AR Rahman's rahmania engulf's

A.R Rahman made a disillusioned, indifferent generation get patriotic goose bumps with his soul-stirring rendition of Vande Mataram. And now Rahman has sent the entire nation into a patriotic tizzy all over again by bagging India’s first ever Golden Globe for Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack!

Sherry Sekhon

It was magical watching the ‘Mozart from Madras,’ as Time magazine christened him, walk down Hollywood's most prestigious red carpet in an Armani tux at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony in L.A. And it was surreal watching him walk past Sally Field, Clint Eastwood, George Clooney to name a few to get to the stage to receive his and India's first Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire.

Danny Boyle and his crew stood and gave him a standing O. “Unbelievable,” he exclaimed while receiving the statuette, “I want to thank the Lord and the one billion people in India. Thanks for your prayers.”
Rahman accepted the award, and read out names from his little acceptance speech note that he had scribbled on a Four Seasons Hotel notepad, where he was staying in LA.

The man, whose music has enchanted generations in India, was a cynosure of composure. Rahman would later recall what was going through his mind then, and backstage at all press interviews, “It was quite robotic. They announced my name and I simply got up from my corner seat and turned left towards the stage. Danny and I didn't look at each other even when the nominations were being announced. I just got up and walked. We hugged each other only afterwards,” Rahman recalls.

Classic Rahman. Just like the way he felt uncomfortable being kissed by the lady and the way he went out of his way to hug the man, conferring the honour on stage. "I am humbled with the honour. I was up against legends like Hans Zimmer, Alexander Desplat and James Newton Howard. This award is for my musicians in Chennai and the Indian people. Of course for Danny and his exquisite cinema," he adds on a long distance call from LA.

With about 400 musical compositions in film, television, radio, albums and commercials and even Broadway, A.R. Rahman is truly India's finest living music export. His halting crescendos and flirtations with the rhythm of many Indian classical instruments make him both Bollywood’s and the South Indian film industry’s most talented music composer yet.

After the magical Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, Rahman has become the world's favourite musician. Boyle knew he wanted nothing but the most authentic to breathe India into his screenplay. And for that, he would have no one but Rahman to infuse into the film both folk music, and an etherealness into Mumbai. "I was introduced to Rahman's music by Andrew (Lloyd Webber, director of Bombay Dreams). It made sense and I needed him on the movie," Boyle had mentioned on several occasions.

“Danny and I share a unique camaraderie. I understood his narration instantly and he responded to my melodies in the same way. His was a very empowering script and I was willing to make it as authentic as I could. It was his movie, not mine," Rahman, with characteristic modesty, recounts recording sessions in LA and his studio in Chennai.

 

The music of Slumdog Millionaire was typical Rahman – mellifluous with a strong harmony line and intense instrumentation. "Danny and I worked together as a team. I saw the first DVD cut of the movie and was quite impressed. He told me what he wanted and I gave him some ideas myself. Of course, he said no to cellos. He didn't want another Elizabeth, he said. It was to be as Indian as it could be," Rahman recounts.

In a movie with Anil Kapoor in a supporting role and other unknown names, Rahman stuck out instantly. The international lobby knew the name well and were willing to give it a chance. London's West End Theatre and New York's Broadway has credited A.R. Rahman for its two most prestigious plays The Lord of the Rings and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams. Shekhar Kapur introduced him to Hollywood, when he penned down the score for Elizabeth. His 2007 album, Pray for Me Brother, won him acclaim at the Billboard charts and was recorded especially for the UN Millenium Development Program, in New York City. His first soundtrack Roja was listed in Times magazine as "Top 10 Movie Soundtracks of All Time" in 2005. The foreign press acknowledges him as, "the shy man from the East who spins magic" and filmmaker Baz Luhrman (who picked his track Chama Chama for his marquee magic, Moulin Rouge) is amongst his biggest fans.

And are the industry and media watchers are all extremely proud. Shahrukh Khan exclaimed, "It is a proud moment for every Indian. Rahman has made us proud by winning the coveted award. I was invited to the award ceremony. To witness an Indian achieve this feat is an achievement in itself." The actor, who has lipsynced and danced to many a Rahman tune, was beaming from the side curtain. Friend Aamir Khan showed his elation as well. "A great musician… Rahman is a rare talent. He is sure to go places. I wish him all the very best for his future endeavors." Rahman also gave music to Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par, India's early two entries to the Oscars.

Our expectations were sky high for Rahman to get the much coveted and often controversial Oscar. With those expectations and Rahman's relentless pursuit to please his audience, it ought to get scar for him. "No actually I don't think of it as a burden. Rather I feel this immense responsibility to give back to my people in the way they have given me so much. It’s music I know and I will give to them. I truly would like to get the Oscar home for my people. If they pray for me and the world feels I am truly deserving, I will," says a very calm Rahman with a shrug.

No state of exhilaration or excitement in his voice, Rahman's ease in accepting what is India's biggest entertainment achievement yet, is more to do with his own discipline. "Before I get up to face the world, I do the morning aazan and try to keep up with all the other four times as well. I ask the almighty for strength, wisdom and safety for me, my family and my people. I always keep prayer beads in my pocket and you'll find them near my piano whenever I am composing," says the very religious and spiritual Rahman.

For now though, Rahman's menu for 2009 is choc-a-bloc with the soundtracks of Vishal Bhardwaj's Blue, and Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi 6 amongst other films, and a host of other international projects he didn't want to let us in on yet. Don't worry, we're waiting with bated breath A.R.

Besides that, one can't forget his open invite to nurture new talent. Which explains how Naresh Iyer, whom Rahman scoped out auditions for another reality show, called Big Band. In the meantime he is taking time out for his philanthropist endeavour, the A.R. Rahman Foundation aimed at eradicating poverty. "I was earlier contemplating other problems, but then realised that the root cause is poverty. It’s not as far fetched and is quite possible," he says optimistically. Rehman also wrote a song for the UN last year with his foundation as a partner aimed at eradicating the same.  We of course know by now that anything is possible, when it comes to Rahman.