Rahman, on top of the world!
A.R. Rahman has been the most wanted guy in India for over a decade. He can give only two kinds of music – music that is loved by one and all, and music that only he can truly appreciate! And with Slumdog Millionaire, he has overcome the Hollywood barrier which�naysayers claimed�to be�impenetrable. He shone at the Golden Globes and was essentially the brightest star that night!
And how have the Golden Globes rocked his world? “Everyone from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Danny Elfman, Craig Armstrong, who worked with me on Elizabeth: The Golden Age, got in touch. Now, as a musician,�I feel a lot more freedom beyond film music. I can do my own thing now, things that I wanted to do. Hip-hop artist Akon wants me to write something. He wanted me to do a music video with him. But I want to compose or write, not be in his video.”
And just as he’s become a hottie that everyone wants to see in videos, the paparazzi want his pix too. But that has not been the case always, he insists, with his trademark soft smile. "In that one week, I received three awards in the US. The first was the Critics' Awards. When I got that, the American media wasn't interested in me. They didn't want my solo photographs. 'Can you please stand next to Danny Boyle?' they'd say. I think it was a glamour thing. By the time I came to the third award, the Golden Globe, they said, 'Can we have your solo pix please?' " he said.
As for the impact of his music on people, has that changed? “Yes. I remember when my Roja happened, there was a genuine smile on people's faces. I sensed a deja vu with Slumdog Millionaire. Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, Sting -- they all said they loved the film and music. And they meant it. It was a great change for them. Change is always welcome!”
But thoug the movie is a great success, it has created quite a stir with people insisting it shows India in the wrong light. “It's not an Indian score, because it's not an Indian film. But it certainly doesn't sell Indian poverty to the West. I know a lot of people are saying that. But I don't agree. If I thought that for even a second, I wouldn't have done it. There are so many films that I've refused to do because I objected to them on ethical, moral or other grounds. I'm so finicky about these things,” he said. Adding, “As I see it, Slumdog Millionaire clearly says India is developing fast and is no longer a third world country. And why should we hide our darker side? The world is no more about the haves and have-nots. It's a global community. We need to know about one another. In fact, the A.R. Rahman Foundation is working towards eradicating poverty. And we need global cooperation for that.”
