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What Makes AR Rahman Special - Revised

Topic started by Tamilian (@ 161.142.100.86) on Fri Jul 12 01:52:33 EDT 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

This topic was ORIGINALLY started by Tamilian (@ 161.142.100.86) on Wed Jul 10 00:16:33
EDT 2002.

Due to the hijacking of the thread by ARR detractors, a lot of useful discussions were sent to old responses. The purpose of this thread is to remove all extraneous postings of the original thread and stick to the topic. I sincerely hope that this thread will be allowed to continue without unnecessary comments.
All ARR detractors are kindly requested NOT To post in this thread.


What makes AR Rahman really special? Why does his music cause so much excitement and flurry? What is the difference that AR Rahman offers that no one else offers.
From his first movie Roja, ARR has caused a HUGE impact on listeners of popular Tamil songs.
Since then each of his movie and songs are closely inspected, loved, tasted and exalted.

Let us take his maiden song, Chinna chinna aasai. What sets this song apart from the 100s of songs of this genre?

Is it the new voice? Is is the impeccable music arrangement? Is it the haunting melody? Or is it just simply oozing of class?

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Responses:

• From: Rep (@ 161.142.100.86) on: Fri Jul 12 01:55:06 EDT 2002
  
  From: AVR (@ 143.127.3.10) on: Wed Jul 10 01:29:51 EDT 2002
  
  A R Rahman is IMO simply a fabulous MD. There can be no two ways about this. His prolificity, music sense, style of orchestration and dedication are spellbinding. He has ably and competently bridged the N-S gap. It is therefore no coincidence that he has acquired the opportunity to work with not only veteran singers like PS,KJY,AB,LM,SJ,SPB but with the top grade classical musicians in the country. He is today India's best MD - IMO. He has covered masterfully a large number of genres of film and non-film music - be it the patriotic (as in Vande Mataram etc), the semiclassical, the folk music from various parts of India - Gujarat and Punjab to the South, heart-rending melodies, fast paced and peppy numbers, tunes with an Arabic,Spanish influence......he has done them all. He is proof of the fact that quality needn't be bolstered by mere quantity. From Shyam Benegal to Mani Ratnam, he has pleased them all with his songs and BGM. And not to mention that he is today India's most respected MD (amongst the new generation MDs of course). As also the fact that he is a figure of international acclaim and repute, the mere beginning of which is his collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Weber etc.
  
  Some of my favourites of ARR are his scores in Lagaan, Roja (and I prefer the Tamil ones), his album with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Thakshak, and above all the haunting and seductive song in Rangeela - "hai raama yeh kya hua". It has distinct traces of the Hindustani Raaga Puriya and a brilliant set of preludes/interludes further adorned by a wonderful rendition by Swarnalatha.
  
  Above all he seems to be a perfectly down to earth and humble human being. I am yet to hear any brags and boasts and silly cliches from him.
  
  He has so far been a creative/innovative/multi-faceted composer...but whether he should be put into the ranks of the veteran composers - that time will tell. (I have a gut feeling that the answer will be yes).
  
  
  
  From: Tamilian (@ 61.6.38.132) on: Wed Jul 10 02:52:18 EDT 2002
  
  AVR, that was a fantastic write-up. Hope to hear more of your fascination for ARR’’s music on a song-to-song basis.
  
  
• From: Rep (@ 161.142.100.86) on: Fri Jul 12 01:57:50 EDT 2002
  
  From: Tamilian (@ 161.142.100.86) on: Wed Jul 10 03:51:25 EDT 2002
  
  The one thing I notice about ARR's music is that there is something new to discover each time you listen to it. Also there are pleasant surprises each time you hear it thru headphones.
  
  It is these kind of specilities that make copiers of ARR impossible to recreate his magic.
  
  Let us discuss specific songs of his such as:
  
  1. Chinna chinna aasai
  2. Raasathi en usuru enathille
  3. Thangame Thamizhukku enge thattupaadu
  4. Kannukku mai azhagu
  5. Kannodu kaanbathellaam
  6. Minsaara poove pen poove
  7. Maana mathura maamarathu kilaiyile
  8. Athisaya thirumanam
  9. Poraale ponnuthaaye
  10. Theendaai penn theendaai
  
  
  
  From: Raghu (@ 217.158.120.226) on: Wed Jul 10 06:37:28 EDT 2002
  
  I agree with AVR, ARR is the no.1 MD in India 2day, no doubts about that, Andrew lloyd webber, praised him big time, ARR came up with a unique way of composing like IR came up with unique way of composing melodies,
  
  today ARR's music is cloned by Anu malik, Jatin lalit, Anand Miland, Deva, Harrish Jeyraj, ARR introduced a new trend in 1992, like a whirl wind, but unfortunatley he has also killed TFM
  with the intriduction of terrible singers :)
  
  
  
  From: MIF (@ 202.9.149.152) on: Wed Jul 10 07:21:03 EDT 2002
  
  ARRs music is kinda refreshing.....he is the person who has taken over from IR beginning with Roja.......and has took TFM to new heights never seen before........electronics have helped to make a song sound crystal clear.....even the smallest things in a song are noticed very clearly........the other present day MDs have all been inspired from ARR.......thus their music isnt all that different (i mean ppl like HJ,YSR,KR and upcoming Mds)
  
  He is THE person to have succeded here as well as in Hindi and is now cementing his place in the field of music WorldWide
  
  his works have been recognised and he was awarded padmashree by the Indian Govt......wat more can u ask for??....he has done TN & India PROUD.
  
  his only weakness is the number of movies he does during a year.......he has accepted himself dat he is slow(??).......but atleast it proves worth when the songs are out......he is thus undoubtedly one of the best MDs TF industry has ever had.
  
