' as a category. Totally subjective.
Still, as you say, its rather limited in variety (you can even say the same thing about blues - but the offshoots and variations of blues is something which sets it apart. It lends itself to such expressions)


:

IMO Ghazal is one of the most overrated forms of music



Not really. Ghazal is never supposed to be a form of music primarily. Ghazal in essence is meant to be having phenomenal poetry, sung beautifully, with minimal music. So, as such, the shining point of any Ghazal is Poetry or Lyrics and not music. However, many great composers have laced some wonderful poetry with spectacular music that the stature of Ghazal has been elevated, in the musical arena.Singers too have done their might. Composers like Madan Mohan are masters in Ghazals and they have weaved some outstanding music around the ghazals. What you are saying is proably about the musical format or the musical-experimentability in Ghazals, which is limited... Yes, because the focus is primarily on lyrics and ghazals have metre. But then, weaving simple, sweet melodious music around a ghazal is also a challenge.

I can only partially agree with him that there are no ghazals in films today. But singling out ARR seemed unnecessary and also it was in very disrespectful tone. ofcourse, ARR too did not have much chance to compose many ghazals and Tehzeeb is the only exception. Still, it was a reckless statement by Jagjit Singh, though he is a wonderful Ghazal singer.

[crajkumar_be]

craj, i myself am not sure about that. Becoz her 1st song in the whole music industry, Moksha [2001], she was credited as Madhushree. And in Saathiya [2002], she was credited as Madhushree as well.

But in Tehzeeb [2003] and Aaha Ethanai Azhagu [2003] - her 1st Tamil number, Kucch Naa Kaho [2003], Aetbaar[2003] she was credited as Sujatha Bhathacharya. I guess the albums in the year 2003 were the only albums which credited her as Sujatha Bhatacharya.

Before and after 2003 she was Madhushree all the way.... :? But in 2003 she is Sujatha Bhatacharya.... :?
Oh... interesting.. thanks for the info :)

[SoftSword]

madhusree pathi avangalavida dineshku adhigama theriyum...
this is no news... :)

[raagas]

raagas,
Well, my opinion is formed as a reaction to the obsession with ghazals up north (drinks without ghazals or talk of ghazals or shayari is virtually non-existent there). More to do with the people's adulation rather than the merits of 'ghazal' as a category. Totally subjective.
Still, as you say, its rather limited in variety (you can even say the same thing about blues - but the offshoots and variations of blues is something which sets it apart. It lends itself to such expressions)
[quote="raagas"][quote=crajkumar_be]:


i agree..but drinks or no drinks or whatever..the format of ghazals is interesting, and also, some of the best songs in indian Film Music history have been ghazals..laced with exceptionally beautiful poetry and great music. On that count, i really enjoyed the songs of tehzeeb because they had really good Ghazals. Mujhe Toofaan uthaaye is a wonderful ghazal in Keeravani raaga, aptly executed with soft percussions and mild music. that is probably the best Ghazal ARR ever composed. I also often wished why he never composed more of such ghazals. Ofcourse, it depends on film-makers.

But then regarding this controversy if only Jagjit Singh put across his point in a nicer way such as "I wish ARR does some Ghazals", instead of challenging him in a demeaning way.

[dinesh2002]

No probs Craig. :D



madhusree pathi avangalavida dineshku adhigama theriyum...
this is no news... :)

:oops: :mrgreen: :noteeth:

[SoftSword]

i dono much about ghazals...
and could not understand much when i tried hearing those three songs from tehzeeb...

any easy was to learn it??

please tell me any male voice ghazals by arr...

[ajaybaskar]

Jagjit singh?????.....Vaayila ketta ketta vaarthaiya varudhu....

[Thalafanz]

Ada vidungga pa. EthO ariyAtha pulla theriyAma pEsiruppAru... :P
Namma oorulayE, palar pala vithamA pEsurappO, 'North' panggukku avar-um ethO pEsarAr... :P

[ajaybaskar]

On wat front did this guy target Rahman? Is Rahman a ghazal singer? On wat way is HFM related to Ghazal? Is it mandatory to use ghazals in each film?

[littlemaster1982]

ARR interview in Kungumam

Part 1 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3238883994_a31485f444_b_d.jpg)

Part 2 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3238056665_cccbe1c046_b_d.jpg)

Part 3 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3238889036_13226264d8_b_d.jpg)

Courtesy: Vithur - Orkut ARR Fans community

[ajaybaskar]

Thalaivar has given an interview to Kumudam also.. Ppl who've access to kumudam can help..

[ajaybaskar]

ARR on the cover of People magazine

http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2009/jan/30sld1-a-r-rahman-people-making-of-a-genius.htm

[ajaybaskar]

'Ilayaraaja taught me great discipline'- A R Rahman


The philosophy that underlines his quest is simple - a good human being makes a good musician. In an interview to PEOPLE at his Chennai residence-cum-studio (the ground floor houses his studio, the Panchathan Record Inn) after his Golden Globe win, Rahman repeatedly emphasises this. "Being a film music composer is not just about scoring good music. It is also about having ethics, commitment, passion and friendship," he says.
It was his father, Malayali music composer, late R K Shekhar, who showed him the way. Rahman remembers how he was a man who always valued musicians as "human beings first."

"My father was a hard worker and never judged musicians by their compositions. He had great respect for them as people and I learnt the same. He was always ready to help those who are in need."

In the 1980s, Rahman work as a keyboard player with legendary south Indian composer Ilayaraaja, which turned out to be his other learning ground. "Ilayaraaja taught me great discipline," says Rahman. "With other musicians, I always saw that there were people, who would drink and smoke. With Ilayaraaja, things were always systematic and disciplined. He was dedicated towards work and, once again, respected every musician."

Those who know Rahman well observe that the musician strives to live by the same tenets. Suhasini Mani Ratnam, wife of director Mani Ratnam, Rahman's good friend sees in him, a child-like innocence at heart. "I have seen A R Rahman showering lot of sympathy on children and people in need," says the actress. "His family has a very positive influence on him and I guess that makes his music more sensitive."

http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2009/jan/30sld2-a-r-rahman-people-making-of-a-genius.htm

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:f92d400f7f]ARR chosen as CNN-IBN Global Indian

Global Indian – Mr. A. R. Rahman – For being one of the true Indian
music composers respected and acknowledged by the whole world and for
putting India on the global entertainment map with his Golden Globe
Award and Oscar nominations for his indisputable music
in Slumdog Millionaire and compositions for hits like Ghajini, Jodhaa
Akbar, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.


http://www.indiantelevision.com/release/y2k9/jan/janrel81.php
[/tscii:f92d400f7f]

[A.ANAND]

All the Maestro's Men

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/3240647456/

cut@paste from:arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com

[A.ANAND]

THR Oscar Watch Song and Score

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/3240470490/

[A.ANAND]

http://didrahmanwinanoscar.com/

[jaiganes]

baba countdown starts...

[ajaybaskar]

Exclusive: Gautham to start a quickie with Simbu!

Saturday, 31 January , 2009, 13:05
Last Updated: Saturday, 31 January , 2009, 13:27

Good news to all Gautham Vasudeva Menon and Simbu fans. Grapevine is abuzz that Gautham Menon after Vaaranam Aayiram, is making a quickie with Silambarasan in the lead, which lot of people think is an interesting combo.

When contacted, Gautham was not willing to comment and says that the right announcement will follow once everything is finalized. Right now, the ace director is finishing the script, which we hear is a soft love story which will have the Gautham stamp.

The decision to make this quickie followed as Simbu's Poda Podi got delayed due to weather conditions in Toronto where the entire film was planned to be shot. When contacted the producers of the film say that "the snow fall is heavy and the temperature is below minus degree, so we plan to start the film only in summer".

Gautham will now be simultaneously doing two films in February- this film with Simbu and a Telugu film with Allu Arjun. The director also denies reports in the media about his Hindi film with Salman Khan as baseless.

And who will be the heroine? The buzz is that the makers are keen on Trisha.

http://sify.com/movies/fullstory.php?id=14848689

[dinesh2002]

how many movies is this gautham planning to do? as far as i know i have heard 3 -4 projects of him already... enna nadakathu??? :?

[Yathu]

Wasn't COM meant to be a 'quicky' aswel? Whatever happened to that? I think GM shouldn't try to juggle too many projects at once!

[Mahen]

how many movies is this gautham planning to do? as far as i know i have heard 3 -4 projects of him already... enna nadakathu??? :?

I think his next will be in 2 languages...The tamil one will have simbhu and tlegu with allu arjun...

[ajaybaskar]

For this, He couldve made the film with Allu Arjun itself in Tamil. He is more talented than a lot of present day tamil actors...

[Mahen]

how many movies is this gautham planning to do? as far as i know i have heard 3 -4 projects of him already... enna nadakathu??? :?

I think his next will be in 2 languages...The tamil one will have simbhu and tlegu with allu arjun...

[ajaybaskar]

Golden Globe Award : Greetings in Tamil Nadu Assembly for Rahman

A.R.Rahman has been congratulated in the Tamil NAdu State Assembly for winning the Golden Globe Award.

When Minister for Local Affairs, Stalin said, " A.R.Rahman has composed music for various Tamil, Hindi movies, and has won a lot of awards for them, and has won the prestigous Golden Globe Award for Slumdog Millionaire, and on the basis of creating a new concept for Indian music, he has also been nominated for the Oscars, and for taking the name and fame of Tamil Nadu to heights across the world. I along with the members of this Assembly congratulate him and wish him for his achivement.

In the same way, Padma Bhushan Winners Jayakanthan. V. Ganapathi, Stapathi.V.P Dhananjeyan, Shantha Dhananjeyan, Kancheepuram Shree Rangachari Seshadri, Sarojini Varadappan, and Padmashri winners Airavadham Mahadevan, Actor Vivek, Aruna Sai Ram, Dr. Subramanya Krishnaswami, Dr. Tanigachalam Sadagopan, P.R. Krishnakumar, Dr. R. Sivaraman, Dr. Sheikh Kadhir Noorudiin, Arumugam Sakthivel have also congratulated and wished for him.

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:a48f407c30]Will Gautham, Simbu and Rahman work together?
IndiaGlitz [Saturday, January 31, 2009]


Latest news in Kollywood is little superstar Simbhu will be teaming up with Gautham Vasudev Menon for a film shortly. Riding high in the success of 'Silambattam', Simbhu is meticulously working hard to bring out his next flick in grandeur. Shelving the films 'Kettavan' and 'Poda Podi' for the time being, he might act in the direction of Gautham.

The hype doesn't stop here for musical score for this pipelined proposal will be composed by AR Rahman. The talented songster who won the Golden Globe and is being touted to win the coveted Oscar has been in the headlines for awhile now. Gautham Menon churned out the last acclaimed hit 'Varanam Ayiram' and his association with Simbhu for his next is yet to be officially confirmed.

The three musketeers Gautham Menon – Simbhu – AR Rahman are talented personalities in their own jobs and a combined effort is most likely to end in a solid entertainer.

[/tscii:a48f407c30]

[complicateur]

Just heard A.R.Rahman interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100089276). More insight in about 20 mins of interview time than most of the Indian Media. Some specific portions from the interview I remember: [only transcribed so may not be exact words]
ON SCORING FOR FILMS
"When I did RojA most Indian film music was very traditional... Indian folk or classical basic. It was very regional. A lot of young people were listening to their own music . bands.. arabic music. They were moving away from film music. So I thought why not compose music like what they were listening to in films..."

ON MUSIC
"When I won the National award for RojA a lot of people wondered if it wasnt too early. [He earlier mentioned how the National award was usually awarded to people who were very experienced... 'almost dying' in his words] But music to me is not about motivation or a race of sorts. It is like cooking a meal and watching the satisfaction of the people eating.."

ON SLUMDOG'S MUSIC
"Danny emailed me the script but I didnt read it, but later he send me a DVD with a rough cut and I was really excited. I sent him some suggestions over email and he replies with feedback. You know..I like 1, 2 and 4 etc... And like that we scored the whole movie and edited it in 3 weeks"
Terry Gross (incredulously): "Three Weeks?"
ARR: "Yes 3 weeks. At home there are people who would score for 25 films in a year. Normally I take my time and enjoy the process. I was initially considered too slow. A lot of people said I wouldnt survive because I took too long.."

Terry Gross then questioned him on Mausam/Escape and the usage of Sitar indicating she had actually given the album a close listen. Rahman confesses that it is one of his favorite tracks. Then she asks about performing Oscar night and if the songs are only for studio or if they can be performed on stage:
"Its possible with some electronic loops. When I normally perform songs from my film repertoire we have about 80 people on stage with dancers and classical instruments. So I would need to get permission. Lets see.."

Terry Gross (laughing): " I dont think they are going to say no to you"

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:18a99cb6c9]Praying for Rahman

Bollywood is also praying for A.R. Rahman to win the Oscar. Bollywood’s biggest filmmaker today, Yash Chopra, says that he is also hoping that Rahman wins the Oscar. “Rahman’s done a great job. I loved the film as well,” says the veteran filmmaker, echoing the hope that everyone from Preity Zinta to Amitabh Bachchan have been expressing at least when it comes to Rahman. Never mind what they feel about the slums and the dogs.
[/tscii:18a99cb6c9]

[directhit]

[tscii:17a34d4e07]Praying for Rahman

Bollywood is also praying for A.R. Rahman to win the Oscar. Bollywood’s biggest filmmaker today, Yash Chopra, says that he is also hoping that Rahman wins the Oscar. “Rahman’s done a great job. I loved the film as well,” says the veteran filmmaker, echoing the hope that everyone from Preity Zinta to Amitabh Bachchan have been expressing at least when it comes to Rahman. Never mind what they feel about the slums and the dogs.
[/tscii:17a34d4e07] :shock: :shock: :P

[directhit]

-repeat-

[thamizhvaanan]

Idhaan gumbal'la govindha adikradhunu solvaangala? :lol:

[Mahen]

For this, He couldve made the film with Allu Arjun itself in Tamil. He is more talented than a lot of present day tamil actors...

Im unsure whether he's talented or not but i hate his face.... :) Simbhu is better looking than him and he's actually talented too

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:97de344315]A Conversation With Bollywood's A.R. Rahman

Lauren Streib, 01.06.09, 11:50 AM ET

A.R. Rahman, Bollywood's leading composer, is the man behind the music for the runaway hit Slumdog Millionaire. Critics have already doused him with award-season honors: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, International Press Academy and the Broadcast Film Critics Association have recognized him.

The composer emerged to prominence after the 1992 film Roja became an instant success and earned Rahman his first of three National Film Awards (India's version of the Oscar). Rahman introduced a wide range of musical influences--from Western pop to electronica--to Bollywood film scores, redefining contemporary Indian music. He's now one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with estimated lifetime sales topping 100 million records.

Rahman spoke to Forbes.com about fame, the effects of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and changes in Bollywood.

Forbes: There's been speculation for years about the potential for Bollywood to become popular in America. What do you think it would take for Bollywood to catch on?

I think it's a class of sensibility. ... Some of the young directors that are coming in now are really capable of doing that. It's a question of time. … Some directors get it. Some want to satisfy both , which is not a great idea.

Slumdog Millionaire is a typical movie with completely Indian stars in it and a composer from India. But the way it's presented and the way the screenplay is done makes it acceptable to the Western audience.

[b]How has financing for Bollywood films changed?

The corporate system just came very recently to Bollywood. There's now co-production between countries. I'm doing a movie for Disney, which is a co-production between Japan, India and Disney. That's very exciting.

What do you think will happen to the film industry in Mumbai as a result of the recent attacks?

I think the basic reaction was anger towards a lot of things--the security, the government and towards Pakistan. As a result of all that, there's a kind of madness and probably an urgency for a solution, which is nice.

I think some of the very high-profile movies were affected because promotion couldn't be done. In such a state, you can't go and promote a movie. But it's slowly settling down. Bombay's almost like New York; people have to get going the next day.

Will it change the nature of films produced?

That's yet to be seen.

What role does religion have in your work?

I'm a Sufi Muslim, I would say. I believe in using the medium to create a good vibration because art is so important to society. Some projects I don't do because I feel that it's going to create a bad vibe. I don't do propaganda films that are anti another religion, anti-Muslim or anti-Hindu.

How do you decide which projects to accept and which to turn down?

That's a question of instinct, actually. Some things are very low profile, but if they excite me creatively, I accept them. Sometimes there are high-profile projects, and you have to do it. We all have human limitations. It is a painful decision to turn things down. Even accepting Slumdog Millionaire was a decision that I had to sacrifice another project.

Is it true that as a musician you don't receive royalties on the sales of your music?

It is true. It was true. But now things are changing. Now we're more aware of what music can do and the ways music is used in certain things. Initially, we just wanted to do music and nothing else. Now we have the option to talk. The time was coming. There's a time for everything, and that time came. It so happened that I had to be the first step.

A film composer, at least until last year, was paid but not to the level of anything. In the U.S., you do one song and you're settled for life almost. But I was happy with what I was doing and what I was getting. The hunger always makes you push to do more things.

You're a superstar in India, yet you're an unknown in the U.S. Does that bother you?

I think I can get away, sometimes, with walking in the streets and not getting noticed. I like that. I want my work to get noticed, not me. And it's slowly getting there, which is good.

After a point of time, when you get success and fame, money and everything, the purpose of life has to be redefined. For me, I think that purpose is to build bridges. Artists can do that very easily, more than politicians. I am involved with my foundation in doing projects for fighting poverty, and I have a music school to teach students here to play classical music. All these things make me run faster; otherwise I'd get complacent.

Forbes Interview (http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/06/bollywood-movies-rahman-biz-media-cz_ls_0106rahman.html)[/tscii:97de344315]

[A.ANAND]

கோல்டன் குளோப் விருது ரஹ்மானுக்கு சட்டசபையில் பாராட்டுசனிக்கிழமை, ஜனவரி 31, 2009, 16:48

சென்னை: கோல்டன் குளோப் விருது பெற்றமைக்காக இசையமைப்பாளர் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மானுக்கு தமிழக சட்டசபையில் பாராட்டு தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.

ரஹ்மானைப் பாராட்டி உள்ளாட்சித் துறை அமைச்சர் ஸ்டாலின் பேசுகையில், தமிழ், இந்தி போன்ற பல்வேறு இந்தியப் படங்களுக்கு மிகச் சிறப்பாக இசை அமைத்து பல்வேறு விருதுகளைப் பெற்ற இசை அமைப்பாளர் ஏ.ஆர்.ரகுமான், ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியினர் என்ற ஆங்கிலப் படத்திற்கு இசை அமைத்ததற்காக உலகப் புகழ் பெற்ற கோல்டன் குளோப் விருது கிடைத்ததற்காகவும், இந்திய திரைப்பட இசையின் புதிய அனுபவம் என்கிற மதிப்பீட்டின் அடிப்படையில், ஆஸ்கார் விருதுக்கு பரிந்துரை செய்யப்பட்டிருப்பதற்காகவும், தமிழகத்தின் பெருமையையும், புகழையும் உலகத்தின் உச்சிக்கு எடுத்துச் செல்லும் ஏ.ஆர். ரகுமான் அவர்களுக்கு இந்த அவையின் ஏகோபித்த பாராட்டுதலையும், வாழ்த்துகளையும் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/movies/specials/2009/01/31-tn-assembly-praises-arrahman-and-padma-awardees.html

[A.ANAND]

THE RIGHT PLACE, THE RIGHT TIME

http://www.desipundit.com/baradwajrangan/2009/01/31/between-reviews-the-right-place-the-right-time/

[A.ANAND]

Jade February 2009

From creating a revolution in INdian film music to composing for international plays and films
A.R.Rahman has done it all. As we go to press, his original score for the critically acclaimed
Slumdog Millionaire has won him the Golden Globe Award.

Vee Jay Sai gets to know the man behind the acclaim.

A bylane in Kodambakkam, Chennai, is filled with people holding boquets, candles and cakes. A
sleek car pulls up, a man hops out with a wide smile on his face. Greeting the crowd that mobs
him. He talks, smiles at clicking cameras and then spots an old lady in torn cotton sari,
standing silently in a corner. He rushes across leaving everyone behind. She flashes him a
toothless smile, gives him a rose and kisses him. "I am so honoured you came," he says.

In the living room, a Yamaha CLAVINOVA electronic piano sits in the corner. THere is a ROland
D5 editing console, the size of a TT table. A glass-enclosed case holds dozens of awards and
citations.

Slumdog Millionaire

"So sorry to keep you waiting," says A.R.Rahman. "But lets sit and talk now." Outside the glass
door are a hundred eager faces watching him. Bagging the Golden Globe award for Best Original
Score in Slumdog Millionaire, has his whole office excited as his fans across the world. Rahman
talks about how the assignment happened.

