Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has said that work from the Hindi film industry has slowed for him in recent years, a change he attributes to shifting power dynamics over the last eight years and, possibly, to what he described as "a communal thing," though not something he experiences directly.
What's Happening
- Speaking to BBC Asian Network, AR Rahman said the reasons often reach him indirectly. "It comes to me as Chinese whispers," he noted.
- Rahman also made it clear that he does not actively chase projects. "I'm not in search of work. I want work to come to me; the sincerity of my work to earn things. I feel it's a jinx when I go on in search of things," he said.
- Asked whether he faced prejudice when he began working in Hindi cinema in the 1990s, Rahman said he never felt it at the time.
- "Maybe I didn't get to know all this stuff. Maybe God concealed all this stuff. But for me, I never felt any of those, but the past eight years, maybe, because the power shift has happened," he explained.
- Elaborating on that shift, the composer added, "People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, 'Oh, that's great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family."
- Rahman described his early Hindi film journey as unusual for its time.
- "It's a whole new culture, no other South Indian composer till then. Mr Ilaiyaraaja had done a couple of movies, but they were not mainstream movies. So for me to cross and them embracing me was a huge rewarding experience," he said.
- While his music for Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.. gained popularity, Rahman credited Subhash Ghai's Taal for making him a household name in North India.
- He shared, "I was still an outsider with these three (films) but 'Taal' became famous in every household, like it entered the kitchen of everybody's house. Even now, most of the north Indians it's in the blood because it's a little bit of Punjabi Hindi and the mountain music."
- He also recalled advice from Ghai about staying longer in Hindi cinema. "I never spoke Hindi, and it was difficult for a Tamil person to learn Hindi because we have such an attachment to Tamil. But then Subash Ghai said, 'I love your music but I want you to stay longer. So you should learn Hindi.' I said, 'Okay let me learn Hindi. And I'll go one step further. I will learn Udu, which is the mother of Hindi music of the 60s and 70s, I would say."
- Rahman said he is careful about the projects he chooses and avoids films "that are made with bad intentions."
- When asked about working on Chhaava, which drew criticism for being divisive, he acknowledged the debate around it. "It is divisive. I think it cashed on the divisiveness of it, but I think the core of it is to show the bravery... I told the director, 'why do you need me for this?' He said we need only you for this. I think it was an enjoyable finish."
- He added that audiences are capable of forming their own judgments.
- Rahman said, "But I definitely think people are smarter than that. Do you think people are going to get influenced by movies? They have something called internal conscience which knows what the truth is and what manipulation is."
AR Rahman On Composing Music For Ramayan
AR Rahman, who has collaborated with Oscar-winning Hans Zimmer on Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayan, also spoke about composing music for the film.
In the same interview, Rahman said, "I studied in a Brahmin school, and every year we had Ramayana and Mahabharata, so I know the story. The story is about how virtuous a person is, higher ideals, and all that stuff. People may argue, but I value all those good things - any good things that you can learn from. The prophet has said that knowledge is something invaluable, no matter where you get it from - a king, a beggar, a good act or a bad one. You can't shy away from things."
Rahman added, "I think we need to elevate from small-mindedness and selfishness. Because when we elevate and we become radiant - we become a radiant of that, and that's very important. I am proud of the whole project, because it's from India to the whole world, with such love. Hanz Zimmer is Jewish, I am Muslim, and the Ramayana is Hindu (text)."