8/6/2019 Issue 16- First Take

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APRIL 27, 20118ACTION

FIRST TAKE>

Jyothi Varma

As perhaps the firstIndian playbackcomposer to con-

nect with a global audi-ence, A R Rahman cre-ates an eclectic harmonythat bridges the old mu-sic order with the new,the occident with the ori-ent and the folk with thefuturistic.

Billed by Time mag-azine as among theworlds 100 most influen-tial people, Rahman al-ready has the most glit-tering showcase in thebusinesstwo AcademyAwards, two GrammyAwards, a BAFTA and aGolden Globe. The Mo-zart of Madras who hasalso bagged four Nation-al Awards and 14 Film-fare awards, also goesby another epithet IsaiPuyal (musical storm)bestowed by his count-less fans.

Rahman has his rootsin Kerala though he hasscored music rarely forMalayalam cinemaInfact he has scored music

for two movies in Ma-layalam, Yoddha and Vaishnavar, of whichonly Yoddha released.His father R K Shekharwas a much sought-aftercomposer and orchestraconductor in Malayalam.

In a Q&A column inTime magazine Rahmanonce stressed his beliefin the universality of mu-sic. All of us are, in away, getting multiculturalin our earsand the bot-

tom line is most of uslove melodies, most ofus love grooves, he said.

Rahman was barelynine when he stroked thekeys on the piano to cre-ate a tune that his dadturned into a full-fledgedsong for the Malayalamfilm Pennpada around1975. Rahman, who wasborn as A S Dileep Ku-mar, would later embraceIslam.

He began his career

composing music for jin

Jai ho Rahmania!He reinforced the adage that music has no boundaries

gles and documenta-ries until a meeting withfilmmaker Mani Ratnamin 1992 led to the break-through project for thefilm Roja that earnedfor the debutant the Ra-

jat Kamal for the bestmusic director at the na-tional awards.

If Roja was life-changing for Rahman, italso shifted the courseof playback music andmarked the dawn of anew era and a new sen-sibility. For listeners,the music in Roja wasa unique experience.Through songs like Ch-inna chinna aasai.., Ru-kumani, Kaadhal Ro-

jave.. and Pudhu VellaiMazhai or ThamizhaThamizha, Rahmansmusic escorted listenersto a magical land beyondtheir imagination.

Unni Menon , who hada major break in his ca-reer after singing Puthuvellai mazhai for Rojasays that A R Rahman isone of the few music di-

rectors who give ample

space for improvisation. If you ask the sen-

ior singers, only Baburajgave this kind of freedomamong the stalwart com-posers. You will not knowhow a song sounds liketill it is released. The firsttime I heard my voiceplayed back for Roja,even I was surprised tohear the sound effect, hesays.

Swetha Mohan, whohas been working withARR for more than fouryears now, says Rahmanis totally cool inside therecording consoles of-ten working through thenight.

Rahman went on toestablish his musical ter-ritory through films suchas Bombay, Gentle-man and Muthu beforebreaking new ground withhis music for the Hindifilm Rangeela. Andwith Dil se, Lagaanand Rang de Basanti,he had the entire nationhumming his tunes. Masshysteria saw its newest

manifestation in Rahma-

nia.It is again Rahman who

brought in a new trend ofusing raw talent, doingaway with the practiceof using one singer for aparticular actor. He alsoexperimented with childvoices as in the song

Chikku bukku rayileRahman added a new

dimension to the remixgenre (Thottaal poo ma-larum originally from thefilm Padagotti and re-mixed for the film Newis a personal favourite).Once in a while, Rahmanthe composer wears thehat of the playback singeras in Sillunnuru Kadhal.

With Slumdog Million-aire, Rahman baggedthe double Oscar and thedouble Grammy awards.India conferred on Rah-man the Padma Bhushanin 2010.

The aarohanam playson for this musical geni-us. What else can one saybut Jai ho.

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