"I got a mail one morning from Danny. He said that he knew my music and wanted to work with me
on a project. I had no clue who he was or what he did. I did a Google search and found out that
he was a well known director. Slumdog Millionaire is about suffering, hope and redemption.
Danny was very sure what he wanted from me and what he didn't want. The way he projected my
music is terrific. I don't think any other city has been portrayed as vibrantly as Mumbai has."

So, what didn't he want? "Oh, he didn't want romantic and sentimental stuff. He likes edgy
music and that's what we worked on, so it's like a terrific discotheque. "

And the response to his music? "They loved it. LA is a place that people in the entertainment
industry say things that they don't mean. So, I thought they were just being polite. But then I
found that those biggies of Hollywood actually meant every word they said. Although some of the
songs are in Hindi, it didn't seem to matter. Jai Ho, O Saya and Ringa Ringa are all in Hindi,
but they responded to them wonderfully. "

How important is the knowledge of classical music for a composer? "Well, knowing is good. But
then not knowing is also good. Knowing and pretending not to know is also good. When one knows,
ones pride often takes over and doesn't allow one to proceed with one's work. When one doesn't
know, there is no pride and the constant process of learning keeps bringing out one's best.
Either way, the quest for learning must go on."

Early Times

Born as Dileep Kumar, he converted to Islam after the illness of his father was miraculously
cured with the healing of a Sufi saint. His father was a musician who "almost killed himself
working. In those days, he did 90% of the job and almost all of it went unrecognized or under
someone else's name. What was worse, he used to be called an 'Assistant'. This sort of a
treatment never let him live a peaceful life. His health deteriorated till he passed away. His
life has taught me not to take on too much work. I get lots of offers every day. But I am fine
doing two or three films a year rather than running around doing twenty. One learns from
life..."

After the death of his father, the family survived by hiring out the musical instruments which
their father used. This continued till young Rahman started making music himself along with
some close friends.

He had a band called Magic, in the 1980s, which included Sivamani, the drummer, TV
Gopalakrishnan, mridangam and Deva on the drums. They released a private music album called
Disco 82 which was popular with the young crowd.

The Sufi philosophy

Having grown up with problems, one cannot help notice how down to earth Rahman is. Trying to
understand life philosophically helped him heal. He says, "I took to Sufism for the one
question that we all ask. The eternal question: who am I? What was I created for? And in this
search I started opening up and found light and love. THe turning point is to question one self
and start the inward journey to find the answer. At some point, all your intellectual pride
crashes. You feel a power from within. It's this power that drives you."

A devout muslim, Rahman never misses his namaz five times a day however busy the schedule he
has. It was after his first pilgrimage or the Haj that his son was born. And as if it were a
true blessing, the father and son both share the same birthday! It's the strong Sufi
inclination that gets him to creates his unforgettable melodies.

Revolutionary music

Rahman brought about a revolution in Indian film music. There are rumours about the way that
Rahman composes his music, from accusation of plagiarism to the practice of mysterious rituals.
" I love classical music. I love Bach, Beethoven, Verdi. Classical music is like an ocean. All
the other genres of music are mere droplets in it. So there are bound to be influences of
classical music in my work. I also attend music concerts where I can. My favourite musicians
are L. Subramanian and L. Shankar. There are the real heroes of Indian music if you ask me.
It's mind boggling, the phenomenal work they did of taking our music to the world, In those
days when INdian music did not have any global exposure. As for secret rituals..." he laughs.
"It's just that I need complete peace and calm when I compose , so I do it in the night.
Another thing is, I am a father of three kids, they often fight, and I am summoned to make
peace between them in the day time. So, all this is avoided at night."

Rahman scores music across geographical boundaries by composing for languages like Hindi,
Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Does he mind if sometimes his music is thought to be a flop?
Rahman shrugs. "I didn't know about that. I only know that I make music. Like there was this
movie made by Mani Ratnam called IRuvar, for which I composed. People suddenly realized that
they music was good one year after the film released! So, you never know. What is flop for one,
works for another. As for me, if I haven't invested in myself wholly and felt satisfied about
my music, then I term it as a flop."

The inheritance of music

As for music legacy, Rahman doesn't believe in it. "I think music has to change time and again.
RD Burman became himself not because he tried to be his father. Similarly, I dread to be anyone
else or have anyone else take over from me. I keep worrying about my children having a father
like me. People start expecting from them what they see in me. You can be influenced, but you
have to make your own music in the end. "

Other than film music, Rahman has done a great deal of work in non-film music. "I have been
working with the Hamburg Orchestra, to compose a great Sufi mystic Fareed Al din Attar's
Conference of the Birds. It's not an easy thing. I mentioned it to them and they immediately
commissioned it. It's only after I started working on it, that I realized what I was getting
into. I haven't done much work on it. I feel I need to be spiritually ready for it.

Are there any specific music directors or singers that he likes. "Mohd. Rafi, Whitney Houston,
Ofra Haza, the Jewish singer, Kylie Minogue..." He also takes time out to watch a film once in
a while. "A good movie I saw recently was Takwa, a Turkish movie and then I saw Waris Shah -
Ishq da Waris by Gurdas Mann, on the Sufi saint Hazrat Waris Shah. I loved them."

The Philanthropic Composer

It's difficult to practice Sufism without constant detachment and charity. It was this
philosophy that got him to start the A.R.Rahman Foundation.

"I was inspired by the El Systema project in Venezuela. They take poor kids from the slums and
train them as classical musicians. This is a movement. There is immense participation and in
the end they come out with some of the best music. So, the foundation I set up is on those
lines. It works to make poverty history in India. If we all put our heads together, we can do
it. We only plant the seed and water it with good intentions. What it grows into is not in our
hands."

He came up with his first English composition "Pray for me Brother" to raise funds for the
foundation. "I feel that more than anything every person in the world needs love. I hope the
song will create awareness and make a difference in the life of underprivileged children."
Rahman's formula for love and his Sufi philosophy also got him to endorse the famous "Free
Hugs" campaign started by Jason Hunter.

Rahman took time out along with his old buddy drummer, Sivamani to compose Jiya Se Jiya, the
popular track and video that promotes this campaign. "Believe in the power of love and love
your fellow humans. This is what the world needs now."

A.R.Rahman chooses top 5 romantic favourites

1. When I fall in love by Celine Dion
2. Theme music of Kal Ho Na Ho
3. Chopin's Hungarian Rhapsody
4. Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso
5. The Theme music from Love Story

arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:33295d581d]
இந்தியாவுக்கு பெருமை சேர்க்கும் ஸ்லம் டாக் மில்லினர்



இதுவரை இல்லாதவாறு, 400 பிரிண்ட்கள் போடப்பட்டு இந்தியாவில் ரிலீஸ் ஆகியுள்ளது "ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லினர்' என்ற ஆங்கில திரைப்படம். மும்பை சேரி சிறுவன் ஒருவனை பற்றி எடுக்கப்பட்ட பிரிட்டிஷ் இந்திய கூட்டு தயாரிப்பான "ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லினர்' ஆங்கில திரைப்படம்., "ஸ்லம்டாக் குரோர்பதி' என்று இந்தியிலும் மொழி மாற்றம் செய்து திரையிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. . இந்த படத்தில் அனில் கபூர், இர்பான் கான், தேவ் படேல் மற்றும் பிரீதா பிண்டோ நடித்திருக்கிறார்கள். இந்த திரைப்படத்திற்கு இசை அமைத்ததற்காகத்தான் அமெரிக்காவின் மிகப்பெரிய விருதான "கோல்டன் குளோப்' இசையமைப்பாளர் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மானுக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது.



ஸ்லம் டாக் படத்�தை இந்தியாவில் திரையிட பாக்ஸ் ஸ்டார் ஸ்டூடியோ நிறுவனம் உரிமை பெற்றுள்ளது. இந்நிறுவனத்தின் தலைமை நிர்வாக அதிகாரி விஜய் சிங் ஸ்லம் டாக் மில்லினர் படம் குறித்து கூறுகையில், இந்தியா முழுவதும் திரையிடப்பட்டுள்ள இந்த படம் சிறிய நகரங்களில் கூட நன்கு ஓடும் என்று எதிர்பார்ப்பதாக தெரிவித்தார். ஆரம்பத்தில் 200பிரிண்ட் மட்டுமே போட திட்டமிட்டிருந்தோம். ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மானுக்கு கோல்டன் குளோப் அவார்ட் கிடைத்தபிறகு அது 400 ஆக உயர்ந்து விட்டது. மேலும் இந்தியில் வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ள இந்த திரைப்படத்திற்கு கிடைக்கும் வரவேற்பை பொறுத்து, மற்ற இந்திய மொழிகளிலும் டப் செய்ய முடிவு செய்திருக்கிறோம், என்றும் விஜய்சிங் கூறினார்.



மும்பை சேரியில் ஏழ்மையில் வளரும் ஒரு அனாதை சிறுவன் எப்படி மில்லினர் ஆகிறான் என்பதுதான் படத்தின் கதை. டேனி பாய்ல் என்பவர் இயக்கியிருக்கும் இந்த திரைப்படம் 40 பிரிண்ட்களுடன் அமெரிக்காவில் ஏற்கனவே ரிலீஸ் ஆகி விட்டது. வசூலிலும் சக்கை போடு போட்டு வருகிறது. 40 மில்லியன் டாலருக்கும் அதிகமான தொகை ஏற்கனவே வசூல் ஆகி விட்டது. அமெரிக்காவின் டாப் 10 படங்கள் லிஸ்ட்டிலும் இந்த ஸ்லம் டாக் படம் இடம் பிடித்திருக்கிறது. ஜேம்ஸ்பான்ட் படங்களுக்கு மட்டுமே ரூ.3 கோடிக்கும் மேல் வசூல் ஆகும் இந்தியாவில், இந்த படம் திரையிட்டால் முதல் வாரத்திலேயே மிக எளிதாக ரூ.4 முதல் 5 கோடி வசூல் ஆகும் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.



மேலும் இந்த படத்தில் இசையமைத்தற்காக கோல்டன் குளோப் விருது பெற்ற ஏர்.ஆர்.ரஹ்மானின் பெயர் ஆஸ்கர் விருதுக்கும் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. 2 சிறந்த பாடல்களுக்கும் சிறந்த இசை அமைப்பாளர் விருதுக்கும் ரஹ்மான் பெயர் பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சிறந்த படம், சிறந்த திரைக்கதை (சைமன்), சிறந்த படத்தொகுப்பு, சவுண்ட் எடிட்டிங் மற்றும் சவுண்ட் மிக்சிங் (ரெசூல் பூக்குட்டி), சிறந்த ஒளிப்பதிவு, சிறந்த இயக்குனர் (டேனி போய்லே) உட்பட மொத்தம் 10 பிரிவுகளில் இந்த படம் விருதுக்கு பரிந்துரை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளதாம். பிப்ரவரி 22ம் தேதி அமெரிக்காவின் ஹாலிவுட் நகரில் உள்ள கோடக் தியேட்டரில் நடக்கும் விழாவில் ஆஸ்கர் விருதுகள் வழங்கப்படும். அப்போதுதான், ஸ்லம் டாக் மில்லினர் படத்துக்கு என்னென்ன விருதுகள் கிடைக்கும் என்பது தெரியவரும்.



இந்திய கதை, இந்திய நடிகர்கள், இந்திய இசை என இந்தியாவை சார்ந்துள்ள இந்த படம் உலக ரசிகர்களை பெற்றிருப்பதுடன், உலக அளவில் சிறப்பான விருதுகளையும் பெறப்போகிறது என்பது பெருமையான விஷயம்தானே!



- தினமலர் சினி டீம்
http://cinema.dinamalar.com/SpecialRep.aspx?id=95

[/tscii:33295d581d]

[Roshan]

After a point of time, when you get success and fame, money and everything, the purpose of life has to be redefined. For me, I think that purpose is to build bridges. Artists can do that very easily, more than politicians. I am involved with my foundation in doing projects for fighting poverty, and I have a music school to teach students here to play classical music. All these things make me run faster; otherwise I'd get complacent.

That's lovely. Re, bold line, I remember Rahman being part of Global Call to Action Against Poverty - GCAP - a world wide alliance of hundreds of organisaitons that demands the world leaders to do more to end poverty. In 2007 ARR was involved in promoting the GCAP campaign.

[ajaybaskar]

கலைஞர்களுக்கு சமூக அக்கறை வேண்டும்னு உன்னால் முடியும் தம்பில கமல் சொல்லுவார். அது இப்போது ரஹ்மானுக்கு மட்டுமே பொருந்தும்....

[littlemaster1982]

An article in Wall Street Journal

One Movie Composer Who Knows the Score (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123059568693241001.html)

By BRIAN WISE

When British director Danny Boyle needed a composer to capture the frantic and violent hustle and bustle of Mumbai for his film "Slumdog Millionaire," he turned to A.R. Rahman, Bollywood's best-known composer, whose dozens of film scores span romantic symphonic themes, classical Indian music, and catchy pop confections. In India, Mr. Rahman is a megastar, having sold an estimated 100 million albums, or roughly the same number as Madonna or Billy Joel. Not only has he scored such Bollywood film classics as "Roja" and "Lagaan," but he has a growing slate of international credits, including the 2002 Andrew Lloyd Webber-produced London stage musical "Bombay Dreams" and last year's film "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."

Mr. Boyle's exuberantly paced story -- about an orphan from the Mumbai slums who gets a shot at winning a fortune on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- is a distant cry from Bollywood, where Mr. Rahman has worked for nearly two decades. "He didn't want any sentimental or sad stuff. He wanted only throbbing and edgy and pulsating sounds," Mr. Rahman said of Mr. Boyle's request to avoid emotion-tugging themes and maudlin arrangements.

Ken Fallin


"The music came as a kind of counterpoint actually," added the soft-spoken 42-year-old composer. "When there's something really serious happening on screen there was a fun soundtrack underneath. It would make the movie more enjoyable."

With its intoxicating Indian rhythms blended with Western hip-hop beats, the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack has received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score, making Mr. Rahman the first Indian composer to receive such an honor. (Music from the film is collected on a new soundtrack release.)

Mr. Rahman said that after receiving Mr. Boyle's commission, he had just three weeks to study early DVD cuts of the film and compose the cues (the musical themes that correspond to moments in the plot). On two tracks, he quotes well-known Bollywood tunes, while in one of the film's most talked-about sequences -- the rousing chorus "Jai Ho" -- he pays homage to splashy Bollywood song-and-dance routines. Mr. Rahman also worked with M.I.A., the British-born, Sri Lankan-reared rapper to create "O . . . Saya," which is heard in a pivotal scene. "She speaks my language, but her sensibility is completely different," noted Mr. Rahman, who grew up speaking Tamil.

While a typical Bollywood music director may score up to 150 movies a year, Mr. Rahman limits his annual commissions to between five and 10 films (still a considerable number by Hollywood standards). In popular films like "Kadhalan," "Rangeela," "Dil Se," "Taal" and "Rang de Basanti," Mr. Rahman introduced styles relatively foreign to Bollywood -- including dancehall reggae, hip-hop, hard rock and Baroque counterpoint. Even so, he acknowledges that experimentation often bows to commercial pressures.

"The demand in India is to have a hit, which becomes a promotion for the movie and makes people come to the theater," Mr. Rahman said. "You have five songs and different promotions based on those. But when I do Western films, the need for originality is greater. Then I become very conscious about the writing. However, the good thing about Indian cinema is because there are so many ragas in it, you can take a raga and make it a little bit funkier and people can relate to it. Half of the stuff I get away with is like that."

Mr. Rahman identifies with the rags-to-riches tale of "Slumdog Millionaire." "A lot of people write you off when you have an idea or something good to say," he said. "This is to give hope to those kind of people. Take the right road and you will definitely be there."

Mr. Rahman was born into a middle-class Hindu family that fell on hard times after his father, the film arranger and conductor R.K. Sekhar, died when he was 9. The young Rahman, who began studying the piano at the age of 4, began helping to support his family as a keyboardist for television productions. As a teenager he performed with Indian musical luminaries like tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and violinist and singer L. Shankar. These gigs led to a scholarship to Trinity College, Oxford, where he earned a degree in Western classical music.

Returning to Madras (now Chennai), Mr. Rahman worked as a jingle writer for an ad agency. A turning point came in 1991, when at age 25, he was hired to write and direct music for the Mani Ratnam film "Roja." The film and soundtrack became smash hits, and Time magazine listed it as one of the top 10 movie soundtracks of all time. Today, Mr. Rahman remains based in Chennai, although he considers Mumbai his second home -- feelings that intensified after the November terrorist attacks.

"We were all affected by that," he said, noting the many press events that he's attended at the Taj Mahal hotel, the site of one of the attacks. "For me, it was a shock. I could have been there with my family. Some of my friends had a dinner reservation there. Then 10 minutes before they heard the news they stopped going. They could have been victims."

Even as the Mumbai attacks signaled growing religious and ethnic strife, Mr. Rahman, whose family converted to Islam in 1989, sees music as having the power to cut across class and religious divisions. "When I listen to Bach or Beethoven, I don't see them as Christians," he explained. "And when people listen to my music, or that of [the late Qawwali singer] Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, they don't see the religious element in it; they just see the spiritual element. At this chaotic time in the world, music can play a very important role as a spiritual force."

Mr. Rahman said that despite Hollywood's allure, he has no plans to leave the Indian film industry, although he's ready to work with any director who appreciates his music. In 2002, Sony Pictures hired him to write the score for "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," a costume epic by Chinese director He Ping that included songs in Chinese, English and Hindi. Coming to movie theaters are his scores for "Paani" (Water), by "Elizabeth" director Shekhar Kapur, and "19 Steps," an English-language martial-arts film co-produced by Walt Disney and starring a Japanese actor.

"It's very difficult to get a director who understands what you're capable of," said Mr. Rahman. "Danny Boyle was definitely good luck for me. He could get what I was trying to do, and in my own little way I could get what he wanted. So if I can get another director like that I would definitely love to work in Hollywood."

Mr. Wise is a writer living in New York and a producer at WNYC Radio.

[A.ANAND]

Praying for Rahman

Bollywood is also praying for A.R. Rahman to win the Oscar. Bollywood's biggest filmmaker today, Yash Chopra, says that he is also hoping that Rahman wins the Oscar. "Rahman's done a great job. I loved the film as well," says the veteran filmmaker, echoing the hope that everyone from Preity Zinta to Amitabh Bachchan have been expressing at least when it comes to Rahman. Never mind what they feel about the slums and the dogs.

[A.ANAND]

Jai Ho used in Christian Dior fashion show

http://www.highheelconfidential.com/dior-spring-2009-couture-jai-ho-slumdog-millionaire-galliano/

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:327ce73ae1]Simbu dubs for SM Tamil!

By Moviebuzz | Sunday, 01 February , 2009, 19:00


While a section of film personalities like director Priyadarshan have joined the bandwagon in trashing Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire by calling it a "cheap trashy mediocre version" of erstwhile Bollywood hits, our own young Kollywood actor Silambarasan is all praise for the film.

He confesses: “Can you believe that I saw the film three times last week? What caught my attention was the screenplay, music and above all the romance between the lead pair”. And now the big news is that Simbu has decided to give his voice for Dev Patel, the hero of the film in its Tamil version. This is the first time that he is dubbing for another actor.

Says Simbu: “I wouldn’t be doing it for any other film, as I am so busy with my own projects. I am so proud to be a part of such a landmark film which dominated the prestigious Golden Globe awards”.

The views expressed in the article are the author's and not of Sify.com.





[/tscii:327ce73ae1]

[littlemaster1982]

Simbhu-va :oops:

[Yathu]

Someone like Bharath,Siddarth or even Jeyam Ravi might have been a better choice IMO.

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:c4496ced21]Amit Trivedi on Boss (Dedicated to MADDY)
:D
Music composer Amit Trivedi is on a high. After over a decade of working in the industry, it appears formula-ridden Bollywood has at last woken up to a new sound. One, where fusion, jazz, rock meets folk and classical tunes.

This was evident in Aamir last year and currently, in the tracks of the soon-to-be released Dev D. Amit likes to think out of the box, and fortunately for him, the new-age music is finding plenty of takers; certainly not a bad thing for someone who isn't a trained musician and goes purely "by instinct".

Amit himself is pleasantly surprised at the response to his songs, especially `Emotional Atyachar' the wedding song doing the rounds these days (on ringtones, FM channels, music charts etc). "You don't plan these things," he says. "It came about, thanks to Anurag Kashyap's (the director of Dev D) mad genius. He conceptualised the entire show, I just tried to execute it."

