Oscar Thamizhan 'Isaipuyal' AR Rahman News/Updates

[Siv.S]

Steven Spielberg signs up AR Rahman

A. R. Rahman, also called as mozart of madras created history by bagging two academy awards for the stunning music of Danny Boyle directed Slumdog Millionaire. He has added another feather to his cap-that of working with world-famous Jurassic park fame director-producer Steven Spielberg.

Buzz has it that this top director has roped in A.R.Rahman to give music for top screen-writer Alex Kurtzman’s directorial debut titled Welcome To People. Confirming the news, Rahman was quoted to have said, “Yes, I have just finished the soundtrack for WTP. It was great to work with Kurtzman, who is a top screen-writer in Hollywood and have Spielberg backing it. I really had a great experience working on the film.”

Apart from Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman has worked on two other Hollywood projects viz. Couple’s Retreat and 127 Hours. On his part, the iconic Spielberg gushed about Rahman and was quoted to have said, “I have heard interesting compositions of Rahman and would love to work with him in he near future.”

[R.Latha]

"I have just finished a movie called "Welcome To People" (yes, it's a Steven Spielberg film, directed by Alex Kurtzmen of the "Mission Impossible" series fame, but Rahman says it matter-of-factly) and in Hindi, I am doing Yashji's movie, and in Tamil, I am doing Mani Sir's movie, and there's Bharat Bala's film," is Rahman's response when asked what he's currently working on.

And there's a world tour coming up? "It's not like a world tour. But there is a show," and he laughs before saying, "I've to clear my debts, so I got to do shows now." He adds, "It's a four-five countries tour, India - maybe. I think they are working on it right now. But there's another big thing coming up - actually, another kind of tour, a German collaboration. The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg is going to do a multi-city tour in India, and on my music - you know, the "Bombay" theme, "Lagaan" theme, etc. And I wanted to revive this dying art of orchestra. Nowadays it's all machines, so I thought of collaborating and bringing to India a 100-piece orchestra. This German orchestra will be playing all my themes from the last decade along with the singers from my Music Conservatory. They will cover Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore. The Delhi schedule is on January 22," says Rahman. He wants to attend all of the five events, but due to prior commitments, will be able to attend only three. Let's see if Delhi gets lucky!
http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...ji-bharat-bala

[baroque]

Fabulous things go on for Rahman.
yeah... read the other day about his project for Spielberg production, Yashraj films in Hindi & ManiR in Tamil, we can expect some great treats.......Very happy!

WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2012.

Vinatha.

[rsubras]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A.R.RAHMAN........

Any plans for fans meet @ ARR's house? i think there was one planned some years back and ARR obliged to cut the cake that the fans (ARRYG group) had brought........ plans iruntha pleaaaaaaaase include me

[littlemaster1982]

Innum 2 days irukke birthday-kku. Adhukkulla wish pandreenga

[rsubras]

newyear celebrations 1 week ah nadakkarathillaya..athe pola than ithuvum ethuna fans visit to ARR house irukka therinjukkathan

[R.Latha]

TOI interview

What do you think of the new rage - 'Kolaveri di'?

It's a sweet song. It's got a fresh new sound, its composer is a young guy...it's a clutter-breaker song.

What does its success tell us about trends in music - and marketing?

It became a hit due to the internet, the way it went viral. Shekhar Kapur, the filmmaker, used to tell us five years ago that this was the way it would work in the future - and it did...but not every song will do the same thing. We last saw this with 'Jai Ho' in Slumdog Millionaire, which also caught people's attention around the world.

Can you compare the two?

Yes. Although no one abroad understood what 'Jai Ho' meant, they were singing it. The song had a catharsis everyone understood. Its words were catchy and the music was different to prevailing dark, serious films.

Speaking of films, you were credited with bringing melody back to Bollywood - but today, film compositions again sound repetitive. Your view?

There is a certain kind of cannibalism in the film industry today...if one item song works, every filmmaker begins trying to make the same kind of item song rather than be challenged creatively. I'm driven by musical passion but not every filmmaker is. Many would just copy each other - but listeners are discerning. When i composed passionate tracks for Rockstar, people sat up and noticed.

You've moved from folksy to techno, then rock-Sufi compositions. But what's your defining musical style?

I don't know. I go by what drives me in new territory. I compose without a dominant personality. At the moment, i'm living between three worlds, Tamil cinema, Hindi cinema and the West. These are very different. I'm surrounded by all kinds of musical influences, i'm living in-between time zones, i'm listening to Chopin, to Tchaikovsky, to amazing world music... all these shape my style.

