AR Rahman: Mani Ratnam often rejects my work if he doesn't like it

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, who has completed 25 years in the music industry, is keen to go beyond composing music through his foundation. We caught up with the celebrated composer

AR Rahman

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, who has completed 25 years in the music industry, is keen to go beyond composing music through his foundation. His film, One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film, which has just released, is being touted as the country's first concert film. We caught up with the celebrated composer.

You have always been a private person, how did you agree to be a part of One Heart, a film about your stage shows?
When we finished our 2015 tour that took us across 14 cities in North America, it felt magical. I had a great time working with the team. We had been capturing candid moments on camera. One of my executive producers told me, 'You want to do something for the musicians and the music fraternity, why don't you release the footage of this tour as a film and let the collections go to your foundation One Heart.' I loved the idea and gave the go-ahead. We got Nasreen Munni Kabir [UK-based producer-director-writer] to edit the footage. After it was done, we realised it had shaped out beautifully. We have interviews with people who have worked with me. I have also added personal footage. When we did a test screening, everyone was in tears.

Mani Ratnam

There are times when you are described in superlatives. How do you look at it?
I think it's important to know where you stand personally and professionally. I do this assessment every day and that happens from the responses that I get from the people I work with. I have never taken my work for granted. I am sensitive towards my work and what I deliver to the audience. That's why I don't talk much and when I do, I want to make sense. Although I am on social media, I don't use it to provide my daily schedule. I don't think that's important.

Is there constant pressure to deliver the best every time you score music?
I work with people who have high expectations, so my job is not easy. It is not necessary that my most popular songs are my best works. But I have enough time to come up with a score as films aren't made in a day. There have been times when we have to change the songs. Mani Ratnam often rejects my work if he doesn't like it and asks to me to compose again. Imtiaz [Ali] had already shot Agar Tum Saath Ho in Tamasha [his 2015 film] but I wasn't satisfied. I changed it completely. It's not about finishing the job for the sake of it.

AR Rahman

Some of your fans walked out when you started singing in Tamil during a UK concert in July this year.
If I see 9,000 people in an arena out of which around 50 people aren't happy then I have to support the remaining 8,950 as they have come for the music. It is impossible to satisfy everyone. There are times when we find people who are in a bad mood [laughs]. Even the biggest of entertainers have faced criticism. I have received a mixed response for my music, but I feel we have to look at the larger picture. This wasn't the first time I was singing in Tamil. I remember doing it for the first time in 2000 during a concert in the US. Also, one needs to understand that the promoter is catering to people from across the country. This needs to be considered during a live act.

How do you look at the scenario where language is given more importance than the music?
It's sad when something like this happens. I look at the audience we are catering to. When I perform in south India, I perform more of South numbers than Hindi songs. It is the opposite case when I am performing elsewhere in the country. During overseas tours, the audience consists of people who have migrated from different regions and are living in a different culture. I have seen them celebrate all kinds of music.

Do you plan to make more documentaries based on stage shows?
It depends on how this film does, but we would love to. There are commercial and artistic films. Then there are films like One Heart. We live in times where people remember the music, not the musician. There are several unsung heroes in the world of music. I know many families who are associated with music for three generations, but nobody has heard of them and they die in poverty. Our foundation aims to contribute towards the betterment of these people.

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