The story goes that Amit, who had bagged the project after meeting Anurag a couple of years ago, composed a few songs and presented it before the maverick director. "One of the songs had a line that went `Ib ke hovega re agge yaar…' Anurag heard it as `atyachaar'. He added the word `emotional' and asked me to compose something around it. I didn't have a clue what to do. But lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and I worked on the idea and finally managed to crack it. We decided to have a brass band version for which we got band masters Rangeela and Raseela to sing the song. Later, we added the rock version too. It was a huge challenge but we pulled it off somehow! But it's great that it has caught on," he says. As have the other numbers which are a mix of varied genres and stand out because of their funky notes.

Even so, he feels the industry isn't open to experimentation and would rather conform to the tried and tested trends. "I remember meeting a producer who wanted me to create an item song like Bidi Jalailye… Now, that was a good number, but I couldn't do something similar. Needless to say, I lost the project. My music is more suited as an OST, the way it is in Hollywood. Fortunately, though it is niche, such soundtracks are being appreciated here. And I would rather do something I am comfortable in, even if it goes against the tide."

It is an approach he has held all through his career. Right from the time he was in college, music was all he wanted to pursue. "Like any other middle-class family, mine too had reservations about the choice of career. But as far as I can remember I ate, drank and slept music. I grew up on Madan Mohan, R D Burman, and later A R Rahman and Coldplay, and knew this is what I wanted to do in life."

He began with theatre and then moved on to the ad world, composing jingles for countless commercials — his bread and butter, as he calls it. "I must have sold everything, from soap to oil," he chuckles. "Later I even formed a band called Om with a group of friends, in 2004. We released a fusion album but it flopped. Then it was back to ads, theatre and television."

But has the struggle to be hatke borne fruit now? "Well, I am getting offers and producers are calling me up," he smiles. However, despite the steadily growing popularity of his music, Amit feels far from having "arrived" on the scene. "Success feels good, but the thought always rankles at the back of my mind — `this film's music worked. But what about the next'? The pressure and expectations are more now."

Maybe he should try the big banners then. How about doing the Yash Raj and Karan Johar brand of cinema? "Sure, why not? Provided I can get to do it, my style," he laughs. "I like people who break the mould, like Rahman."
A mention of Rahman makes him gush. "Have you heard his Delhi 6 songs `Rehna Tu' and `Dafatan'? Forget Slumdog Millionaire, if the Oscar guys heard these numbers, they would come here and award him."

Not surprisingly, he is among the millions gripped by Rahmania. "I would dedicate my success to him. He has inspired me to think different, create new sounds and go against the rules. Now let's see where it takes me!"
..[/tscii:c4496ced21]

[ajaybaskar]

Remembering Sridhar

Sridhar Hariharan Padmanabh or more popularly, H.Sridhar, to the people who would look for his credit either on a CD cover or in the credits of an Indian feature film, was a mathematics graduate whose love for music finally drove him into an area, where he will be remembered as a pioneer of sorts. Like Mangesh Desai and Daman Sood. My association with him was also through the credits as well, especially of albums by the talented AR Rahman. Not only the music but also the sound of Roja had made everyone sit up and take notice. I recall hearing an interview of Sridhar's' where he mentions that while he was mixing some stuff at AR's Panchattan Studio, upstairs AR was making music for Roja. He would hear some interesting music wafting down, whenever the door opened. Finally AR turns up and informs him that he had got a movie score to do and would Sridhar be interested. They both wanted to change the audio quality of Indian film music and were thinking along the same lines. The rest, as they say, is history.

During the making of Chachi420, a Kamal Hasan adaption of the Tamil film. Vishal Bhardwaj, the music director, was going to Chennai to record some stuff and we had booked Media Artist Studio, where Sridhar doubled up as the resident Chief Sound Engineer. I was looking forward to meeting this man in flesh and blood. Due to some booking mess up we could not work there but we shook hands and discovered that he spoke hindi as a true north Indian! Slowly over a period of time we met over emails and phone calls through another friend of mine Rohit Kulkarni, who knew Sivakumar, the other engineer at Panchattan. That is how things work.

In 2003 I got a call from him to say that he was feeling burdened by the upcoming AR Shows, the first in India. I told him to get another engineer. Soon I was in Chennai, discussing the show. Never, for once, did I feel that he seemed threatened by another engineers' presence? He shared openly and took suggestions in his stride.

Together we pulled off one of the biggest show in India and of an Indian artist abroad. We discovered similar taste in music, in the mixes we wanted to do and even in the way tracks were named and color-coded! Soon I was invited by AR to come help mix Rang De Basanti. Sridhar and I would take turns mixing songs. If he stopped I would take over and visa versa. People still ask me as to which song Sridhar had mixed and which were done by me. And the beauty was that no one could tell.

Our telephonic conversations usually began with " Hi. I have a question for you...." or if he was in a relaxed frame of mind, he would ask me "Are u Santa Singh, Milka Singh or Relax-ing?" An engineer with a passion for music and a photographic memory, he would remember intricate details of dates, venues, list of musicians, song mixes, files and even chord progressions of a song. One of his duties, apart from being an FOH engineer for AR's shows was to check AR's keyboard rig by playing all the patches that AR would end up playing on the various keyboards.

A keen guitar player, many a times people would find us roaming the music shops of LA, NY, Singapore or Hong Kong. To our delight we would end up playing all kinds of guitars, especially the ones we could not afford!

He was a stern taskmaster of people who failed to do their job. HE would gladly teach the new engineers at the studios he worked in and then expect them to come up with more relevant questions. His word was the final word for AR. If Sridhar had said that he had heard the master and felt it was fine,
AR, when time not permitting, would take his word for it. He would also fight for the musical integrity of the piece that AR had composed, whether it was a song or the background piece for the movie. That was the level of trust and respect he commanded. He was the teacher and virtual guru of so many audio students. His fan site at Orkut is testimony to that. A four time National award winner and a man with only grey and white shirts, as I teased him, he was a techie who was on top of gadgets and emerging technologies.

His musical and engineering skills saw him work with the likes of George Harrison, John Neptune Kaizan, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, L.Shankar, John McLaughlin, Louis Banks, Sivamani, ...

U.Srinivas and many more upcoming as well as established artists of India and abroad. I miss the cigarette and coffee breaks we used to have. Time to catch up on new stuff, plan things and bitch, as well! I miss his re-assuring presence that I could turn to him, whenever I needed an answer to a technical problem. Most of all I miss my fixed drop car-ride to my hotel, late after work and then sitting in his car and chatting for another hour or so. I miss you my friend! I know he is mixing his next great work somewhere up there. May his soul rest amongst celestial harmony and peace.

Kanwaarjit Singh Sawhney is a Sound Engineer/Designer who worked closely with H Sridhar

[littlemaster1982]

From TF section (http://www.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=1673345#1673345)


Just heard A.R.Rahman interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100089276). More insight in about 20 mins of interview time than most of the Indian Media. Some specific portions from the interview I remember: [only transcribed so may not be exact words]
ON SCORING FOR FILMS
"When I did RojA most Indian film music was very traditional... Indian folk or classical based. It was very regional. A lot of young people were listening to their own music . bands.. arabic music. They were moving away from film music. So I thought why not compose music like what they were listening to in films..."

ON MUSIC
"When I won the National award for RojA a lot of people wondered if it wasnt too early. [He earlier mentioned how the National award was usually awarded to people who were very experienced... 'almost dying' in his words] But music to me is not about motivation or a race of sorts. It is like cooking a meal and watching the satisfaction of the people eating.."

ON SLUMDOG'S MUSIC
"Danny emailed me the script but I didnt read it, but later he send me a DVD with a rough cut and I was really excited. I sent him some suggestions over email and he replies with feedback. You know..I like 1, 2 and 4 etc... And like that we scored the whole movie and edited it in 3 weeks"
Terry Gross (incredulously): "Three Weeks?"
ARR: "Yes 3 weeks. At home there are people who would score for 25 films in a year. Normally I take my time and enjoy the process. I was initially considered too slow. A lot of people said I wouldnt survive because I took too long.."

Terry Gross then questioned him on Mausam/Escape and the usage of Sitar indicating she had actually given the album a close listen. Rahman confesses that it is one of his favorite tracks. Then she asks about performing Oscar night and if the songs are only for studio or if they can be performed on stage:
"Its possible with some electronic loops. When I normally perform songs from my film repertoire we have about 80 people on stage with dancers and classical instruments. So I would need to get permission. Lets see.."

Terry Gross (laughing): " I dont think they are going to say no to you"

[complicateur]

//Dig.
LM,
I posted it here already. It is the last post on Page 39.
End Dig.//

[littlemaster1982]

:oops2: I missed it somehow. Thanks again Compli :D

[ajaybaskar]

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/84171/cnnibn-indian-of-the-year-final-countdown-begins.html

[Roshan]

Simbhu-va :oops:

He's got a good voice I believe. And his voice modulation is quite good. Good choice.

[littlemaster1982]

Let's see how he fares. Nalla irundha saridhan :D

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:57bd4f6ec8]did anyone read this...
----------------------------
“A.R. Rahman knows nothing of ghazals”

January 28, 2009

Lashing out strongly on the present generation of music directors and filmmaker, ghazal singer Jagjit Singh asks, “What does AR Rahman know about ghazals? He will never use a ghazal in his films. All they do is pick up tunes from the West.” He rues that there is no poetry in the lyrics these days and language used is tapori, which is a mix of Hindi and English.

The singer says that the audience for the ghazal form of music has only increased over the last few years. He added that he tries to improvise on this ghazals and this brings a lot of audience to his concerts. Interestingly, the singer only performs for a cause nowadays.

[/tscii:57bd4f6ec8]

Jagjit Singh, earlier this week, criticized AR Rahman for not using
Ghazals in his films, saying, "What does AR Rahman know about Ghazals?"

The noted singer has now said that he doesn't, in any way, want to
criticize Rahman's music. In an interview with a local newspaper, he
said, "Actually, what I meant was Rahman, being an innovative
award-winning composer who connects with today's Gen-Next, should also include ghazals written by stalwarts like Gulzar in his film repertoire.

He also feels that Rahman has, of late, been restricting himself to
certain genres. "Of late, he has been confining himself to jazzy and
folksy-fusion Indipop. Since he is versatile enough, he should be able to come up with fabulous ghazals and popularize them."

[Saagar]

[tscii:6e51ce7c87]From "The Hindu" Friday Review:

Is he the best ever?


RANJAN DAS GUPTA


As an Oscar looks imminent for A.R. Rahman, sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan puts his success in perspective.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His compositions have everything except divinity.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





A different take Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (below) compares A R Rahman’s musical skills with that of the masters.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan is happy but not overwhelmed by A.R. Rahman winning the Golden Globe for his original score in “Slumdog Millionaire”.

In a rare conversation from the U.S., he says, “Yes, it is a matter of pride for the Indian film fraternity. It has put Indian film music on the international scene and Rahman deserves a lot of credit. But it does not signify that Rahman is the greatest composer for films in India.”

Call of music

Though Ali Akbar Khan maintains a safe distance from film music he does occasionally hear film tunes, specially the ones composed in Hindi.

He claims, “Did not A.R. Rahman compose the hit number ‘Aye Ajnabi’ for ‘Dil Se’? It is a direct lift of Shanker Jaikishan’s immortal number, ‘Manzil Wohi Hain’ from ‘Kathputli’ in 1957 rendered melodiously by Subir Sen. Even his ‘Chal Chaiyyan Chaiyyan’ is very similar to Shanker Jaikishan’s ‘Oh Maiya Bata Maiya’ from ‘Shree 420’. He just fastened the beats.”

At par

The sarod maestro feels strongly that Indian composers have never got their due in the West.

He explains, “Rarely do western composers have knowledge of Indian classical ragas or folk music. I see no reason as to why Pandit Ravi Shanker’s tunes for the ‘Apu’ trilogy or Vilayat Khan’s background score for ‘Jalsaghar’ should not get Oscar awards. They are at par with the best musical compositions of any Hollywood or European classics. Though Satyajit Ray’s sense of Indian classical music was limited, his own compositions for ‘Teen Kanya’, ‘Charulata’ and ‘Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen’ are of international standards. Thank God, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Oscar prior to his death.”






Ali Akbar Khan remembers his conversation with Maurice Jar, the legendary composer of “Bridge On The River Kwai”, “Lawrence Of Arabia” and “Dr. Zhivago” in the late ’60s, “Maurice was very interested in Indian classical music after watching ‘Devi’ and hearing my score for the film. He told me that the Oscar jury will ironically lend a deaf ear to my score as Indian classics are like acid to them generally. He also questioned the abilities of many of the jury members’ idea and knowledge of Indian ragas. Similar views were expressed to me by no less a director than John Huston.”

Connecting to the roots

Ali Akbar Khan remembers, “Sir Richard Attenborough was wrong in using the London Philharmonic Orchestra to conduct music for his ambitious ‘Gandhi’ by removing Ravi Shankar’s compositions. Ravi Shankar would have done more justice to ‘Gandhi’ than the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I am not demeaning western classical music. I am myself an ardent listener and admirer of philharmonic orchestras. But, each director should appoint a person of the soil, where he is shooting his film.”

That brings in the question that A.R. Rahman, an Indian composer was the right choice for “Slumdog Millionaire” as the theme, location and even music needed to be rooted in India with Hindi essence.

The Ustad agrees, “I am not denying his selection. He is technically very strong but if Salil Chowdhury or Madan Mohan had got chances in Hollywood, they would have worked wonders. Our legendary composers have never received international recognition in the real sense of the term. Yes, Jaikishan’s tunes have been hummed in Soviet Russia, Eastern Europe and China. But did Hollywood and Western Europe ever consider his or the others’ worth?”

[/tscii:6e51ce7c87]

[dinesh2002]

Whoaaaaaaaaa.... why all of the sudden this people r against ARR?? How come this man shut his gap during Dil Se time?? Guess they cant take it a Tamilan getting all this recognition through Hindi industry?? :huh:

Here is the song that joker said ARR lifted Poongratile from....

http://www.esnips.com/doc/1efa7ab4-114a-4743-8c52-7f3bb96a28a1/MANZIL%20WOHI%20HAI-SUBIR%20SEN-KATHPUTALI

Except that 1st line which had similar octaves, i dun see any relevance from there onwards... :huh:

[Roshan]

Whoaaaaaaaaa.... why all of the sudden this people r against ARR?? How come this man shut his gap during Dil Se time?? Guess they cant take it a Tamilan getting all this recognition through Hindi industry?? :huh:

Here is the song that joker said ARR lifted Poongratile from....

http://www.esnips.com/doc/1efa7ab4-114a-4743-8c52-7f3bb96a28a1/MANZIL%20WOHI%20HAI-SUBIR%20SEN-KATHPUTALI

Except that 1st line which had similar octaves, i dun see any relevance from there onwards... :huh:

IdhayellAm ethukku pAthuttu irukkeenga Dinesh. It is like :fatigue:

[pure bliss]

ethu summa trailor, thala ku oscar kadaikkatum.........

ella vaitherichal kesum polambaporanga

[jaiganes]

I am reminded of Kragaattakaaran ' 'ulloor vayitherichal party'.So true and fits to this situation.
Success has many children while failure has only one husband.
SDM's success has given rise to so many children - some good and some bad.

[natha1729]

[tscii:727789a8e0]He claims, “Did not A.R. Rahman compose the hit number ‘Aye Ajnabi’ for ‘Dil Se’? It is a direct lift of Shanker Jaikishan’s immortal number, ‘Manzil Wohi Hain’ from ‘Kathputli’ in 1957 rendered melodiously by Subir Sen. Even his ‘Chal Chaiyyan Chaiyyan’ is very similar to Shanker Jaikishan’s ‘Oh Maiya Bata Maiya’ from ‘Shree 420’. He just fastened the beats.”

the ustad is on hookah, brother.

checked the accusation by the full of himself ustad. manjil hai of sj is not arr' ajnabe, ( though arr's that song has some roots in an old malayalam tune, i think.) and the ustad's speculation about ravi shankar doing the entire music for gandhi, then why did he not himself make it if he wanted pure indian flavor. attenborough had international market in mind not local 8 anna talkies in ustad's hood. lacks business sense and common sense.

khan saahib does not know anything entirely about indian film music, quotes only northern composers. i don't know if s-j can hold a candle to MSV, yes, they had great melodies, but MSV had equally good, many different styles, structures and in several languages and i think was more consistent than any composer. khan saahib needs to know something more about Rahman and other southern greats also.

and someone claiming ghazals greatest musical form? i mean, is there some international song that the globe can identify with if it is that great?[/tscii:727789a8e0]

[dinesh2002]

Whoaaaaaaaaa.... why all of the sudden this people r against ARR?? How come this man shut his gap during Dil Se time?? Guess they cant take it a Tamilan getting all this recognition through Hindi industry?? :huh:

Here is the song that joker said ARR lifted Poongratile from....

http://www.esnips.com/doc/1efa7ab4-114a-4743-8c52-7f3bb96a28a1/MANZIL%20WOHI%20HAI-SUBIR%20SEN-KATHPUTALI

Except that 1st line which had similar octaves, i dun see any relevance from there onwards... :huh:

IdhayellAm ethukku pAthuttu irukkeenga Dinesh. It is like :fatigue:

Illai Roshan, intha saaka vechekitthe other vaitherical gang here in Hub will then use these examples to say ARR lifted this and that... so wanted to share the actual song and let them know there is nothing there actually ... Avalavuthan :D

[Roshan]

Whoaaaaaaaaa.... why all of the sudden this people r against ARR?? How come this man shut his gap during Dil Se time?? Guess they cant take it a Tamilan getting all this recognition through Hindi industry?? :huh:

Here is the song that joker said ARR lifted Poongratile from....

http://www.esnips.com/doc/1efa7ab4-114a-4743-8c52-7f3bb96a28a1/MANZIL%20WOHI%20HAI-SUBIR%20SEN-KATHPUTALI

Except that 1st line which had similar octaves, i dun see any relevance from there onwards... :huh:

IdhayellAm ethukku pAthuttu irukkeenga Dinesh. It is like :fatigue:

Illai Roshan, intha saaka vechekitthe other vaitherical gang here in Hub will then use these examples to say ARR lifted this and that... so wanted to share the actual song and let them know there is nothing there actually ... Avalavuthan :D

I understand Dinesh :) Vayitherichal parties in hub :fatigue: aagi romba nALAchu. KandukkAtheenga.

[ajaybaskar]

Suddenly these ppl come out of no where and criticize ARR. India is being pulled down because of this ugly politics.. Hope u remeber the Indian crab story..

Anyways, Congrats to ARR for becoming CNN IBN Global Indian of the year.. Thalaivarukku thrushti suththi podanum..

[ajaybaskar]

Rahman is Bindra's competitor'

3 Feb 2009, 0000 hrs IST, JAYA DRONA , TNN

Shooter Abhinav Bindra's mother, Babli Bindra, definitely feels the pressure of being a champion's mom.

When we met her at a Delhi do recently, she said, "Thanks to Abhinav, his father and I have become really popular too. People walk up to us and say nice things about Abhinav and that makes us really proud. I also feel immensely proud of AR Rahman for his work in Slumdog Millionaire. He has put India on the global map. The world is humming the music he has composed."

[Roshan]

Ajay great job with the updates :clap:

[ajaybaskar]

Thanks, sis.... :D

[ajaybaskar]

Golden Rahman

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=nfDv7epyi4k

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=emxzOiDtNS8&feature=related

[pure bliss]

[tscii:0bc767f4fe]Singer Chitra ( FM RAINBOW )



" My salutations to everyone. I am playback singer Chitra talking here. I am happy to talk about A.R.Rahman Sir in a special program like today. I have sung in a lot of films of his right from Roja to Jodha Akbar. I have sung a few very very important songs, and a lot of famous songs for him. All the songs which he has given me have been very melodious.



I have seen him before he became a Music Director, during the times, when he used to play keyboard for Raja Sir. He is a person with most humility. He doesn't talk much. He and his work alone left together is his attitude always. One thing, which I like in him the most is that " There are a lot of cassettes, CDs which get released of different movies. I haven't seen many people being credited in the Inlay Cards of the CD or the cassettes. It is only RAHMAN sir's CDs and cassettes, which give credit to all the musicians who have been part of the effort.

Now, many people may be following the same. But it was he who first and foremost started this, and this depicts his broad mindedness and magnanimous nature. You give equal importance to the musicians, as you have been giving till date. This is a very important quality that I like in you. You have never commented about anyone. Pls keep it up. This is a very great quality of yours. You must do more and more movies. I also pray God for your welfare.


I have a desire to ask certain questions to him. I have certain doubts like anyone else here.