So, like S D Burman, will we see influences like Chopin shaping your film compositions soon?

These might influence me in the next couple of years...as of now, i have purposely kept away from too many film assignments - i want to work with passion rather than be driven by deadlines.

Imagine a world where there's no technology to help make music - what instruments would you use to compose?

The voice is the greatest instrument. It works everywhere - i'd use the voice anytime.

Yet, you don't sing much - we get a sense of the singer inside you appearing for small intervals, then receding. Why this shyness?

You know, being a performer-composer, you want to be perfect. I do not sing without riyaaz. I have to stand before my own singers and tell them to sing in time but also do so myself!

What kinds of music do you like hearing?

I have to deal with so much contemporary music for my work that i find my favourite music always leans to the purest form of classical music, whether south Indian, northern, western or qawwali.

Do you have one favourite raga?

Yes. I think the most amazing raga is Bhatiyar.

[Sunil_M88]

It’s 2012; hence the mark of two decades since Rahman Ji landed on the scene.

DEAR OSCAR THAMIZHAN MOZART OF MADRAS ISAI PUYAL PADMA BHUSHAN DR. ALLAH RAKHA RAHMAN HAPPY 20^th BIRTHDAY, BEST WISHES!!!!

My recalling of how I became a Rahman Ji worshiper

My earliest memory is when I heard Rukkumani. I was three and I know many people can’t remember things from childhood because they are so grown up but the memories we do have must mean something because we’re able to reach to that part of our brain and use it to better ourselves. Anyways, I was at my cousin’s house with Roja playing on the Hi-fi next to me, when Rukkumani came on I thought it was the best thing I’ve ever heard and I kept telling my cousin to rewind the song after it finished. She seemed extremely pissed off but after a while even she couldn’t get the song out of her head. Funnily I didn’t even know who the Music Director was lol I was unaware of Rahman Ji’s existence yet I had been warped by this one song like never before.

The next track to change me was Mukkabla. I watched the film before I heard the track and when watching the film, every song was beautifully shot. My picks are Ennavale Ennavale and Mukkabla. As a listener I love Urvasi Urvasi and Kaadhalikkum Pennin Kaigal.

My brother used to purchase audio cassettes every week or his week wouldn’t be complete hehe. That’s how I developed an ear for Indian film music. I still didn’t know that all the material I was listening to was in fact dubbed from Tamil. Time passed and I was continuously humming and nodding my head along to Humma Humma, Kuchi Kuchi, Maya Machindra, No Problem, Ooh La La La etc. whilst not bothering to check the audio credits as I used to just take the cassette and shove it in the stereo.

Once on holiday in India, me and my family went to an audio shop, I saw the CD of Rangeela and it read original music by A.R. Rahman and I saw his face for the first time. I still remember that day as I didn’t let anybody change the music for our five hour drive. When arriving home (UK) I went to my brother’s collection as I wanted to listen to Chor Chor (Thiruda Thiruda) and when taking the cassette out I made sure I look at the name of music director on the cover. I got into this habit and became selective to A.R. Rahman. Over time I realised that Rangeela was his debut Hindi project as prior to that all his material was dubbed. P.K. Mishra and Mehboob deserve high praise for not slaughtering the lyrics.

Post my India holiday I dwelled in the soundtracks of Priyanaka (Indira), Kadhal Desam (Duniya Dilwalon Ki), and other A.R. Rahman albums that were lying in my house yet being unknown to me.

In 1998 - 99 A.R. Rahman released many Hindi projects i.e. Dil se, Daud, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, Earth *Kabhi Na Kabhi *(exlcuing Anjali Anjali from Duet), Taal and Thakshak.

With the millennium round the corner, I still wasn’t a hardcore fan as I am now. I still hadn’t heard any Tamil songs. In 2000 A.R. Rahman arrived with Pukar and Zubeida. I didn’t take much notice of Zubeida but I loved Pukar. In hindsight, this was a result of Pukar having more of a distinct South Indian touch. I was passionate about the South Indian touch in songs. I craved it so much that I preferred listening to Hindi songs that copied South Indian songs more Hindi originals themselves. I don’t know what attracted me towards them, maybe it was the soul and soporific factor as well the fact that more additional instruments, pads etc. were included. Or maybe it was the tone of the ragas.

