Music composer AR Rahman, who has composed songs in various languages, recalled his journey of how he was prompted to learn Hindi after he felt "humiliated" by reading the literal Hindi translation of his hit Tamil songs on NDTV Good Times Soundscape.
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"I think there is a certain kind of aura with each language," Rahman said during a conversation with Shruti Haasan.
"When my movies like Dil Se and Roja did well, people started making literal translations of Tamil songs. It was humiliating for me to see bad comments like, 'This Hindi lyrics sucks, I would rather listen to the Tamil version,'" Rahman added.
Rahman made his Hindi debut with Ram Gopal Verma's Rangeela (1995), while Roja (1992) made him a national sensation.
Tracing the root of the problem, Rahman said that it was an era when films in all three languages became hits. "People saw money. That's when I started focusing on doing more Hindi-oriented movies instead of dubbed ones."
Rahman revealed that it took him years to realise that he needed to learn languages to preserve the soul of his creations. "It was after ten years of my career that I realised this," he shared. "I even learned a bit of Arabic from our holy book, the Quran. Between 1994 and 1997, I devoted time to studying and reading the Quran Sharif."
Director Subhash Ghai shared an advice for Rahman and reiterated the importance of learning Hindi.
"When I met Subhash Ghai, he told me, 'You're a great composer, but without learning Hindi, you won't last.' I thought it was beautiful advice. I took it seriously and learned Hindi and Urdu," Rahman added. "The love from Hindi-speaking audiences around the world is extraordinary—and now, I even love Punjabi too," Rahman recalled.
AR Rahman will perform in Varanasi for the first time in a collaboration with NDTV Good Times.
"I missed the opportunity. I was supposed to go around 1997—I couldn't make it. Then Aanand L Rai called me for Raanjhanaa and said, 'Come to Banaras.' I wanted to go, but something happened. I think it was meant to be that way. I also wanted to meet Ustad Bismillah Khan's family but couldn't go. I think the opportunity has come now. The call has come," Rahman said.
The maestro concluded by saying that it is "the energy and the million stories" of Varanasi that he is most looking forward to, apart from performing.