Q :- In all your new films, you introduce some new singers. You give the songs in such a way, that it is very apt for the singer to sing. How do you select such songs ? How do you find such new talents and from where ? To tell the truth, it was after you introduced that a lot many singers from Bombay have started singing here, and have gained so much of name and fame. They weren't recognized there before, and after they have sung for you, their names have become very popular now, and are recognized even there nowadays. This is something which everyone must be proud of. My first and foremost Congratulations for you for the same. How do you do your selection in a perfect manner ?.



ARR :- This sort of praise which I am getting from you is a great one. You are an established singer yourself. You don't have any trace of jealousy or competition in you, and you are saying so proves that your base and foundation is extraordinary, and you don't feel insecured. So, thank you for the question Chitraji.



First and Foremost, there was a pressure that the song would remain, if sung by so and so singer. That pressure was in a way good, and in a way bad. If for some songs, if it doesn't match, it doesn't mean that a popular singer needs to sing it. That would create a bad feeling for them too. A Particular song should be sung by a particular singer. Slowly, the pressure started decreasing, when I started coming into the arena. Maniratnam expected a lot of new things. Even I didn't have that belief which used to exist before. Once upon a time, music was very simple.



I didn't have any set rules that so and so caste, religion based singers must sing. So and so's son or daughter must sing etc. I wanted anyone going in the road also to sing. Everyone has the right. If they have the talent, they have the right to sing. So, this has been my motive. I didn't want the tag to be created as a North Indian / South Indian Singer etc. If they had the talent to sing, they must be given the opportunity. Sometimes, it has worked out well, and sometimes not.



Like as you said, Sadhana Sargam or any other singers ….. .I feel that its not me who is giving them a chance or an opportunity, but its because of them that my song got improvised and became nice.



Thank you for your question.



P.S. After hearing and typing about all these transcripts, I sometimes really wonder, as to how a person like ARR is born and living in this Kali Yuga, where there are hatred, jealousy everywhere. Hats off to the Real Musician ARR. He motivates us by all means.

Vithur arr fan group[/tscii:0bc767f4fe]

[muzammil_fr]

Sun Tv ARR Interview http://www.uyirvani.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21022

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0809504/soundtrack

thenali soundtrack used on the movie The Accidental Husband
not sure what the song is though

hehe
:D

It's "Swasame". Did a quick search on YouTube, and found this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fWO2Yd-s0AE

Hope it has the song in the background, couldn't listen to it as I'm on my uni library computer!

The film has music by a guy called Andrea Guerra. He has also done the score for films such as "Hotel Rwanda" & "The Pursuit Of Happyness":

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0345991/

Watched "The Pursuit Of Happyness". Guerra's music is stunning.. His music more looks like Indian.. Recommended... :D

[pure bliss]

What the outsite world says about SDM MUSIC - amazon.com

Arguably the best soundtrack of 2008, December 30, 2008
By Traveler (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
I don't normally review CDs because it's so rare for an entire album
to be worth buying, especially a soundtrack. Far too often you get a
CD with songs that weren't even in the movie while skipping some of
the best songs that were actually used.

The "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack, with its mix of mostly upbeat
instrumentals and vocals, is that rare exception. If you don't want to
move to this music then check your pulse.

"O...Saya" and "Jai Ho," the former shown at the beginning of the
movie, the latter at the end while the credits ran along with the
Bollywood homage, are perfect party songs you'll want to listen to
again and again. The ominous sound of "Riots" will remind you of the
murder of the brothers' mother. "Dreams on Fire" and "Latika's Theme"
are both a little sad and romantic. "Millionaire" is just inspiring
and will remind you of the movie's climax. And you get not just one,
but two versions of "Paper Planes."

I didn't think this was possible, but the "Slumdog" soundtrack
surpasses even "Bend It Like Beckham." If you liked that soundtrack,
you definitely want to check this one out.

_----------------------------------------------------------_
Riveting,pulse pumping soundtrack!, January 17, 2009
By Joel Katte "BASEBALL MEMOIR COMING SOON! from... (Home of the
Milwaukee Brewers) - See all my reviews
Okay, please have mercy on this review. I am no music expert; I
wouldn't even call myself a music fan. I don't own an ipod, and if I
had to shop for music right now, I would likely buy the first
"best-of-the-80's-one-hit-wonders" CDs that I find. So the fact that I
am attempting (again, go easy on me, it is a novice attempt) to write
a music review is a credit to this compelling soundtrack.

This soundtrack is fresh, original, and soulful. This film is an
absolute knock-out, in part because the soundtrack complements the
action, characters, and emotion of the film so well. However, as great
of a film as it is (I do believe it will walk away with the Best
Picture Oscar) the soundtrack is even better than the film.

SIDENOTE: The music video at the end of the film seemed completely out
of place, and I would have opted for it to not be there. However, I
watched ever second of it and was captivated. I believe this was the
director's way of paying homage to the music and spirit of the film.

----------------------------------------------------------
Wow! If this doesn't win the Oscar for Best Soundtrack..., January 31,
2009
By Bruce D. Namerow (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
After reading the other reviews, I realize that this music style may
not be new in other parts of the worlds, but here in the US it is
groundbreaking and refreshing -- a whole new beat that isn't common to
American ears. Even then, the way this album has a whole weaves
together such an interesting mix of rhythms makes it stand out from
most any album I've ever heard. It's rare to see an album get so many
positive five star reviews -- there is a reason for that. You need to
hear it for yourself to fully understand (and see the movie to
understand even more).

----------------------------------------------------------
Oh my!, January 24, 2009
By Robert Hengst (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I have been a closet fan of Bollywood music for a long time. While I
knew little of Rahman and nothing of the movie, I bought the CD just
to see what the current state of Bollywood music is. Oh my! What I got
is so much more. There are elements I expected, but the layering of
sounds and rhythms is incredible. Just when you think you have the
tune or rhythm, Rahman layers on another instrument, beat, rhythm,
etc. I have since read that Rahman is considered one of the most
beloved composers in India. With this work I would say that
designation no longer applies: Rahman should be recognized as one of
the most beloved composers WORLDWIDE. Amazing score that leaves you
wanting for more from this brilliant artist.

----------------------------------------------------------
Completely different and fabulous, January 23, 2009
By Karen Perry "Slumdog's #1 Fan" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
When I went to go see the movie I instantly wanted to buy the
soundtrack. I bought it and the more I listen to it the more I fall in
love with the music. It is completely different than what I am
accustomed to. I want to go out and buy all of AR Rahman's work. My
only complaint is I can't exactly sing along to any of the songs
except Paper Planes since I do not know Hindi :)

----------------------------------------------------------
Fantastic Arangement!!, January 20, 2009
By K. Carter - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I will not repeat too much of what has been said. I can only echo that
this soundtrack is one of the BEST I have ever heard. I'm not a
regular reviewer, but I did want to add to the rating of this
soundtrack as it is definitely a 5-star piece of work. I am a fan of
AR Rahman, so I'm not surprised at how well put together this is. I
am, however, thoroughly pleased. I also love the song by MIA - Paper
Planes. One Great Song! This is totally worth buying. And after
watching the movie, the soundtrack just keeps it as a memory in your
head. This is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

----------------------------------------------------------
Loved the music from the start, January 14, 2009
By Colton E. Carpenter (Fresno, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I went to see Slumdog Millionaire today. From the very beginning when
the boys were being chased through the streets the music caught my
attention. The drumbeats were very moving and I wanted to get up and
start dancing! I turned to my partner and said "This is going to be a
good movie- I love the music already!" He chuckled. In every intense
scene the music gave me goosebumps. Whether it was an emotional moving
scene, an action packed scene or the final train platform dance the
music was fantastic. I'm not usually a critic at all but after this I
really wanted to praise this movie and the composer- Absolutely
Magical! Thank you Slumdog Millionaire and A.R. Rahman!!!

----------------------------------------------------------
CAMERON CROWE WOULD BE PROUD, January 14, 2009
By Michael Dobbins "Patience Gloria" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
I often think that music adds soooooo much to a movie, and Slumdog is
no exception. See the movie first and you will understand. These songs
fit perfectly with the story, enhance the movie, and are wonderful to
listen to on their own. Cameron Crowe would be proud

[raagas]

Whoaaaaaaaaa.... why all of the sudden this people r against ARR?? How come this man shut his gap during Dil Se time?? Guess they cant take it a Tamilan getting all this recognition through Hindi industry?? :huh:

Here is the song that joker said ARR lifted Poongratile from....

http://www.esnips.com/doc/1efa7ab4-114a-4743-8c52-7f3bb96a28a1/MANZIL%20WOHI%20HAI-SUBIR%20SEN-KATHPUTALI

Except that 1st line which had similar octaves, i dun see any relevance from there onwards... :huh:

Dinesh,

I completely disagree with what Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has said. And having listened to that song from my choldhood, i know that there is little similarity but is not a copy.

But i ask you, just becoz someone has found fault with your (and our) most admired composer, Does it give you the right to call that person as Joker? And you are calling 'Ustad Ali Akbar Khan' as 'Joker'. Please first try to know what he is and what is the music he has created and how it has been lapped up by a section of audience. we have a right to disagree, but then, this is the heights, to call a great musician as a joker. Probably ARR himself would never call that.

And what is this "They cant take it a Tamilian getting all this recognition through Hindi industry". If people in the North had such a bias, they would not have let ARR in the Hindi Film Music scene itself. There would not have been a Lagaan or a Taal or Swades or 1947 or whatever.

The boundaries are no longer there, please dont create them again in the music lover's minds. Afterall, music and ARR's music transcends boundaries. whats the point if you build them again?

[dinesh2002]

Whoaaaaaaaaa.... why all of the sudden this people r against ARR?? How come this man shut his gap during Dil Se time?? Guess they cant take it a Tamilan getting all this recognition through Hindi industry?? :huh:

Here is the song that joker said ARR lifted Poongratile from....

http://www.esnips.com/doc/1efa7ab4-114a-4743-8c52-7f3bb96a28a1/MANZIL%20WOHI%20HAI-SUBIR%20SEN-KATHPUTALI

Except that 1st line which had similar octaves, i dun see any relevance from there onwards... :huh:

Dinesh,

I completely disagree with what Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has said. And having listened to that song from my choldhood, i know that there is little similarity but is not a copy.

But i ask you, just becoz someone has found fault with your (and our) most admired composer, Does it give you the right to call that person as Joker? And you are calling 'Ustad Ali Akbar Khan' as 'Joker'. Please first try to know what he is and what is the music he has created and how it has been lapped up by a section of audience. we have a right to disagree, but then, this is the heights, to call a great musician as a joker. Probably ARR himself would never call that.

And what is this "They cant take it a Tamilian getting all this recognition through Hindi industry". If people in the North had such a bias, they would not have let ARR in the Hindi Film Music scene itself. There would not have been a Lagaan or a Taal or Swades or 1947 or whatever.

The boundaries are no longer there, please dont create them again in the music lover's minds. Afterall, music and ARR's music transcends boundaries. whats the point if you build them again?

raagas, well in my point of view, a person who does 'jokes' like this r automatically can be called as a 'joker'. And if that man is being honored as such, he should know how to bring himself infront of media and should be very aware of his speeches, esp infront of media. When he fails to do so, im sorry, the respects he has earned for decades will just be gone in a few minutes.

For instance, u ur self agreed that it has similarity, but def not a complete lift, so how can such 'maestro' comments things as baseless like that?? if ARR were to sue him, he can, under defamation because he is bringing down his image by his speech and what not.

And about that tamil-hindi factor, i dunno, it was just a wild guess because there is NO need for comments like this for ARR, esp on a 10 y/o song or when ARR is gaining international fame as such at this point. Where was these comments when Dil Se got released?? Humans are humans, raagas. just becoz things r not visible, it does not mean it is not there. Human's behavior is by far the most complicated 1 on this facet of earth. They might comment based on it but can cover it up with bringing in another issue.

Oh well, what ever it is, his comment on ARR would not be respected at all. No divinity in his music itseems..... please!!! great person... YEAH RIGHT!

[dinesh2002]

Keep your cool guys!



http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/02sl1-why-you-should-not-watch-slumdog.htm

Shamal Sengupta, who teaches direction at Subhash Ghai's filmmaking institute Whistling Woods in Mumbai, tells us why he disliked Slumdog Millionaire.



'What has Rahman done in Slumdog Millionaire to get an Oscar nomination?'
Slumdog will definitely bag an Oscar or two. But that would be a shame. The sanctity of the Oscars was lost long ago, so Slumdog will not the only film that will show it down. There are many other films that deserve it more.

I must mention A R Rahman. What has he done in Slumdog Millionaire to get an Oscar nomination? He is such a great musician, he has composed better music in other films. I am sure that he knows himself that he has done a very mediocre job here.

The background score is a disaster. The song Jai Ho and its picturisation is another disaster. Why did the song need to be in the film? What a waste! It was very unnecessary for that song to be in the film; more so, to be shot in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

'I don't think a film like this will ruin our country's worth'

Rahman will get his cheque and continue making music and entertaining us. But the question is why waste your talent for money?

Portraying India this way gives a very bad taste. India has always been looked upon from the fixed viewpoints of poverty, prostitution, crime, superstition and blind beliefs.

But let me also tell you what I liked about the film. The technical aspects like camera work, shooting locations, and location management were well done. I will definitely show this film to my students to teach them camera angles.

I am not being patriotic, I am just being reasonable. I don't think a film like this will ruin our country's worth. I think the world knows that India is not just about poverty and crime but has much more value than that.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/112862

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[raagas]

Dinesh, i can understand your emotion, but i cannot understand the way of your expression. The person in question might have said something wrong, agreed... but can we, who are not even half-as great as him, call him so?
My question is: Will ARR himself would do that? Or will he like you do that?

You can look for these answers yourself.

As such, it doesnt matter much to me, but just wanted to point out because i never heard anyone call a Hindustani classical music legend and multiple Grammy Award Nominee (yes, if you didnt know, he won Grammy nominations, not now, but decades ago before globalisation happened) - a joker, just because he has a different point (howmuchever wrong it is, from our perspective).

[Yathu]

I must mention A R Rahman. What has he done in Slumdog Millionaire to get an Oscar nomination? He is such a great musician, he has composed better music in other films. I am sure that he knows himself that he has done a very mediocre job here.


:lol: He's speaking on behalf of ARR here. :roll:


The background score is a disaster. The song Jai Ho and its picturisation is another disaster. Why did the song need to be in the film? What a waste! It was very unnecessary for that song to be in the film; more so, to be shot in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

'Cos they were celebrating. They won, Hooray! (Jai Ho).



Rahman will get his cheque and continue making music and entertaining us. But the question is why waste your talent for money?

I'm sure this guys getting a cheque for this interview too...but I don't think he'll be entertaining us any further.



Portraying India this way gives a very bad taste. India has always been looked upon from the fixed viewpoints of poverty, prostitution, crime, superstition and blind beliefs.


Erm...the film's based on a book by an INDIAN, Vikas Swarup :|
Also didn't they show love prevailing all at the end? :2thumbsup:



But let me also tell you what I liked about the film. The technical aspects like camera work, shooting locations, and location management were well done. I will definitely show this film to my students to teach them camera angles.

So India does benefit afterall? Great. :2thumbsup: Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.



I think the world knows that India is not just about poverty and crime but has much more value than that.

So why is this guy stressing exactly? Free promotion for Whistling Woods maybe?

Some people.... :sigh2:

[A.ANAND]

http://www.highheelconfidential.com/a-r-rahman-oscar-nominees-luncheon/

[dinesh2002]

http://www.highheelconfidential.com/a-r-rahman-oscar-nominees-luncheon/

It looks so nice... A.R.Rahman rocks!!!! :D

[Ramakrishna]

"ARR is GOD" says Kannada MD Rajesh Ramanathan
Kannada music director Rajesh Ramanathan has been in the music industry for nearly 15 years. The man, who started off as a sound engineer, has come a long way. The talented music director, who has worked with stalwarts like Vishnuvardhan, Upendra, Sudeep and Indrajit Lankesh, speaks about his future plans.


Not many know that Rajesh was the lead guitarist for a rock band called Rockcliff that used to open for A R Rahman's band Down Sterling. He can also play different forms of guitar like base and acoustic. No wonder when asked about his inspirations, he has an array of them from different genres of music. "R D Burman, Hamsalekha, Rajan-Nagendra and A R Rahman when it comes to film music," he says. He is a huge fan of international artistes like Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Guns & Roses and Bryan Adams as well.

So what does he think of Rahman's international recognition with Slumdog Millionaire? "I don't have words to express my appreciation for Rahman. He is God," declares he. "The spirituality and concentration with which he works is what drives one to success. It is an inspiration for the others as well."

[Ramakrishna]

Interview of ARR's mom | Translation
Interview of ARR's mom - latest KUMUDAM Magazine

Parents will be so elated even if their kids win a prize in just a small competition in school. How happy will Rahman's mom feel as he has got 90 awards till now, including Golden Globes and other international awards? To know all this, we visited Rahman's house, and spoke with his mom Kareema Begum. She too is reticent, just like Rahman!

"Rahman must've been 5 years old at that time. Me and my husband visited a friend of his, a leading composer. The composer told us playfully "You mentioned that your son plays harmonium.. let's see if he can play what I play now"... He payed, and ARR listened to it immediately played it, much to the surprise of everyone. The composer was so impressed. That incident made it clear to us that, music was the field in which Rahman would shine.
He always used to have a small harmonium with him. He'd compose new tunes and show it to us. Since he was playing well, we put him in proper music training. Being supportive of him from the beginning is my only contribution to his success".

Kareema mentions that her favourite song is Snegithane (Alaipayuthey) . How many ever times you listen to it, you can't get bored of it, she says!

"It is difficult to break into film music. Rahman's plus point was that he retained and succeeded in the first film chance that he got because of God's grace. At first, he composed the background score for Roja for 15 days continuously without proper sleep. I cried seeing my son suffer so much! I wondered if I'd pushed him into the very tough field of Film music. But all my sufferings and worries vanished as he won the national award for his first film itself!

Even before he'd got film music opportunites, he always used to be busy composing some tune or the other! Right from his childhood, Rahman had no interests other than music. He never had fun like chatting with friends or going for movies. He always used to stay inside the locked room and compse music! I used to ask him, why he was straining so much. He used to reply "We should keep working hard! That is the effort from our side. Some day, we will get rewards (oppourtunites) for all our efforts!"

Rahman's mom has just one worry - he is so busy with work that he doesnt eat properly! The motherly love!!

"My son doesnt even have time to eat properly. Even if it gets delayed till 3 am, I wait for him, serve the food and then only go to bed. Otherwise, I can't sleep properly! How many ever awards a son may get - a mom feels happy only when the son eats properly!"

Abt Oscars:
"When Rahman was 9 years old, he played with 3 keyboards at the same time in the show called 'wonder balloon' in Doordarshan (in DD tamil network). After that program, everyone in our locality started talking about him. Likewise, the whole world is talking about the Oscar buzz for Slumdog Millionaire! But, Rahman is busy working on his next film project, without thinking about the awards or participating in big celebrations. This maturity is what I learnt from Rahman. I'll be happy, if Rahman gets the Oscar, by God's grace!"

[Ramakrishna]

Rahman responsible for Tamil films going global: Vivekh
2/8/2009 9:28:15 AM
Music maestro AR Rahman (file photo)

If not for music composer AR Rehman, talent from Tamil filmdom would not have got their due recognition, noted Tamil comedian Vivekh has said.

"I do think that regional talent is not getting its due credit in the country. Our industry (Tamil films) has gone global, especially after A R Rahman entered the scene," Vivekh, who was conferred Padma Shri recently said.

"If our music is getting acknowledged globally today, it is because of Rahman. But Rahman is not the only one who is responsible for this, media is also one of the reasons," he said.

Chennai-born Rahman who made his entry through Roja in Tamil and Hindi simultaneously went on to attain stardom in both Tamil and Hindi films within years. He is also in the queue for Oscars, for his hit scores in "Slumdog Millionaire".

Vivekh, who was the first Tamil comedian to be bestowed with the Padma Shri award, refused to comment on veteran comedian Nagesh, who died just a week ago, not getting such an honour.

Vivekh said he was a great fan of Nagesh and he enjoyed his well-acclaimed movies -- Server Sundaram, Kaadalikka Neramillai and Neer Kumizhi.

Nagesh, who entered cinema from stage and was with it for nearly five decades, died recently and there was criticism in the industry that he was denied the national honours.

Showering praises on 'Slumdog Millionaire', which has got multiple nominations in Oscar, Vivekh said the film has facilitated the entry of our artistes into Hollywood.

On Oscar Awards, he said there was nothing wrong in accepting such honours, but one can aim for the award only if their work is original.

"The ultimate recognition for an actor is when the last person leaving the cinema hall being impressed by the performance. When I reach out to the audience when I am giving my 100 per cent that would be the ultimate recognition for me," he said.