In early 2000s Rahman Ji was focusing more on Hindi projects and his tracks were going throw the slow poison phase. At this time I started liking SELs (Shankar Ehsaan Loy) music as they delivered the nineties Rahman Ji sound. I started arguing with my brother that SEL are more melodious but he was very defensive of Rahman Ji then. It was 2003; Saathiya and The Legend of Bhagat Singh released. I used to listen to Mera Rang De Basanti every day before sleeping. At the same time I used to SELs Armaan on loop.

With the invention of the internet, life changed completely. I heard all my favourites in Tamil and Telugu respectively. It opened doors for me to other South Indian MDs.

During the initial days of me becoming an obsessed Rahmaniac. Don't get me wrong, I heard many songs of his up till then (Refer to above) but one day I thought, let's listen to sir's native songs. So I sat up at some silly time during the night downloading Rahman Ji's Tamil albums for hours and hours...

Once I shifted them to my iPod I heard some songs and others I forwarded naively. I forwarded certain songs like an idiot and then came the song that turned my life like a table lol (sorry for my lame idioms/metaphors)

The shakers and then the Signature humming of the song sent me somewhere else hehe The first interlude and the use of pizzicato aaah certainly divine. Basically, I can't explain how I felt as I'll be here all day and adjectives will be flowing from every angle.

I heard that song numerous times that night and I downloaded the Hindi dubbed version. For the first time I heard the Tamil version (Mel Isaiye from Mr. Romeo) before the Hindi and TBH I wasn't satisfied with the Hindi one due to repeated listening of the original. But the Hindi lyrics Mil Hi Gaye translates to I've met you and that day I realized I had truly met Rahman for the rest of my life.

During this time I also started experimenting with music. I had been influenced by Rahman ji’s diversity and I started appreciating his material that I naively ignored in the early 2000s now and also was going gaga over Rahman Ji’s power house vocals. I started listening to more and more genres and feel now I’ve become more defensive about Rahman ji compared to my brother.

I am so happy I went to his concert to in 2010, it was a dream come. There are two people whom I’ve always wanted to see and god has been really kind to me. One was Rahman Ji himself and the other one was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

To the pioneer of music Rahman Ji, have the best day and I pray that God showers you with more and more success. Not only have you delivered the best of the best but you've also made me and so many others change into better people. I and so many others simply can't thank and congratulate you enough and we are ever indebted to your love.

Love,

Sunil Malhotra

[Mahen]

Happy bday thalaiva

[Sunil_M88]

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, who celebrates his birthday today, gets chatty about topics close to his heart

The year 2011 was a relatively disappointing one for fans of the Mozart of Madras, AR Rahman, as the composer released just a couple of India albums (Rockstar and Ek Deewana Tha). But there's good news in this new year as Rahman - who turns 46 today - is all set for his homecoming, quite literally, with at least four projects down south.

There's Rajinikanth's Kochadaiyan, Gautham Vasudev Menon's Yohan: Adhyayam Ondru, Mani Ratnam's film and a movie with Bharatbala on the cards. "I am doing Rajini's film and it should be exciting," he starts off. Will he use any of the tunes that he already composed for Sultan or Rana, the other Rajini films that are on hold at the moment? "We're yet to decide about that," he says.

Though all these assignments will keep the composer in the country this year, the first week of 2012 has seen him out mostly of India. "I was out of the country on January 1 and will be pardes on my birthday as well, so there are no special plans," he says.

Rahman will join hands with his favourite director, Mani Ratnam, yet again for his upcoming flick that's already making headlines. So what can we expect from the combination this time around? "Mani is quite secretive these days," he says with a smile and adds, "We're still in the process of working out the music for the film."

Is there any non-Rahman film music that he has liked of late? "I can't think of anything other than Why This Kolaveri Di?, which is nice," he replies.

Currently, the composer is extremely happy that some of his popular orchestral tracks will be performed live by a team from the German Film Orchestra, Babelsberg, and the students from his KM Music Conservatory in a five-city tour. "When I was a musician, a crowd used to gather to witness how music is made," he reminisces, and adds, "In these concerts, you can witness this and the way orchestral tracks are played, sans any digital enhancements. "Unfortunately, now the studios have shrunk and this no longer happens."

Rahman's keeping his vocal chords busy this year too, and he's begun by crooning a track in Ek Deewana Tha. "It's an addition to this album and something that didn't feature in the Tamil original (Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya)," he signs off.

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/e...w/11375899.cms