On whether he will act in Hindi films if given a chance, Vivekh said he was not interested in acting in Hindi films as "language is a barrier."

"I don't know slangs for that humour. Humorists should know the language well and exercise command in order to perform," he said.

But, the actor says he loves watching Bollywood movies and he "almost had a crush" on yesteryear actress Madhuri Dixit.

Vivekh also feels there should be a 'Best comedian' category in national awards to facilitate the regional comedians to attain national fame.

The actor, who is known for taking on social issues like female infanticide, bribery and corruption in his comedies, also feels that public figures owe a responsibility towards their fans and should conduct themselves in a rightful manner.

"A public figure or a celebrity has to live by some codes and principles. If you are a public figure, you are a public property as well. Since people follow you, there is no other way."

Vivekh also feels that there should be more comedy-oriented films in the industry. "Only a limited footage of is allotted to comedians in a film unlike Hollywood where there are a lot of humour-centric films. I aspire for such films in India. Not that we did not have such kind of films earlier but I wish the pattern returns," he said.

http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=28942

[crajkumar_be]

Not many know that Rajesh was the lead guitarist for a rock band called Rockcliff that used to open for A R Rahman's band Down Sterling.
Isn't "Nemesis Avenue" the name of the band that Rahman was part of? And as far as i know, Down Sterling was the name given to Loyola college's cultural festival of yesteryear

[littlemaster1982]

Even I thought it's "Nemesis Avenue". May be the author goofed up :roll:

[netfriend4u2005]

Slumdog success - UK film wins seven prizes at Bafta Film Awards

Slumdog success - UK film wins seven prizes at Bafta Film Awards

Slumdog success - UK film wins seven prizes at Bafta Film Awards

AND NOT INDIAN MOVIE hahahahahahahaha

[pure bliss]

Zakir Hussain sincerely desires that A R Rahman wins an Oscar

After winning a Grammy in the contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album Global Drum Project, Zakir Hussain says that he sincerely desires that A R Rahman wins an Oscar.

On being asked to respond to Rahman's global recognition for
Slumdog Millionaire, Zakir Hussain said that, "He is a genius. I think his talent has been duly recognised now and I am very happy with that. The best thing about him is that he has consistently proved himself. He is not a one time wonder. He has delivered consistently. He has really made us feel very proud. I hope he does equally fantastic at the Oscars. "

[sha]

Slumdog success - UK film wins seven prizes at Bafta Film Awards

Slumdog success - UK film wins seven prizes at Bafta Film Awards

Slumdog success - UK film wins seven prizes at Bafta Film Awards

AND NOT INDIAN MOVIE hahahahahahahaha

its not an indian movie or a Hollywood movie at all,, its a british movie,

[Roshan]

Thanks Rama for posting Vivek's interview. It was nice :)

[thineshan54321]

Hey guys sorry for the dig. I just made a track to dedicate to all the people in tamil eelam suffering the genocide. I know this has nothing to do with ARR but ARR also cares about war and he ofcourse urges to stop it. This work is a reflection of listening to his music for a long time. Please do hear it and pour in your comments. This track is being played on all major radio stations in Toronto. I dedicate this song to my guru AR Rahman and all the people suffering from war especially those in tamil eelam.

Wav: http://www.sendspace.com/file/i80hi5
MP3: http://www.sendspace.com/file/xag0bz

[dinesh2002]

Hey guys sorry for the dig. I just made a track to dedicate to all the people in tamil eelam suffering the genocide. I know this has nothing to do with ARR but ARR also cares about war and he ofcourse urges to stop it. This work is a reflection of listening to his music for a long time. Please do hear it and pour in your comments. This track is being played on all major radio stations in Toronto. I dedicate this song to my guru AR Rahman and all the people suffering from war especially those in tamil eelam.

Wav: http://www.sendspace.com/file/i80hi5
MP3: http://www.sendspace.com/file/xag0bz

Guys, u should listen to it. Very touching song. And coming from a young chap like thineshan, its really awesome. im very proud ARR fans r composing good musics. Thineshan, keep on composing ya! u will do very well in it. :thumbsup:

[thineshan54321]

Hey guys sorry for the dig. I just made a track to dedicate to all the people in tamil eelam suffering the genocide. I know this has nothing to do with ARR but ARR also cares about war and he ofcourse urges to stop it. This work is a reflection of listening to his music for a long time. Please do hear it and pour in your comments. This track is being played on all major radio stations in Toronto. I dedicate this song to my guru AR Rahman and all the people suffering from war especially those in tamil eelam.

Wav: http://www.sendspace.com/file/i80hi5
MP3: http://www.sendspace.com/file/xag0bz

Guys, u should listen to it. Very touching song. And coming from a young chap like thineshan, its really awesome. im very proud ARR fans r composing good musics. Thineshan, keep on composing ya! u will do very well in it. :thumbsup:

thx for ur encouragement buddy and i am really happy you are listening to it.

[suntharp]

[tscii:b0f69ae4d3]Is Gautham Menon and Silambarasan film titled as Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya?

The ad of the film which has appeared in today's newspapers is very interesting as it does not carry the names of the technical crew or the director.

The theme of the ad is based on the Vennilave Vennilave… Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya song where Prabhu Deva and Kajol dances under the moonlight in Rajeev Menon’s Minsarakanavu.

Here the pair is Simbu and Trisha (looks like her) in the same costume and pose.

Also Read: Gautham to start a quickie with Simbu!

The tag line of the film says it is- A different love story. AGAIN! Simbu and Gautham are not willing to comment on the tagline but promises that they will speak about it at a later stage. Now we will have to be contended with the teaser ads.

Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya is produced under the banner of escape artists motion pictures & r.s.infotainment pvt.ltd.



The views expressed in the article are the author's and not of Sify.com. [/tscii:b0f69ae4d3]

[Yathu]

Zakir Hussain said that, "He is a genius. I think his talent has been duly recognised now and I am very happy with that. The best thing about him is that he has consistently proved himself. He is not a one time wonder. He has delivered consistently.

How true is that! Thank you Zakir Hussain!

[Scale]

Check this (http://www.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=1683250#1683250) guys.

[A.ANAND]

Now an Oscar, Rahman?
11 Feb 2009, 0000 hrs IST, IANS

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_Buzz/Now_an_Oscar_Rahman/articleshow/4106186.cms

[ajaybaskar]

Shakira heads for Bollywood

Colombian sensation Shakira is all set to head for Bollywood, if grapevine is to believed.
The singer would be appearing in a video of Sanjay Dutt's next movie, The Final Call.
Shakira will reportedly be doing a duet with India's favourite Punjabi singer, Daler Mehndi. She will dance to the tunes of music maestro AR Rahman.

Movie producer Surya Pratap says that Shakira and Daler Mehndi have given their confirmation and they will sing a groovy, English-Punjabi track and also feature in a special music video.

[SoftSword]

Shakira heads for Bollywood

Colombian sensation Shakira is all set to head for Bollywood, if grapevine is to believed.
The singer would be appearing in a video of Sanjay Dutt's next movie, The Final Call.
Shakira will reportedly be doing a duet with India's favourite Punjabi singer, Daler Mehndi. She will dance to the tunes of music maestro AR Rahman.

Movie producer Surya Pratap says that Shakira and Daler Mehndi have given their confirmation and they will sing a groovy, English-Punjabi track and also feature in a special music video.

is this supposed to be big news?
totally confused nowadays... not able to understand which is big and which is not :confused2:

[Yathu]

Shakira (BIG international artist) + Daler Mehndi (BIG, in more ways than one) + ARR (the BIGGEST biggie of all) = BIG NEWS (3 X bigness)

:D

[thineshan54321]

Shakira heads for Bollywood

Colombian sensation Shakira is all set to head for Bollywood, if grapevine is to believed.
The singer would be appearing in a video of Sanjay Dutt's next movie, The Final Call.
Shakira will reportedly be doing a duet with India's favourite Punjabi singer, Daler Mehndi. She will dance to the tunes of music maestro AR Rahman.

Movie producer Surya Pratap says that Shakira and Daler Mehndi have given their confirmation and they will sing a groovy, English-Punjabi track and also feature in a special music video.

is this supposed to be big news?
totally confused nowadays... not able to understand which is big and which is not :confused2:

ada paavi SS, shakira ava ilada. this is the international artist. kaalam kettupochu. :lol: :lol:

[A.ANAND]

Danny Boyle on the "nach gana" in 'Slumdog..'
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, February 12, 2009]


There are just eleven more days to go for the Oscar night and the clock is ticking. We bring you more on the filming of the 'Slumdog Millionaire' and what the director's take on the sequences are. We all remember the dance sequence in the film in the final scene which was shot with the lead stars shaking their legs with a hoard of dancers supporting from behind.

Explaining this particular sequence, the scene was shot with 300 dancers and the best thirty or so dancers dancing in front. The hero of the film Dev Patel who, though of Indian origin, was not very comfortable to dance. But the director is all praise for the choreographer as well as the dancers.

And finally the director has very high regards for the music director of the film, A. R. Rahman. Boyle says ARR is a "serious superstar". In the director own words: "If you can imagine Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise and Bruce Springsteen rolled into one, that's this guy in terms of India. He's called AR Rahman, a beautiful, modest man who is so famous it's unbelievable. (Experts from an interview to a website).

You are very correct Mr. Boyle in our country we revere our superstars, and Rahman sure is the best we can get in music.





http://www.indiagli tz.com/channels/ hindi/article/ 44987.html

[A.ANAND]

zahir hussain on arrahman


ஏஆர் ரகுமான் திறமையானவர். அவருக்கு சர்வதேச அளவில் விருதுகள் கிடைத்துள்ளது மகிழ்ச்சி அளிக்கிறது. அவர் தொடர்ந்து தனது திறமையை நிரூபித்து வருகிறார். அவரால் நாம் அனைவரும் பெருமை அடைந்துள்ளோம். அவர் நிச்சயம் ஆஸ்கார் விருது வெல்வார் என்ற நம்பிக்கை இருக்கிறது என்றார் ஜாகிர் உசைன்.

http://thatstamil.oneindia.in/movies/specials/2009/02/10-zakir-hussain-wins-grammy-award.html

[ajaybaskar]

Oscars Cut Songs to 65 Seconds, Peter Gabriel Cancels

The Academy Awards are cutting this year’s song performance times down so short that Oscar-nominee Peter Gabriel has pulled the plug on his performance for the telecast.

Even though there are only three songs nominated for Oscars this year, Gabriel’s “Down to Earth” from WALL-E, A.R. Rahman’s “Jai Ho” and M.I.A.’s “O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire, the producers are forcing the singers to perform abridged versions of their tunes in a three-song medley. When Gabriel was only given 65 seconds for his song, that was the last straw. In a letter to the Academy, Gabriel wrote (via AWN):

“I don’t feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and I have decided to withdraw from performing. I fully respect and look forward to the producers’ right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the filmmaking process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team, and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being created in part at their expense.”

[pure bliss]

[tscii:3e06e14585]singers wishes arr for oscars

Chinmayi

It is always a pleasure to work under him. Every recording has been a learning experience. He has experimented with my voice to various levels. Undoubtedly, he is my second guru. I am absolutely sure of him winning the Oscars. He deserves it. All my prayers and wishes. Can’t wait to congratulate him.

Devan

No words to speak about him. According to me, he is a landmark musician in Indian history. Has taken Indian music to Global Level. Slum Dog Millionaire music was phenomenal .The love theme was brilliant in it. Rahman, should have won Oscar way back for Lagaan, and I'm sure he'll win it this time.

Vijay Yesudas

I consider myself so lucky for having worked with him. Now he's in a bigger place. Recently I read in a magazine about him being one of the jury members for a show concerning the physically challenged. I read in that about him mentioning, how the physically challenged enjoy life much more than we do pointing out the pressure and stress which we undergo day to day. At a position where he is, he needn't actually do all this. He's become a role model and an inspiration for millions of people including me. He's taken Indian to an international level and as a musician he gets the whole credit for what he is. I conveyed my wishes to him through an SMS and e-mail hearing the news and hope it reached him. My family and I, pray for him to get bigger and bigger with his simplicity ,modesty maintained despite being a maestro.

Premji Amaran

He's amazing. Very Very talented and simply great. I've met him twice during functions till now. He was our guest for Saroja's audio release. In SDM, i could see his style and what the film needed was given by him to perfection. Am his die hard fan and I am 100% sure he'll win the Oscars.

Harish Rahavendra

Since 1993, his growth has had no recession. He went up right at the start and has gone up every level with no looking back. I am honestly, astonished by his achievement. His success is a very big boost to all his fans that any Indian can reach to any level. I wish him more and more success. Of the 3 nominations, i am definitely sure he'll at least bag two.

Rahul Nambiar

I've worked with him for background scores. He's amazingly hardworking. He takes complete ownership of every little work despite having his hands full all the time. I’ve seen him at 3am and 4am in the morning working. He'll walk into the studio, and within ten to fifteen minutes of composing come up with an excellent piece. I feel as felt by him too, that its got to do with a spiritual aspect he has. Whatever he does, has some intangible part attached. I've felt that though his songs are simple, there is something in him which makes it successful and top class. Am not sure if SDM is his best album so far as I feel he's done better works before. Neverthless, SDM will surely get him the Oscar


[/tscii:3e06e14585]

[SoftSword]

Shakira heads for Bollywood

Colombian sensation Shakira is all set to head for Bollywood, if grapevine is to believed.
The singer would be appearing in a video of Sanjay Dutt's next movie, The Final Call.
Shakira will reportedly be doing a duet with India's favourite Punjabi singer, Daler Mehndi. She will dance to the tunes of music maestro AR Rahman.

Movie producer Surya Pratap says that Shakira and Daler Mehndi have given their confirmation and they will sing a groovy, English-Punjabi track and also feature in a special music video.

is this supposed to be big news?
totally confused nowadays... not able to understand which is big and which is not :confused2:

ada paavi SS, shakira ava ilada. this is the international artist. kaalam kettupochu. :lol: :lol:

machi... i did not mean shakila...
as there are too many international artists joinin hands with arr, we were all a bit used to these now... and so i said all the big seem now small and easy things for us...

[ajaybaskar]

ARR nominated thrice for 54th Filmfare awards... Ippollam nammaaluku single nominationae kidayadhu pola....

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=CAP/2009/02/14/29/Img/Ad0290631.png

[Yathu]

ARR nominated thrice for 54th Filmfare awards... Ippollam nammaaluku single nominationae kidayadhu pola....

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=CAP/2009/02/14/29/Img/Ad0290631.png

:victory:

Why isn't Javed Ali nominated for Best Play Singer (Male)? :angry2:

[dinesh2002]

ARR nominated thrice for 54th Filmfare awards... Ippollam nammaaluku single nominationae kidayadhu pola....

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=CAP/2009/02/14/29/Img/Ad0290631.png

I have to agree, among all those 3 albums nominated... Ghajini is the album which i have listened more than 100 times.... :D :notworthy:
I even love Guzharish now.... :D All the songs r simple amazing!!!!

[ajaybaskar]

A news paper review of the music of ‘Delhi 6′, spoke glowingly of it. Though I wish to correct the columnist on one matter. He talks of the track “Genda Phool” on the CD and mentions the track starting with Afro Sounds before the music kicks in. Wrong. They are not Afro Sounds or vocals. They are the vocal sounds made by the keepers of doves in residences in most parts of North India and in Uttar Pradesh, particularly. Doves in their hundreds are housed as pets virtually and kept in sweetly designed cottages on the flat roofed terraces’ of these homes. Every morning they are released from their cages, free to fly and move about. When they have had enough the owners come on the roof and make these sounds that you hear in the recorded CD, to bring them, the doves, back home. AR Rehman has most creatively used those authentic sounds and composed this extraordinary number, sung by the extraordinary Rekha Bharadwaj, wife of the extraordinary director Vishal Bharadwaj of Omkara fame, for the film. As you may have guessed by now after seeing some of the promos of ‘Delhi 6′, that the dove has a very significant and symbolic presence in the film. The number ‘Masakali’ on the disc which has become almost an anthem in the country due to its popularity, is in fact the name of the dove. It plays an important part in the romance between Sonam and Abhishek. So there !!

http://bigb.bigadda.com/2009/02/

[ajaybaskar]

"Best of ARR" moves to No.4 in UK iTunes chart

http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10soundtrackalbums.html

[A.ANAND]

oscar-re 3 nominations arr-ikku kodukum bothu, naangamatum 3 nomination kodukkamatama innu filmfare nenachithangalo!

[A.ANAND]

நாடி வரும் ரஹ்மான்!
விலகி நிற்கும் இசைஞானி?

'ராஜா சார் மியூசிக்லே நாங்கள்ளாம் பாடப் போகும்போது, அங்கே கீ போர்டு வாசிச்சிட்டிருந்த குட்டிப் பையன்தான் இப்போ 'கோல்டன் குளோப்' வரைக்கும் போயிருக்கும் ஏ.ஆர்.ரஹ்மான் என்பது எங்களுக்கெல்லாம் ரொம்ப சந்தோஷமா இருக்கு! அவரு ஆஸ்கார் விருதையும் வாங்கனும்' என்று வாயார வாழ்த்துகிறார்கள் அந்த கால பாடகிகள்!

தன் இசையோடு வளர்ந்த மாணவனுக்கு கிடைத்த விருதுகளை எண்ணி இதழோரம் புன்சிரிப்பையும், பெருமையையும் வெளிப்படுத்தும் இசைஞானி, அதே மாணவனை நேரடியாக சந்தித்து ஆசி தருவதற்கு மட்டும் யோசிக்கிறாராம். எத்தனையோ பாராட்டுகள் வந்தாலும், இசைஞானி வீட்டிலிருந்து வந்த பொக்கேவைதான் பெருமையாக நினைக்கிறார் ரஹ்மான்.

ஒருமுறை நேரில் சந்தித்து ஆசி பெறலாம் என்றும் விரும்பினாராம். ஆனால், இசைஞானியின் அனுமதி இசைப் புயலுக்கு கிடைப்பதில் தொடர் தாமதம் ஏற்பட்டு வருகிறதாம்.

இசையில் அபஸ்வரம் ஒலிக்கலாமா

source:www.tamilcinema.com

[ajaybaskar]

There is a special programme "Ella Pughazhum Oruvanukkae" on AR Rahman which is to be telecast in Vijay TV from 16th feb to 20th feb at 7 pm everyday. Dont miss it...

[A.ANAND]

Alive - Provoked Music Video ... Featuring ARR & Sridhar Ji

In This Song ...U Can see ARR And Sridhar Ji Working Togather

Here Is The ScreenShot.. ..

http://i41.tinypic.com/10f4cye.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/2d91q4k.jpg


http://shareator.net/ts3sv7qsncww/Provoked-Alive.2006.DVDRip.XviD.Music.Video.avi.html

thanks:a.r.rajibarrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com

[crajkumar_be]

sung by the extraordinary Rekha Bharadwaj, wife of the extraordinary director Vishal Bharadwaj of Omkara fame, for the film.
Oh, nandri hai!

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:8433dc0991]Rahman's giant line-up

Invites international and Indian music legends to his school in Chennai

Soumyadipta Banerjee and Prithwish Ganguly

Maestros Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan, Shivkumar Sharma,
Kenny G and Yanni are some of the legends who, sources say, have been invited by
Oscar-nominated music composer AR Rahman to pay a visit to his music school — the KM Music
Conservatory in Chennai. Apparently, talks are also on to try and bring down Andrew Lloyd
Webber, who produced Rahman's musical Bombay Dreams in 2002.
An inside source says, "The programme will be held for the initiation of the second batch of
students to the school, which was formally launched on March 12 last year. The programme may
also mark the announcement of the school moving to a quieter environment, a lush green
five-acre campus on the outskirts of Chennai. Right now, the school operates from Rahman's
studio. The new campus will have spacious class rooms, a concert hall, a recording studio and
residential accommodation for the faculty and students. The campus should be ready by next
year-end."
Another source adds, "The aim is to get the students to interact with the legends, so that they
get to learn something from these giants. Rahman wants all his students to have a sound base in
music, and wants them to know different genres of music. These esteemed guests might also
become a part of the visiting faculty of the school. They will individually spend time with
each student and help them out with their queries," the source adds.

DNA[/tscii:8433dc0991]

[A.ANAND]

[tscii:d88e1a0639]Rahman's giant line-up

Invites international and Indian music legends to his school in Chennai

Soumyadipta Banerjee and Prithwish Ganguly

Maestros Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Amjad Ali Khan, Shivkumar Sharma,
Kenny G and Yanni are some of the legends who, sources say, have been invited by
Oscar-nominated music composer AR Rahman to pay a visit to his music school — the KM Music
Conservatory in Chennai. Apparently, talks are also on to try and bring down Andrew Lloyd
Webber, who produced Rahman's musical Bombay Dreams in 2002.
An inside source says, "The programme will be held for the initiation of the second batch of
students to the school, which was formally launched on March 12 last year. The programme may
also mark the announcement of the school moving to a quieter environment, a lush green
five-acre campus on the outskirts of Chennai. Right now, the school operates from Rahman's
studio. The new campus will have spacious class rooms, a concert hall, a recording studio and
residential accommodation for the faculty and students. The campus should be ready by next
year-end."
Another source adds, "The aim is to get the students to interact with the legends, so that they
get to learn something from these giants. Rahman wants all his students to have a sound base in
music, and wants them to know different genres of music. These esteemed guests might also
become a part of the visiting faculty of the school. They will individually spend time with
each student and help them out with their queries," the source adds.

DNA[/tscii:d88e1a0639]

[A.ANAND]

Vijay TV honours Rahman

Express FeaturesFirst Published : 16 Feb 2009 11:36:00 PM ISTLast Updated : 16 Feb 2009 12:40:11 PM IST

Today, AR Rahman is being celebrated the world over. Born Dilip Kumar, the music great is being hailed not only nationally, but also internationally.
Having won the Golden Globe award and the prestigious BAFTA Award for Slumdog Millionaire, AR Rahman is now being featured in Vijay TV's Ella Pugazum Oruvan Oruvanukae, a programme to celebrate living legends and their achievements.

The show will be a biography of the 'Mozart of Madras'. starting from his childhood days, the show covers the life of the legend, all those who have been a part of his success till date, his school days; his struggle after the death of his father, and later his entry into films.

The show will feature a documented film, which will speak about his entry into the media field as a jingles composer for advertisements. His achievements include four National Awards, six State Government Awards, Golden Globe award and the latest BAFTA Award for his Slumdog Millionaire.
Singers from the film fraternity, who were introduced by the world renowned music composer, will also be speaking about him. Apart from them, director Shankar, Gautham Vasudeva Menon, Vishnuvaradan, music directors MS Viswanathan, Deva, GV Prakash, and playback singers Hariharan, SP Balasubramanian, Unni Menon, Chitra and many others will feature in this AR Rahman special and will speak about the great legend.

Fans of Rahman also got a rare chance to wish him. A signature campaign is set across Abirami mega mall, INOX and Satyam where the public could wish the legendary composer. This campaign lasted till February, 13.
The signature quilt, signed by the 'who's-who' of the film fraternity and fans will be handed over in person to Rahman by the crew of Vijay TV from February 16 to February 19.

[ajaybaskar]

http://ursmusically.blogspot.com/2009/02/illayaraja-vs-arrahman.html

[Indumathi]

-deleted with warning-

[Hulkster]

Ignore indhumathi guys....if possible delete her post.

[Indumathi]

Sorry. I didnt think that it will create a earthquake in u hulkster.

[Ramakrishna]

Sorry. I didnt think that it will create a earthquake in u hulkster.

Another useless post to be deleted i guess :wink:

[Indumathi]

Extremely sorry......................

[SoftSword]

wat happd here?
some pm me...

[dinesh2002]

im guessing something about that IR vs ARR issue huh....

[ajaybaskar]

Golden Globe Winner A.R.Rahman is being felicitated in a special Function organised by The Film Music Composer's Committee in Chennai, on March 1st, 2009.

The Venue is :- Vadapalni Music DIrector's Committee Building

Time :- 6 PM

All Music DIrectors are participating in the function and would be sharing their joy on A.R.Rahman.

The Preparations for the same are being organised and carried out by

Rama Subbu - Head for the Committee
Abu Gabriel - Executive In Charge
S.A. Rajkumar - Trust Chairman ( AR played Keyboard for this MD in the movie " Pudhu Vasantham" directed by Vikraman )

[Yathu]

ARR IS GOING TO PERFORM ON THE JAY LENO SHOW ON NBC THIS THURSDAY!!! NBC is one of the leading American TV channels & The Jay Leno show is a very famous show there!

He'll be on the show with Freida Pinto (Latika from SDM). You can check the details on the NBC website (I can't post the link as im on my mobile!).

[natha1729]

i hope he does not play the jai ho frikin c_rap or any of the slumdog millinora tracks - i regret to say no one of my friends ever remembered any of the tracks and all they could think of was the "s_hit" scene. Oh, India Awake. Awake and smell the coffee and get clean toilets for the people. O' India.

BTW, i would like a song from Tenali.

[lancelot]

ARR IS GOING TO PERFORM ON THE JAY LENO SHOW ON NBC THIS THURSDAY!!! NBC is one of the leading American TV channels & The Jay Leno show is a very famous show there!

He'll be on the show with Freida Pinto (Latika from SDM). You can check the details on the NBC website (I can't post the link as im on my mobile!).

http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/calendar/

[A.ANAND]

hans zimmer on arrahman


"I kept hearing his music and really liking it ...

there was a fresh sound and a fresh approach ... and a completely different way of looking at film music," said Rahman's friend, the German-born film composer Hans Zimmer. "Like any good artist, A.R. is not a traditionalist, he's a revolutionary. He uses all the revolutionary things that come from all over the world in his stuff ... hip-hop beats, electronics .... and there's an incredible inquisitiveness and playfulness in his music ... .
"Plus he writes a bloody good tune," said Zimmer, an Oscar-winner for his score to "The Lion King." "He's got the most perfect love theme ("Latika's Theme") in 'Slumdog Millionaire' which I am incredibly envious of in a loving way."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/18/arts/NA-FEA-US-Oscar-Rahman.php

[SoftSword]

"I can't suddenly dump them." said Rahman. "India is going through this huge change in the whole vision of film-making and I want to be a part of that change."

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

[Yathu]

Herbie Hancock to perform with A R Rahman

Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock who "absolutely loves" the music of the Oscar-nominated film "Slumdog Millionaire' is now readying to perform with composer A R Rahman in Chennai later this month.

Hancock who is part of the official US delegation accompanying Martin Luther King III on a 11-day tour of India would perform on a special composition by Rahman the theme of non violence.

"I absolutely loved the music of Slumdog. It combines the influence of several cultures," Hancock said referring to the British Danny Boyle rags-to riches film with music by A R Rahman which is in the running for multiple Oscars this year.


Alhough the Chicago-based piano legend has not seen the film he said he is looking forward to performing with Rahman in Chennai scheduled on February 24.

Hancock, accompanied by vocalist-actor Dee Dee Bridgewaters and diva singer Chaka Khan and keyboard player George Duke on his India tour said, "The spirit of music is firebrand and amazing. More and more artists and musicians are now crossing invisible boundaries of countries and continents and becoming cultural ambassadors."

The 12-time Grammy winner who was greeted with resounding applause after his performance of the "Living Dream" concert in the capital said, "We are here to celebrate peace and music is all about bringing people together."

In Chennai, apart from a composition with Rahman there would also be a dramatic reading by film actor and director Kamal Haasan.

"This is my third time in India and even more joyful occasion for me to be able to connect to Mahatma Gandhi and celebrate the connection made 50 years ago between Martin Luther King, Jr and Gandhi the father of the Indian nation.

"The first African American President Barack Obama did not have a chance to meet Martin Luther King, Jr just like King Jr did not meet Gandhi who passed away in 1947. But they met symbolically through their actions," said Hancock.

Dee Dee Bridgewaters said that she found a connection with Indian music. "When I listened to music from India it feels as though it is a combination of West African and Jazz music. Also the tabla bears a close resemblance to African drums."

Bridgewaters who is of Ugandan origin said, "Music today has influences from all around the world. All our music styles are connected. The traditions and approaches might be different but the music is universal."

Hancock agrees as he says, "We have to be one as a race to face the essential threat of human existence so that we can live on this planet in peace. History has proved that India shares common ancestry with Africa. When the first tribes left Africa, they came to India. The first generic marks of the African people are found here. Only music can bind us together."

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb182009/national20090218119270.asp?section=updatenews

[ajaybaskar]

Excerpts from A.R. Rahman on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Jason Bentley: Next up on Morning Becomes Eclectic we welcome the great Indian composer A.R. Rahman. He has scored over 130 films and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Welcome to KCRW.

A.R. Rahman: How are you?

JB: I'm good, how are you doing?

ARR: I'm good.

JB: Now, Slumdog Millionaire is your latest film in theatres here, although you're so prolific you probably have three, four films out since then. But it's the latest one that's available here in theatres. How did director Danny Boyle first approach you for this project? Did he send you a script?

ARR: Yeah, he sent a script and I was doing another movie at the time, so I was waiting for that to get over.. By then he had cut the film already. He sent me a DVD of that; I watched it and I was very impressed. I called him and said, 'when do we start?

So I asked him 'why do you want me and what do you like in my music?' to analyze what to give him because I've been doing different sorts of things. I wanted to be very clear about what I should do in this movie, so he said 'I like this, I like that.' Then I started sending him ideas and he would respond to it, and then, once we had enough ideas to match the film, and all the cues I started developing it even more.

JB: This film's about sort of a young man's quest for love against all odds in his life. There are also a number of themes in the film: the extreme poverty that we see, the extreme population in Mumbai - and, just to give people some perspective, Mumbai is a city of 13 million people -

ARR: -and contradictions.

JB: -and contradictions.

ARR: You're the world's richest person there and the world's poorest people.

JB: So, a great disparity of wealth. Just by comparison, Los Angeles - a city of 4 million people compared to Mumbai of 13 million. Also, we see religious violence, very modern India colliding with the old world and the tradition, and these are all themes in the film. When you think of a movie that - in this case is made by Westerners - did you feel that it was authentic?

ARR: I think Danny [Boyle, director] started loving the place, and it's not in a very condescending way that he has portrayed it. He has probably portrayed it probably true to what it is - which it was 'cause it's a past thing, and now things have changed drastically. There is so much development, there's so much change in Mumbai. So in that way it was right, and what I liked was he captured the spirit of Mumbai, which is undying. It was great.

JB: "…which is undying." Explain that.

ARR: You know, like when you go to New York, you feel that people are motivated and they are just charged and anything that happens, the next day they are back on to work, they don't care about it. They want the life. Bombay is such a place - a lot of things which happen, people keep going, and nobody gets dropped.

JB: It was all very surreal for me as I saw the film, and then the very next morning I awoke to see the headlines of the violence in Mumbai. Where were you when this happened?

ARR: I was recording, and I had a couple of my friends from Mumbai, directors whose songs I was recording, and it was very disturbing. We didn't have time to brood about it, we kept going and finishing the song. And then the next couple of days it striked how big it was. It's created an impact, which is going to change a lot of things…in a good way, though I hate to admit such a bad thing happened, but the results are going to be good. The people are together, and we are not seeing any adversity. They are together and saying that 'we will make a change.'

JB: What is the psyche of the city at this time now - your observation, the spirit that you mentioned? Have people…are they healing or recovered or still in shock?

ARR: For me, after that shock there was another shock. On a personal level, I lost my sound engineer, who was very close to me for 20 years. I tried to finish a project in three days, and I just - I want to get out of this place. And I came to LA, and things are better now and my mind has changed.

In fact, the music head of Fox was saying that they - 'somebody sent me a cue of yours to the Mumbai Theme, and I love the strings on it.' And I said 'the guy who did the strings is no more.' It's irony. Anyway.

JB: I'd like to play that Mumbai theme. This is the first piece that I heard of your work years ago. I think I came across it on a compilation from Talvin Singh, it was on that compilation - but this is associated with the film Bombay from 1995. Can you mention, talk about this piece of music before we go into it?

ARR: Yeah, this piece of music, again there was a big thing which happened in Bombay - the demolition of the masjid and the riots after that and the bombings after that. I think it moved me so greatly that the movie was about two couples from different religions marrying and going to Bombay.. I'm still going to call it Bombay. And so when he asked for a tune for a song, this thing came to me. It's not a tune for a song, but it's a tune for a theme, and I recorded the strings without his knowledge and then I sent it to him. And that's how it came about.

JB: Well, it's a beautiful piece of music, and this is what you opened with at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of years back…

ARR: Yeah.

JB: …but just a stunning piece of music. So let's play The Mumbai Theme. It's music by A.R. Rahman - he's my guest on Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW.

Music Break: Mumbai Theme & Divinity Theme

JB: That was the Mumbai Theme, followed by the Divinity Them from “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” which was a collaboration with Scottish composer Craig Armstrong. How did that collaboration come about and are you looking for other opportunities to work on Western films?

ARR: Yeah. The collaboration with Craig Armstrong came … wanted me to do a score combined with a Western composer, and for me it was a great experience. All of us had these questions about how they work in the West. I've done a film called Worries of Heaven - a Chinese film - that was completely different, so this a proper Hollywood way of working in “The Golden Age.” And Craig is such a nice gentleman and was kind enough to give me a space in Glasgow, and it was fun and a nice experience.

JB: What are the differences that you've noticed between the Hollywood style of film composing - and film making - and the studio system in India?

ARR: India is not one system, there are multi-systems. One is the pressure of delivering, which is there everywhere. Things have changed, actually. I started, probably - I'm 42 now - yeah, I was in the industry, I was playing for people at the age of 12, so I've crossed three generations, so I can't remember how the lines crossed.

JB: Was it a shock in any way working in the Western system or did you just find it as comfortable as you were used to?

ARR: I think the first breaking of the ice came when Andrew Lloyd Weber wanted me to do this Bombay Dreams thing, so that's when I discovered a lot of things: to work with a Western orchestra in preparation and all that stuff. There it's like a family, you know, 'oh I need strings this afternoon' and they'll come. And some days they just dictate on the fly the notes. [Sings an example] So it's a different way of working for certain things. Certain things we have a score. So here the preparation is a great deal. I mean orchestration: preparation and marking the time.

JB: It's more of a technical process?

ARR: Absolutely, it's a great deal. So, I think I have a great orchestrator and once I finish my score I give it to him and he does it.

JB: MIA had a breakout hit this past summer in America with "Paper Planes," which is featured on the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire. We also heard your collaboration with MIA called "O Saya" to open this segment. How was it working with MIA?

ARR: Well, I listened to her stuff two years back and I was really impressed and she had of course followed my music because she speaks Tamil and I met her when she wanted to do some …in my studios last year. But we spent more time because Danny wanted me to collaborate with her and even I wanted to collaborate with her. She is like a tank of ideas. So it was great, collaborating with her.

JB: You seem like a collaborator by nature. I notice on every track on Slumdog Millionaire there are featured artists. Do you love to work with creative people?

ARR: Yeah, of course.

JB: Well the next couple tracks I'd like to play "Ringa Ringa" and "Liquid Dance." Can you tell me about these songs?

APR: The first one was "Ringa Ringa." "Ringa Ringa" is actually.. in the ‘90s there was a huge hit film…. and Danny had used that as a temp so I didn’t want to use that in the film, so what I did was I took the tempo number and I recreated the same genre of the song so that's how this hook was created.

JB: And "Liquid Dance?"

ARR: "Liquid Dance" is… I've done something on a basic level and I didn't want to repeat that so we recorded it, chopped it all up and added some strings to it to give it a flavor and finally made the sound good, I guess.

JB: It does indeed. Let's take a listen. Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. AR Raman is my guest on Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Music Break: “Ringa Ringa and “Liquid Dance”

JB: It's Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW. My guest this hour AR Rahman, Indian composer. He’s just spending a little time in Los Angeles and promoting the new Danny Boyle film Slumdog Millionaire. When I first heard that name I thought it was a rapper, you know Little Wayne and Slumdog Millionaire. But it's a new film and it's in theaters now. Composer AR Raman is with me. I understand you've started a music school, a conservatory, in India. Tell us more about that and your goals with that.

ARR: The more I went into orchestra and music for films, I found less players in India and no motivation to learn acoustic instruments. They all wanted to be DJ's and composers with sequences which is great, so nobody…the government was more interested in Indian classical, a little bit, not that much also. So there was a rumor saying that one of the corporates was going to do a school and I was waiting for like almost eight years. So I just said forget it. Let's do it. And just six days before my birthday I said let's announce it on my birthday, so it will get noticed. I announced it and in three months a lot of things happened by itself. A lot of people started emailing me and saying "I would be interested in teaching." Then I had empty land near my studio and I said 'let's build a building for the school.' So it all came up in six months and I had a good collaboratorwho said I'll take care of it don't worry. And, yeah we have faculty from the US, and Holland and the UK all teaching classical, harpsichord, harp, piano, violin, voice and stuff.

JB: That’s amazing, amazing.

ARR: And we have around 110 students.

JB: Wow, and will you instruct on modern techniques as well, using software programs or is it mainly traditional?

ARR: No, it’s basically I have the responsibility of these people paying the fees-- I am supporting it almost 3/4s money goes from me, then 1/4 goes from the students -- I want them to have a good career after that, when they come out. I don’t want them to be a violinist sitting at home without any work. So having this knowledge and the art of playing, and present day knowledge of computers, editing and recording so they will be able to find good careers in their life. So that is the idea. And I need people too, I need players, composers, and conductors. So it will be a factory of creative people coming out.

JB: Well, with the number of films that you do work on it seems that you need a factory around you. How many films on the average do you compose for?

ARR: I would like to do six films, but…

JB: Each year?

ARR: Yeah, sometimes what happens certain films get delayed and goes to the next year.

JB: That’s amazing. Will you be planning any live shows or returns to the Hollywood Bowl or do shows around the world?

ARR: There is an offer, but I don’t want to do the same thing. I just want to make my whole performance different this time, so I will be working on it.

JB: I just wanted to ask you about your creative process with directors. Do you typically work very closely on a film or is it … as we know in the States a composer will typically come on in the final six weeks of a film and they are the last element to come in.

ARR: No, no that is very bad. That will create so much confusion. They will put on the temp music and then they will like the temp music and then they would like the composer to better the temp music and it becomes a real disaster.

What I would like to do, in India what we do is that I get signed before and I do the songs, the songs get shot and the themes are derived from the songs. Here, also like in the olden days I would love to, if I work in any Western movie, I would love to see the script and give the themes before the director goes for shooting and that way it will be much more integrated you know.

JB: A great score has two components, it supports, accentuates, helps define scenes in the film and it is great music in and of itself. When you listen to the soundtrack without seeing the movie the music stands on its own. How do you approach the problem of making your scores both perfect for the film and wonderful simply as a listening experience as music?

ARR: This is a recent problem that just happened. When I worked on Golden Age too this happened. When you have a melody you suddenly say ‘oh, the melody is disturbing my theme.’ I thought that is a better way to do it because it adds another element to the film. Because in India they love theme music and they love when the hero and heroine fall in love they love to hear the love themes and all this stuff. But most of my scores I love to have a melody and in a sublime way coming in, but I am waiting for more challenges. In Slumdog, what we did was sudden cues which had only rhythm and stuff, for the CD we add a little more so it would become more listenable and that took extra couple of weeks for me to do that.

JB: So you would do unique versions for the soundtrack recording?

ARR: Yeah.

JB: Would you say that music plays a stronger role in Indian cinema?

ARR: Yeah.

JB: Definitely, huh?

ARR: Yeah, it brings more audience into the theatre. Because when the song releases earlier it gets promoted in all the channels and people come to watch the song first and if they like the movie it is a bonus.

JB: I'd like to close with the song, Jai Ho. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s a dance number and in some ways more of a traditional scene, what we might expect from a Bollywood film, in Slumdog Millionaire. Can you tell us anything about this, a little bit more about this song?

ARR: The film actually had another track that charted to another temp track because at that time I was not in as a composer and when I saw that, I felt that it could be a better song and more appropriate to the situation and I had this chant, "J Ho" which means victory celebration and so I tried… Danny could never believe that it could be another song because when you shoot, it did not have lip sync so I did this and chopped it and put it and showed it to him and he shot it twice and said "its working!" So it was great fun doing that.

JB: It is a great scene in the film. It’s a wonderful film it is called Slumdog Millionaire it is in theatres now. A.R. Rahman has been my guest on Morning Becomes Eclectic we'll go out with J Ho from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. Mr. Rahman thank you for your time today.

ARR: Thank you

[par]

Thanks ajaybaskar. It was great reading the piece.

[muzammil_fr]

Ella Pugazhum Oruvan Oruvanukkae - A Show About A.R.Rahman - Vijay TV
Watch It Here
http://www.uyirvani.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21175

[Mahen]

http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2009/feb/18pic1-bollywood-on-rahman-and-oscar.htm

[ajaybaskar]

ARR Vs IR

http://indiaspecial.net/entertainment/what-prevails-illayarajayam-or-rahmania/

[directhit]

isnt the jay leno show over long back?! no updates yet :?

[directhit]

some updates from orkut :


Just watched it! Was totally awesome. Jai Ho has become the mantra of the world. It will surely win the OSCARS :-D. ARR Sir looked awesome performing. And i'm soo happy that his voice singing 'Jai Ho' is echoing around the universe!


guys I saw this show last night here in US. It was amazing.

Rahman will perform Medley of Latika and Jai Ho.

read in rediff that sukhwinder is not gonna perform for Jai Ho and looks like its true - thalaivar has sung it in Jay Leno show also :cool2:

[jaaze]

isnt the jay leno show over long back?! no updates yet :?
:notthatway:
That show was aired in US this thursday night (ie. with time lag, it is only Today IST/SGT)

Searching for it on youtube.. :smile2:

[directhit]

:P long back na today morning dhaan mean pannen :P - idhellam eduthu u-tube la poda venaama
wibha :hammer: vera yaaru US irukkara hub ARR fans :roll:

[jaaze]

the latest they have is kate winslet :sigh2:
atleast I can watch it over the weekend :boo:
wibha :hammer: :hammer: :x :evil:

[directhit]

:oops: i didnt see this


Jay Leno show => any idea where to watch? :huh:

Try this:

http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/video/episodes/

It'll be uploaded after the shows been aired though. I don't know if its available outside of America? Can't check the link at the moment!

OR

You could wait until someone uploads ARRs bits onto YouTube.

Only two routes I could think of! Or you could have a webcam chat with someone you know in America while the shows on and you could watch it that way!!

someone upload to youtube or veoh plssssssssss :sigh2:

[ajaybaskar]

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/music/genre-wm/south-asian/ar-rahman-maa-tujhe-salaam-wm.html

Source:Yahoogroups

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2009/02/20/4875/index.html

[lancelot]

A R Rehman performing at Tonight Show with Jay Leno Feb 19, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g53JPt6wwB4

hehe
:D

[ajaybaskar]

As we await the golden moment, let us spend a few minutes to think of one man who was instrumental in ARR's success..


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

[directhit]

watch this while waiting for the Oscars :P

Rahman concert at Delhi 2008 (http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/music/watch/v17501848CR6etzBT)

[jaaze]

thanks for all the videos ajaybaskar & anoop :)

[sabari_in]

http://tamil.techsatish.net/file/ar-rahman-interview-feb-19/

[sabari_in]

http://www.rahmanism.com/2009/02/download-pussycat-dolls-jai-ho-remix.html

[sabari_in]

http://tamil.techsatish.net/file/ar-rahman-interview-feb-18/

[littlemaster1982]

[tscii:3c0056621e]It's a bridge for Indian cinema: A R Rahman (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4179888.cms?flstry=1)

24 Feb 2009, 0400 hrs IST, Leela Mulchandani, ET Bureau

For a man who's just become the first Indian to win two Oscars, A R Rahman couldn't be any more humble. His first reaction is to thank all those who have prayed for him and supported his music. Rahman takes out a few minutes to tell us what it feels like to win the most prestigious award in world cinema and what it means for India's film industry.

When the evening kicked off, did you think you would end the night with two Oscars?

I had very little expectation to win anything so I was concentrating on the performance. When the first award was announced I was almost mute and then I went on to perform. After the performance when the second award was presented, that’s when I realised the enormity of the occasion. I'm very grateful to all the prayers and wishes of the people in India and the world who have appreciated my music.

What was your favourite moment at the awards?

I really loved having the kids who acted in Slumdog there. The way the kids came in was wonderful and it was so moving. In fact, they were so touched, it was such a big moment for them too that they were all crying in the end.

Are there any plans for a celebration back here in India?

Yes, absolutely. I actually want to host a celebration honouring all the musicians, singers, lyric writers and everyone else from the music industry who has worked with me from the time of my first film Roja. I’ve had this in mind for a while now and since the Oscars have happened, I think its apt to have it now.

The song Jai Ho has become the anthem of the nation. What does it mean to you now?

I always believe that words have a power and that's the reason I sometimes fight with lyricists and tell them not to put negative words in songs. Words mock the action and intention of real life according to me. Subhash Ghai was the one who suggested that I should have a song with the words Jai Ho. So when I read the script of Slumdog I thought it would fit in well. Danny loved it too. There was another song in the contention but I believe it was the destiny of this song to be felicitated.

This success opens many doors for you, will Bollywood continue to be the main focus for you?

Well, I've taken advances and spent them already. [Laughs] So I need to do those films. I'm coming back to India very soon to work on the films that I've committed myself to and I'm a man of my word so I will be back there soon.

According to you, how will Resul Pookutty’s and your triumph impact the film industry and its professionals here?

It is a good starting point. I see this as a bridge for the Indian industry to go truly global. Earlier, there was an aversion when a different kind of cinema was played in America and this actually led to a collusion. Now that Hollywood has accepted Slumdog, I think it sets a trend. If we make more films that can appeal to a global audience then many more Indians can cross over to the international film industries.

What are the perceptions about India in Hollywood and how will this change now?

Everyone treats each other as equals here. think this is a great start and a great time to do some original and credible work and push the envelop to take the Indian film industry to a great height.
[/tscii:3c0056621e]

[Pveena]

did anyone else know that ARR was in an Akon video??? When did this happen!?!?!?

check out this link to the music video for "Beautiful", and watch for the 2:29 min mark.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/Akon/videos/view/Beautiful--206066787

My brother pointed this out to me....somehow our dear ARR looks SLIGHTLY uncomfortable with all those women around him!

[jaaze]

did anyone else know that ARR was in an Akon video??? When did this happen!?!?!?

check out this link to the music video for "Beautiful", and watch for the 2:29 min mark.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/Akon/videos/view/Beautiful--206066787

My brother pointed this out to me....somehow our dear ARR looks SLIGHTLY uncomfortable with all those women around him!

:shock: :o what's ARR doing there? when was this? (it says 2009 though)

agree :)

[Pveena]

I did a bit more research: the music video was released in North America just today I think...brand new....the song itself is quite popular on the radio...

What exactly is the ARR connection with Akon? Did he do something on this track? Are they collaborating in the future?

Whatever the connection, this is another sign that the great ARR is really continuing to break boundaries when it comes to music!! :clap: :cheer:

[littlemaster1982]

There was a news sometime back about this collaboration with Akon. ARR himself was mentioning about this, if I'm not wrong.

Anyway, that was fast PVeena :thumbsup:

[pure bliss]

Exclusive Interview- AR Rahman on the SouthSide Show 63

AO: If you had to pick a ideal acceptance speech because I know you have the Golden Globes one and the BAFTA Awards which was very short, what would be your ideal acceptance speech when you chilled out in saying it, without millions of eyes on you?

AR: There's no ideal acceptance speech. You forget something always. When you have a piece of paper, it looks ugly. Normally I would just say "All Praises To God" and escape, but now I need to say things about people that worked hard, like, you know, "Sam Schwartz is my agent in Hollywood and the PR people, Hindi PR, and I have to say all the people who have given extraordinary opportunity for me to do music in India which became a bridge for me to do... um, go to the West, to get the love from the audience, and all the people who have given good suggestions, you know, all the singers, all the recording engineers, all the musicians, all the lyricists are very important, all the people who acted all of the lovely ladies and the guys in the action movies," so there's no end actually.

AO: So there's a long list then, actually?

AR: I can't hold any of my own awards. I can just represent all of them and get...(laughs).

AO: And you know one of the sad things that has happened recently is H. Sridhar (Rahman's sound engineer who has passed away)

AR: It's sad in a way and it's happy in a way actually.

AO: Yeah?

AR: Happy because you can see the whole world point of view in two different angles, one as never being born and being born and having the torture of living life and living your life and making other people happy is also one thing. So here's a person who has worked so hard, who has made other people happy who had made a great contribution to art and he's pushed me on recording and has guided me so much in the beginning days, I owed him for having all this extraordinary technology we had, with the support of him and both us withstood through that stuff and in a way when you see a person die with a good name and people come to mourn and comfort mourners as I was then old and cynical and abusing the inner community (laughs) which we also see that, but I also wish that, you know, I should go in a way where I'm not cynical and not pessimistic about the talent which I hunger and embraced it anyway, so that's very important, and to get a good meal every time . I pity his family though because I think he died very young. He was only 48. His kids are great.

AO: Great musicians as well I hear...

AR: Yeah, they are good. They're gonna be hopefully joining me.

AO: Really? Excellent! That's great to hear. Speaking of that, who do you think... It's a question that many people have said. Who do you think your successor will be? I ask this because you've left an indelible mark already in just over a decade.

AR: I don't know. My kids-I just want to probably educate my kids in music and let them have a choice. If I think that, well I know a lot of musicians who have done the mistake... well maybe not a mistake, but in my point of view, like great violin players and great trumpet players, you know, they're all like "My sons should not be in music. They should find another, more stable job." They've enjoyed the pleasure of being musicians, which is a strange case of us not having any more musicians, or very few musicians who want their sons to be going into that. I feel it's in a way, betrayal not to put your kids into the art which gave you livelihood and gave you the respect and love from the people.

AO: So, what's on your iPod right now?

AR: I don't have an iPod now (laughs)

AO: What music are you listening to?

AR: I'm mostly listening to a film because I'm constantly traveling. In L.A. I was listening to a hip-hop station and in London, a classical station.

AO: So what does it feel like to be getting this massive recognition? We've been waiting for this for years. I know your fans have been waiting for years to see this. I always say, "Is the Nobel Peace Prize next?"

AR: I think the whole attention thing gets wrong if you're craving that stuff. I just want to do my bit and get out. And I wanna build with people, not destroy them like [Barack] Obama says (laughs). That was a great statement that I loved from Obama saying that "Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy." That goes for all of us.

AO: How does it feel though, all the adulation and accolades because I know you were saying that in Hollywood, the Golden Globes, they barely pronounced your name right and suddenly all of the press wanted to take pictures of you and speak to you?

AR: Yeah it's a weird thing actually. When I first went to the first Critic Awards, no one in the press wanted me. They said "Who is this guy? Get out. I want Danny Boyle or Freida Pinto." So the next awards which were the Golden Globes, they said "Oh, why don't you join all of them, sir?" So the next on when I won a couple of awards and they said "Oh can I have a single photograph of you?"

AR: It's a great feeling.

AO: That's a great feeling, starting from square one to, you know, all in three days (laughs).

AR: It's an amazing thing though, bridging the gap between Indian cinema and Hollywood.
I positively think there's a world of talent there, but what they lack is someone to guide them toward what the world's tastes would be. Some of the bands I watched. I was a jury for a couple of shows, just incredible energy and incredible enthusiasm and originality. So for me, I positively think that I don't get all these awards personally. It's like a bridge for outstanding artists yet to come. It's for them and I wish them good luck, yeah.

AO: And of course you got plenty of territory incentive and an incentive for poverty eradication

AR: That's too overblown. It's very spoiled compared to what can be achieved, but if it's a seed, it could grow big and spread. It's good to grow a seed now and all these things can be achieved, maybe it can be achieved. The way the world is going, anything's possible, as long as it's constructive and not destructive.

AO At a young age you were not only touring but you were also doing rock bands and you've been encouraging a lot of rock bands from India. How do you feel about rock music and where that's progressing?

AR: The idea of public performance is very important because that's like the only source of income for musicians now. Anything comes out on the Internet; even rough mixes are on the Net. Nobody even thinks twice, ethically. It's a matter of convenience, I know that. In my opinion, there's much more in Indian culture which can come out and I'm hoping for that day.

AO: The youth samples. Someone asked a technical question because I had something on my Facebook page. It had something to do with sample libraries. The fact that you wouldn't create your own and do you have a vast library of them, you know, how does it come about?

AR: What happens is when you're writing full of music, sometimes you just use some sample and create a song. The melody marries to the song so much that it's insuperable sometimes and then you feel like "Oh I could have changed it" because that can be used by anyone. Then you get into trouble, like "Oh this sounds like that artist." They don't understand the originality of a song, you know they see the sample. So now I'm trying to avoid that and see what happens. There's another whole new process to be done to create those little templates.

AO: One thing I know about you is that you're incredibly hard working; I've not seen you work. How do you have time for friends? Are friends the people you work with?

AR: Yeah. I gotta make friends with everyone. I'm not into that lifestyle of social things. Constantly when you are in music you enjoy that the most. It's better to be in the house with your family or in the studio working, creating something which is going to be a pleasure to people.

AO: And one of the major things that you introduced to India, certainly was not just the incredible sound quality of your music but the fact that you credited all of the musicians, all the singers. Tell me a little bit about the concept behind that. Was it that you were influenced by the West to do that? So everyone got recognized and so many people's careers have blossomed from this.

AR: You don't lose anything by crediting them. You only gain more goodwill. When you create something, if something happens to their career, then it's good for you because when you see somebody happy, you can be happy for them. That's my philosophy of life. It's been working out well so far.

AO: One of the major things that you have done is also introduce international musicians. You've worked with so many. Vanessa May, Ash King, etc. How did these musicians come to you? How do you find these people?

AR: Just casually. If I like the feel of anybody, I have to work with them. That's it. I don't care whether they're famous or not famous, but if they're contributing to something good and bringing something to the music, I'm open.

AO: And do you ever get the kind of creative block? Does it ever stop your music?

AR: Sometimes it can. You need to get an idea which has to be very focused on certain situations, for movie songs and stuff. Since I probably work on stuff that is easier for us and then go to the tougher things. When you have a good relationship with the director, you can get away with it I guess.

AO: Who are your favorite directors because you worked with Mani Ratnam and Chankar and now Danny Boyle?

AR: I don't work with anybody if I don't like them or if they don't like me. The ones that brought great work and unity were probably Mani Ratnam, Rakesh, Danny Boyle, Chankar, etc.

AO: Sometimes you have a brilliant but the filming of the movie was that good even though there was a fantastic director behind it. How do you feel when that happens because it must happen a lot?

AR: I used to be very OK with it, as far as four years back. Then people started a big fuss over it like "Why did they wanna do that?" So then I started getting a little choosy. I had my way of getting away with it. I stayed away from doing those kinds of films because it's so much hard work which is not only mine, but also actors and musicians and stuff that goes to waste, then it's very frustrating. You don't want to keep doing this intentionally again and again.

AO: Does this tie in with keeping your publishing rights to the music so you could maybe reuse something in a place perhaps since you got your own label as well now?

AR: The whole idea was to spread the word of what we're doing here out to the West and it's happening now, which is great. So at that time people thought I was pulling a fast one, but it's great that it's coming true. I know also for musicians who only created stuff for five years and it sucks the life out of them, so for them, it would be a great asset to have that. You can't say that you'll be creative for the rest of your life. We've seen that over and over again with a lot of people.

AO: And you have a conservatory with lots and lots of students so you're educating a whole new generation of musicians. It's almost like you're building an army of musicians in Chennai for the world. Tell us a little bit about that incentive.

AR: I'm a great fan of orchestra music. In Chennai or Mumbai, all the acoustic musicians are getting lesser and lesser. The people who were playing instruments, and allowed their kids to come into music, they're all becoming doctors. This is to probably nurture a completely new generation of youngsters playing acoustic music, and then the piano, violin, all that stuff. It's been going well for the past year heading into next year.

AO: One thing I have to say, you looking as young as you did when I met you like a decade ago, what's the secret?

AR: I got like three or four grey hairs.

AO: (laughs) Just three or four? What's the secret?

AR: I'm not young looking anymore. You're exaggerating.

AO: Yes you are. Would you say that it's your lifestyle?

AR: Most of the musicians look young. Look at Paul McCartney. He's got a baby face too. (laughs)

[pure bliss]

[tscii:eb2809e6f8]blast from the past

Fifteen years of ARR by baradwajrangan

FAVOURITES FROM…

The First Five Years

1. Kangalil enna eeramo (Uzhavan, 1993): Because Rahman’s music today, people claim, needs several listens to fully get, whereas this – the first song of his that I completely fell for – posed no such problem. I was instantly hooked by the soaring melody lines tethered to a bouncy, pizzicato percussion.

2. Usilampatti penkutti (Gentleman, 1993): Because with this number – along with Nee kattum selai (Pudhiya Mannargal) and Aathangara marame (Kizhakku Cheemayile) – Rahman proved that it was possible to rustle up a rustic ambience without invoking Ilayaraja. Heck of a catchy tune, too.

3. July maadham vandhaal (Pudhiya Mugam, 1993): Because I can’t listen to this song without smiling, if only for the images of the flamenco-inflected choreography executed rather hilariously by Vineeth and a girl whose name escapes me now. Rahman may be partly to blame, for who could resist snapping their fingers to that spirited opening, one part Spanish guitar base, one part clicking castanets!

4. Senthamizhnaattu Thamizhachiye (Vandicholai Chinraasu, 1994): Because, its chauvinism apart, it’s hands-down one of the funniest songs ever written. And Rahman jacks up the men-teasing-women mischief with a driving beat that suggests nothing less than a pelvic thrust. Listen to it again and tell me I’m wrong!

5. Ennavale (Kaadhalan, 1994): Because, despite music critic Subbudu’s contentions that grievous bodily harm was sustained by the raga Kedaram (thanks to Rahman’s non-traditional deviations), this is the gorgeous cry of a lover so filled with love, it constricts his throat. This, of course, means he shouldn’t be able to speak, but that’s why they invented song.

6. Nila kaaigiradhu (Indira, 1995): Because Hariharan has never sounded better under Rahman, nor more expressive of emotions. (Yes, yes, I know all about Uyire from Bombay, and in my book, it’s a mere pretender in comparison.) The heartbreakingly beautiful tune swells and subsides, keeping you guessing… Hymn? Love song? Lament? Probably all.

7. Kya kare kya na kare (Rangeela, 1995): Because it tells you why Rahman persists with Udit Narayan, despite the latter’s notoriety as the man who unleashed genocide on the lyrical population of Kuluvalile (Muthu). Udit captures perfectly the tossed-off angst of a tapori torn between being in love and admitting to being in love.

8. C’mon c’mon O Kamatchi (Love Birds, 1996): Because every listing exercise is allowed a guilty pleasure, and for me, it was a toss up between this bagpipe-driven lark and Lucky lucky (Ratchagan). C’mon c’mon won because… um, because… Hey, I said it was a guilty pleasure.

9. Strawberry kanne (Minsaara Kanavu, 1997): Because it showcases Rahman’s facility with symphonic arrangements, and because it doesn’t display an iota of strain in the process (unlike, say, Veerapandi kottayile from Thiruda Thiruda, which tries really, really hard). The song’s operetta texture is just right for the battle-of-the-sexes banter.

10. Kannai katti kollaadhey (Iruvar, 1997): Because it’s possibly the loveliest instance of swing in a film music culture that’s (quite understandably) wary of jazz. With the triumphant arrangements (from the irresistible guitar that kicks off the song to the delightful percussion that changes colour on alternate sets of a four-count beat), it wouldn’t be surprising if the thundering chorus of Viduthalai is actually a celebration of freedom from traditional ways of making film music.

The Next Five Years

11. Rut aa gayi re (1947 Earth, 1998): Because it’s the standout track in an album full of standout tracks. And if I’m picking this over the almost-as-affecting Raat ki daldal and Yeh jo zindagi hai, it’s because of that second interlude, a magnificent passage with borderline-menacing strings that evokes Prokofiev’s Montagues and Capulets.

12. Ae ajnabee (Dil Se, 1998): Because it’s quite simply the most mournful song in the Rahman oeuvre, a howl from a heart so filled with unfulfilled desire, it needs to traverse entire octaves to unburden itself. Udit Narayan is superb. So is the album, which came at a time Rahman could apparently do no wrong.

13. Varaha nadhikkarai oram (Sangamam, 1999): Because dud movies with great soundtracks deserve recognition too (see also No. 14), and because if there’s anything that epitomises the zest-for-life that Shankar Mahadevan brings to his singing, this qawwali-folk song cross-breed is it. Just watch him soar to Kaaveri karayil in the first stanza… You could power a small-sized nuclear reactor for a week with that energy.

14. Thirakkaadha kaattukkulle (En Swaasa Kaatre, 1999): Because of the synthesiser birdcalls (birdcalls, right?) which kick off a number full of charming outdoorsy imagery. A babbling brook in the first interlude, darting deer in the second… And in the midst of all this calming nature, a plaintive, high-pitched cry of a man-made emotion, with Unnikrishnan going kaadhal, kaadhal, kaadhal, kaadhal, kaadhal… Because saying it out loud five times feels so much better than just once.

15. Khamosh raat (Thakshak, 1999): Because of the opening that sounds as if a guitar is being tuned before a performance – as if the player is getting a feel of the tightness of the strings, the acoustics of the room and, most importantly, the mellow mood of the song to follow. It’s like being a fly on the wall of a garage band, with the lead singer rehearsing his impending declaration of love.

16. Nahin saamne (Taal, 1999): Because, despite that stretch at the beginning where a vise is apparently being tightened on Hariharan’s unmentionables (a.k.a. a falsetto hitherto matched only by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees), this is as wistful a sad song as you’ve listened to. A gentle tom-tom rhythm adds to the melancholy, as if even the percussion were too drained for anything more animated.

17. Kizhakke nandavanam (Taj Mahal, 1999): Because it’s the culmination of a journey that began with Usilampatti penkutti. Where the former was trying to keep a rustic feel going merely on the surface – and what a happy surface that was – what we have here is the real deal, a beautifully-tuned “village song‿ that features, appropriately enough, in a Bharatiraja movie.

18. Kurukku siruthavale (Mudhalvan, 1999): Because flutes and dholaks aren’t what we’re used to hearing at the beginning of romantic numbers, and because there’s very little of the Rahmanesque techno-frippery that sometimes subtracts rather than adds to emotions as delicate as the ones expressed in this lovely love duet.

19. Snehidhane (Alaipaayuthey, 2000): Because this song is about a husband who is a secret friend, and because Rahman pours his soul into delineating the sweet sorrow inherent in this relationship, where man and woman are united by marriage and yet separated by distance. And because of the complicity in Sadhana Sargam’s voice as she courses through nee sollaadhadhum iravile puriven. Oh that lucky Madhavan!

20. Sarfaroshi ki tamanna (The Legend of Bhagat Singh, 2002): Because of how singers (Hariharan, Sonu Nigam) and composer can infuse fresh life into the oldest of patriotic rousers. Homesick NRIs especially beware: by the time the dirge-like early half of the number gives way to the chest-thumping optimism of Khushboo banke mehka karenge, you’ll be a sobbing mess.

The Past Five Years

21. Dating (Boys, 2003): Because that Rahmanesque techno-frippery I was knocking a little earlier is put to delightful use in a song aimed at the young ‘uns. From the eerie xylophone-on-helium mood that kicks off the number to the scream-dying-out-in-space end, every single sound seems to have been piped out of machines yet to be invented.

22. Thee kuruviyil (Kangalaal Kaidhu Sei, 2003): Because sometimes it’s just nice to watch a gifted vocalist (Harini in this case) showing off. The way Rahman layers her alaaps towards the end, each quivering leap across an octave appears to be possessed by extraterrestrial life. What brings the song to earth is a relaxingly basic rock beat.

23. Do qadam aur sahi (Meenaxi, 2004): Because, as if mindful of the words, the song seems to move forward in beats of two, and because the minimalism of the arrangements is an ideal counterpoint to the ornateness of the lyrics that talk about a slow, long slog to a far-off utopia. Had the music been as rich, the composition would have probably collapsed under its own weight.

24. Yeh jo des hai tera (Swades, 2004): Because goosefleshy neo-patriotic songs are hard to come by. Accompanied by a shehnai playing at near-monotone, along with what sounds like exhalations from men who’ve burned their tongues with hasty spoonfuls of hot soup, Rahman belts out this perfect anthem for our dispossessed times.

25. Kaalayil dhinamum (New, 2004): Because it’s really tough to craft odes to motherhood without coming off sappy or overearnest or just plain creepy. Rahman’s elegantly sinuous melody is roughened up a little, given a bit of texture by Unnikrishnan’s little-boy whine, and the effect is just right for a movie about a man-child.

26. Rasiya (Mangal Pandey, 2005): Because this musical equivalent of a heaving bosom is a tragically underrated song in a tragically underrated soundtrack. Of course, the picturisation didn’t help. The gypsies writhing around a makeshift campfire seemed to suggest that this number is simply about sex, when it’s actually about something far more thrilling: passion.

27. Bangari marori (Water, 2005): Because it’s the quietest of songs I’ve heard in recent times. Sukhwinder Singh tones down his characteristic energy to infuse this number with the spirit of prayer, despite the Radha-Krishna shringar-ras imagery, and Rahman graciously recedes so far into the background, it’s as if the song weren’t formed so much as found.

28. Khoon chala (Rang De Basanti, 2006): Because its initial piano runs remind me of what would result if Billy Joel flew down to Bollywood. (They’re just a musical hop-step-jump away from Don’t Ask Me Why.) The conversational nature of the opening verse deepens as a mournful cello makes itself felt, and by the closing crescendos, you’re not sure whether to be sad at the blood being shed or happy that it’s being shed for a cause.

29. New York nagaram (Sillunu Oru Kaadhal, 2006): Because it’s got to be one of the most stylish, least sentimental boy-misses-girl ballads ever. From the masterful use of the female backup singers to the soulful sax interludes, not a thing is out of place. The only discordant note came from seeing it on screen.

30. Ae hairat-e-aashiqui (Guru, 2007): Because it brings back a long-ago era where passion meant poetry, poetry meant passion. Full of inspired touches like a very local dam tara chorus exchanging notes with a free-flowing Euro-accordion, this is Rahman’s contribution to the contention that few things in life are as satisfying as a beautifully composed love song.

Copyright ©2007 The New Sunday Express[/tscii:eb2809e6f8]

[littlemaster1982]

Fifteen years of ARR by baradwajrangan

FAVOURITES

Excellent article!!! Thanks a lot Pure Bliss :D

[jaaze]

A R Rahman's fame does not stop at Oscar..
He makes an appearance in Akon's Music Video : Beautiful
The video was just released today.
Too many good things in a short time huh? :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkgizE7NTy8

A R Rahman grand reception in Chennai Airport
http://www.sivajitv.com/Item.do?category=ct000002&id=it001122


p.s. pls join www.arrahman.asia
I got all these from there
They are so committed with Rahmanism :)

[kamalsurya]

Michael Jackson falls for A R Rahman


India's double Oscar winner A.R. Rahman dedicated his awards to the younger generation as he returned home to a hero's welcome, with ace drummer Sivamani and his troupe providing a pulsating backdrop, and a large crowd of thousands dancing to the chant of Jai ho.

The awards, Rahman hoped, would change fans' approach towards Indian music and his career.

"It's a starting point in my career and will indeed make a difference in fans' approach towards good music," said Rahmanat the Anna International Air Terminal after returning from Los Angeles, where he bagged two golden statuettes for Slumdog Millionaire for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for Jai Ho.

"I am completely overwhelmed, touched, with the kind of reception I got... it is great to be back," he added.

With a broad smile, Rahman exuded love when he addressed reporters briefly.

"My award's message was said clearly in my acceptance speech. 'In my life, I always had a choice between love and hate and I chose love.' That is my philosophy in life and in music," Rahman said.


"I chose to live a life overriding differences between people, states, language and religion. My fans should do the same. Hollywood stars Michael Jackson and Penelope Cruz liked this attitude and told me its inherent love affected them deeply," Rahman said.

As fans congregated outside his home in the southwestern suburb of Kodambakkam, Rahman was keen to ensure that neighbours were not disturbed in the dead of night.

"Thank you for coming, but I will not disturb you so early. We will meet again. Remember we are in the early hours. I'm tired after a long journey, have to work in the morning and my children have to go to school," Rahman told applauding fans.

Also present at the airport to welcome the composer were state Information Minister Paruthi Ilamvazhuthi and offbeat actor R. Parthiban. The minister led a delegation from the state government's protocol department and gave the music maestro a welcome generally associated with heads of state.

While Sivamani's troupe performed, a little away was another team from Kerala playing traditional music to herald the return of the hero.

Commenting on his win, Rahman said: "When I won the second Oscar, I wanted to give a bigger message. We have a choice for love and hate for everything whether religion, caste, language - it is to choose love over hate whether in music or the philosophy of life.

"All the actors and directors in Hollywood loved the statement. Michael Jackson liked it too. It is not the highest point in my career, but it is a starting point of making a lot of difference.

"I hope my award inspires others as well," said Rahman.

Rahman will be felicitated March 1 by the Cine Musicians' Union, according to the body's press statement.

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who will be discharged from hospital on March 1, may briefly attend the fete - not only in his official capacity but also as the elder statesman of the Tamil film industry, ruling DMK sources added.

[/b]

[kamalsurya]

Btw there is album called Chreography right?? Is it out, heard the bits of raga dance?? Was fanastic on 1st hearing 8-)

This music highly impressive!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak7kZF2FeCU&feature=related

[jaaze]

:ty: kamal surya

[littlemaster1982]

Awesome job, Jaaze :clap: :clap:

[jaaze]

:ty: littlemaster :)

[kamalsurya]

:notworthy: To all Rahman hardcore fans keep up the good work. Keep on pouring with the good news!!! :notworthy:

[jaaze]

http://www.rahmanism.com/2009/02/download-sakkarakatti-voiceless-bgm.html

:cry:

Evvalavu arputhama music pottirukkaaru
Rasana ketta sakkara pasanga :hammer:

[shocker]

Wow AR looks so cool in that vid.. one question though, did he produce that Akon song or something, it is a bit random he's in the video.

Also quite funny how they dance to a HJ song to welcome AR.

[A.ANAND]

Wow AR looks so cool in that vid.. one question though, did he produce that Akon song or something, it is a bit random he's in the video.

Also quite funny how they dance to a HJ song to welcome AR.

Where is tha video sir???

[jaaze]

A ANAND,


A R Rahman makes an appearance in Akon's Music Video : Beautiful
The video was just released today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkgizE7NTy8
)

[pure bliss]

[tscii:c6dd8b5b28]Balu Mahendra accounts National Award for Roja

I was channelizing the association that finalizes winners of National Awards. It was during that time when Illayaraja’s ‘Devar Maghan’ and A.R. Rahman’s ‘Roja’ was in hand-to-hand combat. I was fascinated watching both the films. For a greater surprise, both the nominees won 7 votes each. And the task of deciding the winner indeed was directed to me. That was a moment when I thought none can produce such a fantastic music for the first film itself. With no options left I voted for A.R. Rahman’.

Also added, ‘Still I remember, Mani Ratnam calling him ‘Kutti Payya’ (Small Kid) while receiving the award’.
[/tscii:c6dd8b5b28]

[kamalsurya]

A.R. Rahman almost crashed to death



The whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. But something tragic almost took place before the big day. Rahman was almost crashed to death while rehearing for the performance.

The Oscar-winning musician revealed that he was almost crashed to death when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling of the theatre they were rehearsing, collapsed. He said that the block would have fallen on him had he not moved away from the spot.

Rahman said that the incident shaken him though not terrified. He added that he was saved by the good wishes from the people all over the world.

It may be recalled that A.R. Rahman bagged two Oscar Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

[Yathu]

A ANAND,


A R Rahman makes an appearance in Akon's Music Video : Beautiful
The video was just released today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkgizE7NTy8
)

:o OMG just saw it now! ARR in a hip hop video! Never thought i'd see the day! Looking cool with his arms crossed.

I wonder if ARRs aware of Akon's previous work? Some of his songs are as...erm..."unholy" as they get! :lol:

[shocker]

jaaze
PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:06 am Post subject:

ROTFL
Let him compose original tunes first before trying to compose for Akon.


jaaze, there seems to have been a slight misunderstanding.
Firstly I was asking whether AR produced that Akon song, as he was in the music video for it.

Secondly, partially my mistake however, I was referring to the AR home coming clip (http://www.sivajitv.com/Item.do?category=ct000002&id=it001122), where there were people dancing to a HJ tune.

Thanks

[Ramakrishna]

A.R. Rahman almost crashed to death



The whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. But something tragic almost took place before the big day. Rahman was almost crashed to death while rehearing for the performance.

The Oscar-winning musician revealed that he was almost crashed to death when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling of the theatre they were rehearsing, collapsed. He said that the block would have fallen on him had he not moved away from the spot.

Rahman said that the incident shaken him though not terrified. He added that he was saved by the good wishes from the people all over the world.

It may be recalled that A.R. Rahman bagged two Oscar Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Horrible news..I cried literally when i first read it.
irresponsible organisers :evil:

[shocker]

Yathu,

I was thinking the same thing in terms of Akon's songs and their "unholiness".

[kamalsurya]

Jai Ho was re-recorded in 2009 by The Pussycat Dolls with English lyrics. Produced in collaboration with Rahman, lead vocalist Nicole Scherzinger prefers to consider this version an interpretation of the original song rather than a remix.[3]

The song was released on February 23, 2009 on the U.S. iTunes Store and released internationally on February 24.[4] Rahman and The Pussycat Dolls are set to perform their version on March 13, 2009 on The Today Show.[5]

The music video, shot in a Vienna trainyard, alludes to the dance sequence in the film.[3]

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100.[6]


8-) 8-) :clap: :clap: :bluejump: :redjump:

[shocker]

[tscii:f156683aea]To be titled as Dr. A.R. Rahman
IndiaGlitz [Friday, February 27, 2009]

Musical Maestro A.R. Rahman has haunted the entire globe with his trenchant scores. As Vairamuthu said, ‘Rahman has opened the doors for Indian Cinema to proceed ahead’, it’s the right time for Rahman to be honored as ‘Doctor’.

Yup! We’re gleefully excited to hear that Aligarh Muslim University of Uttar Pradesh would confer the title of ‘Doctrine’ for A.R. Rahman for his stupendous achievement in Indian Cinema. On April 25, A.R. Rahman would be felicitated along with Rathan Tata for his ‘NANO’ Car-project and ‘Father of Green Revolution’ M.S. Swaminathan. [/tscii:f156683aea]

[jaaze]

A.R. Rahman almost crashed to death



The whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. But something tragic almost took place before the big day. Rahman was almost crashed to death while rehearing for the performance.

The Oscar-winning musician revealed that he was almost crashed to death when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling of the theatre they were rehearsing, collapsed. He said that the block would have fallen on him had he not moved away from the spot.

Rahman said that the incident shaken him though not terrified. He added that he was saved by the good wishes from the people all over the world.

It may be recalled that A.R. Rahman bagged two Oscar Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Horrible news..I cried literally when i first read it.
irresponsible organisers :evil:

:shock:

ARR also got a small scratch while returning home from the airport, amidst all the thallu mullu. Sivamani was seen wiping with a tissue, in one of the pictures.

[dinesh2002]

A.R. Rahman almost crashed to death



The whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. But something tragic almost took place before the big day. Rahman was almost crashed to death while rehearing for the performance.

The Oscar-winning musician revealed that he was almost crashed to death when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling of the theatre they were rehearsing, collapsed. He said that the block would have fallen on him had he not moved away from the spot.

Rahman said that the incident shaken him though not terrified. He added that he was saved by the good wishes from the people all over the world.

It may be recalled that A.R. Rahman bagged two Oscar Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for his work in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is the first Indian to win two Oscars.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Oh My Good Lord!!! Thank God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: Nothing will ever happen to this immortal musical genius!!! I wouldnt think twice for giving in my life for his...... !!!

[ajaybaskar]

Rajiv Menon's Abhishek - Ash starrer is titled Dhun

By Bollywood Hungama News Network, February 26, 2009 - 16:59 IST

Ace cinematographer Rajiv Menon captured some really beautiful moments between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Mani Ratnam's Guru. Now Rajiv is all set to direct Bollywood's most talked about couple in his next film.

Bollywood Hungama spoke to the South based cinematographer who confirmed the news. "Yes...Abhishek and Aishwarya are starring in my next directorial venture titled Dhun. It's a film where music plays a very important role. The film goes on floors sometime in June this year."

Quiz him on rumors that the film is similar to the Amitabh-Jaya Bachchan starrer Abhimaan and he says, "I think Abhishek has already clarified this. There is no similarity except the fact that the characters in my film also play musicians."

The film is being produced by Eros International and Rajiv's good friend and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman would be composing the music for this musical drama. One will have to wait and watch if after the melodious music of Guru, Rahman can once again come up with some interesting 'Dhun' for this film.

[ajaybaskar]

Rahman must win at Filmfare: Vishal Dadlani
28 Feb 2009, 1812 hrs IST, MONIKA RAWAL

As the Filmfare Awards frenzy sets in tonight, musical duo Vishal- Shekhar is maintaining their calm. Vishal Dadlani (TOI Photo)

Sans any apprehensions about their nomination for Best Music Director for Dostana , a confident Vishal Dadlani said, "There are no butterfly moments in stomach as such. We are not thinking much about it."

Is it just due to the fact that the competition stands pretty close with A R Rahman being nominated for three films including Jodha Akbar, Jaane Tu... and Ghajini ? "It's not about hoping for an award for ourselves. I know Rahman will win and he has to," asserts Vishal.

Impressed by Rahman's international glory, Vishal clearly declares him as the ultimate winner. "Thumbs up to Rahman, he is the best man of all. He just brought two Oscars to India. He has taken India to the international platform and by all counts, he deserves this award."

Though Rahman's Oscar success might be attributed to the Hollywood venture yet it's his music in totality that speaks for him. Vishal clarifies, "It doesn't make a difference that he got Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire. .. and in Filmfare, he's been nominated for other films. You have to see Rahman's body of work to realize that he truly deserves this Filmfare award."

[ajaybaskar]

Advani congratulates Rahman

Leader of the opposition L K Advani today called up Oscar-winning music director A R Rahman and congratulated him for his achievement.

Advani, who is touring Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and addressed a rally in Bangalore today telephoned Rahman who returned to India after receiving the Oscar for best composer and original score for his work in the film ` Slumdog Millionaire' .

In the conversation extending for over five minutes, Advani congratulated and wished Rahman good luck for his future. The BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, who is also an ardent movie buff, had also spoken to Rahman after he won the Golden Globe awards.

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.eurochicago.com/sites/dyana_rahman.html

[jaaze]

Nothing will ever happen to this immortal musical genius!!! I wouldnt think twice for giving in my life for his...... !!!

Naan nenachen.. Neenga sollitinga..Seriously.

[ajaybaskar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH_uK5WEyiA

[ajaybaskar]

http://passionforcinema.com/arrehman-jai-ho-2/

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:ae06e7ab51]Did Rajini wish Rahman?

February 28, 2009

The Superstar has always been one among the first to offer his wishes and congratulations to the achievers and talented people. Be it Bala’s Naan Kadavul or the young team of Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu, Rajinikanth has always had few good things to say. But when A.R. Rahman won the Oscars, there was no news from Rajinikanth’s side offering his wishes. Rajini’s fans and Rahman’s fans have been wondering if the Superstar had conveyed his wishes to the Mozart of Madras.

Sources close to Rajini say that he may greet the musician in a proper platform such as the grand event organized by the Tamil Film Producers’ Council or at the function to held by the Music Directors’ Association.

With both Rajini and Rahman known for their simplicity, it is also possible that the former could have wished him earlier on phone, sms, email or in person away from the prying eyes of the media.

Meanwhile, we have news that Rajini’s friend had delivered a bouquet of flowers to A.R. Rahman when he was on his tour to a mosque in Andhra Pradesh.
[/tscii:ae06e7ab51]

[ajaybaskar]

[tscii:641ab72b31]Honour for man for whom music is cup of tea

CHENNAI: Winning an Oscar is bringing new experiences even in his own city for A.R. Rahman.

“I have been passing this place for ages, but I’ve never been inside,” he said, looking around the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan where Governor Surjit Singh Barnala hosted a tea in his honour on Sunday.

He regularly visits the dargah in the Raj Bhavan grounds, but has now been given a “free pass” to come and go as he likes.

“That’s a big gift for me,” said the man who has been showered with gifts over the past week.

Mr. Rahman, who was accompanied by his mother Kareena Begum, regaled the guests with a few chords of his award-winning song ‘Jai Ho’ on the Governor’s special request.

“We are proud of him. We were waiting for this award, in fact, we were praying for it, and now he has got it,” said the Governor.

Other guests who congratulated Mr. Rahman included former Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Governor P.C. Alexander and former Orissa Governor M.M. Rajendran.

[/tscii:641ab72b31]

[krish244]

Something of a chronology of ARR's musical career:

http://www.indiawest.com/readmore.aspx?id=952&sid=5

thanks,

Krishnan

[jaaze]

3 of ARR's works in Singapore Polytechnic's Library

http://www.lib.sp.edu.sg/search~S0?/aRahman,+A.+R./arahman+a+r/-3,-1,0,B/exact&FF=arahman+a+r&1,3,

I know the National Library has ARR's Bombay Dreams. They probably would have SDM by now.

[Yathu]

CNN-IBN Exclusive Interview of Rahman's Life, work, and road from childhood to the Oscars-- A must watch -- Rahman, Tujhe Salaam:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv0Ix4ptmaA
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYHbmIxfuYs
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7uwjttRQrw
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cacG_-LFVwk
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etuFS431OcM
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tc5h-7G9jQ
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uplPe4Pies
Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH5NmLUDFxE
Part 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU7w-rAaDPU
Part 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oChzozqL-7U

Source: ARR Facebook Fan Page.