  All IMHO......those are frankly wat i feel
  
  
  
  
  From: Paran (@ 203.121.0.10) on: Wed Jul 10 07:38:35 EDT 2002
  
  May be ARR is the only MD, who gave the whole TFM to have a choice of MD's. Seriously, before ARR, I never even know that there was Chndarbose, Shankar-Ganesh (i know him more as an actor), it's him who actually made everyone to compare each and every single MD's available. It another way, he made us look at each of them with equality.
  
  Isn't that something to be cherished ...
  
  Anyway comp-ARR-ison IR-ritating........(got my point)
  
  
• From: Rep (@ 61.6.38.132) on: Fri Jul 12 02:00:32 EDT 2002
  
  From: insider (@ 209.130.217.104) on: Wed Jul 10 09:20:18 EDT 2002
  
  Why ALW choose ARR?
  Basically India/indians are too big now to be ignored by rest of the world. We are slowly progression ahead in all the fields, music is one such field. Indians cannot be ignored in major socities in the west. So is indian entertainment.
  
  Hence ALW saw a great potential to tap this market. He needed someone who can make this happen. As of now there is no one in India to create such a sentation as A.R.Rahman did. Hence Mr.Webber decided to choose the top man today, a musician popular in the four directions of India.
  No one can deny Arr for this credit. Arr is also talented , he is not just a show piece. He clealry paved his way! on the front. Some will deny this, there are always exceptions to anything! we cannot do anything with them.
  coming back to my story , Basically ALW and ARR have grouped their talents such a way that they can capitializ on the fact, Indians cannot be ignored anymore!.
  If you see with a open eye, this opens up market for other Indian musicians, god willing they might be do wonders if tapped in the right way!
  Just wait! it is matter of days until we see a Madonna /ARR combination. ..."Major General Time" has to tell us.
  
  ps: Dont abuse this thread please! i am just trying to get back the good old newtfmpage discussions.
  
  
  
  
  From: O (@ 193.188.97.152) on: Wed Jul 10 11:17:24 EDT 2002
  
  ARR,being from the AD world has managed to have a" concept "for each one of his song.Hope
  the lingo is correct,Cosmician!
  
  The Adworld provides a very good challenge;you have to make an impression in the shortest possible time say 30sec.He has successfully managed that.People would remember his "Garden" "Leo","titan" and Asianet title score etc..
  
  After this success he has managed to bring a similar concept to movie songs as well.
  
  
  
  
  From: sarat (@ 128.192.5.157) on: Wed Jul 10 11:51:29 EDT 2002
  
  IMO ARR was special because you could go to the music store and buy an ARR cassette for 50 bucks and at the end of the day you will not regret that expense even one bit. He made sure that the customer was completely satisfied.
  
  
  
  From: kk (@ 192.11.223.116) on: Wed Jul 10 19:17:46 EDT 2002
  
  Talking about ARR's jingles. They were good.
  But wasnt there similar jingles that time by others? They were pretty similar. Only exception it these ads has some south indian flavor, with Thavil etc
  
  
• From: Tamilian (@ 156.153.254.42) on: Fri Jul 12 02:05:16 EDT 2002
  
  Due to the hijacking of the thread by ARR detractors, a lot of useful discussions were sent to old responses. The purpose of this thread is to remove all extraneous postings of the original thread and stick to the topic. I sincerely hope that this thread will be allowed to continue without unnecessary comments.
  All ARR detractors are kindly requested NOT To post in this thread. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
  
  
  
• From: Tamilian (@ 156.153.254.41) on: Fri Jul 12 02:06:11 EDT 2002
  
  nalla JOKE Tamilian
  
  
• From: Rep (@ 161.142.100.86) on: Fri Jul 12 02:10:48 EDT 2002
  
  From: Indian (@ 202.9.167.8) on: Wed Jul 10 21:35:14 EDT 2002
  
  FROM LATEST EDITION OF SCREEN (http://www.screenindia.com/20020705/mcov.html)
  
  In just about a decade’’s presence on the music scene, A.R. Rahman has succeeded in revolutionising popular film music. And he is now making waves internationally with the launch of Andrew Lloyd Webber’’s much hyped musical Bombay Dreams. Rahman’’s music and compositions in the play, which also features his Hindi film hits ‘‘Chaiyya chaiyya...’’ and ‘‘Shakalaka baby...’’, have won rave reviews from critics abroad. And there is talk of the wizkid composer being roped in for Hollywood films. Taking a look at Rahman’’s big achievements in little time...
  
  After more than two dozen hits (surpassing 2.5 million unit sales, each), countless prestigious awards and an impressive array of films in progress, there’’s little that A.R. Rahman needs to prove to anybody today. In just about a decade’’s presence on the film music scene, he’s succeeded in redefining popular film music, mostly on his own his own terms. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, reggae, rock, Carnatic, Hindustani classical and fusing them with traditional music, often woven in palpable folk idioms -- with his high-tech synthesiser, his experimentation knows no limit. The upshot is a music that’s digital and very much a part of the computer age, but intelligent -- not noise.
  
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  The melody has been retained with immaculate expertise and he’’s not deviated from the traditional sound even when he’’s creating new ones practically all the time. The result is an enticing oeuvre of songs and an enviable pan-Indian popularity. Irrespective of the film’s failure or success, Rahman’’s music often continues to remain a hot selling proposition. Each song, each tune of this music prodigy is a musical monument, intricately carved and exquisitely sculpted.
  
  Take for example his latest blockbuster, Lagaan. Whether it is the exuberant ‘Megha...’ song or the anti-depressant ‘Mitwa...’’ track, or the romance-jealousy number, ‘Madhuban mein...’, Rahman has an undeniable gift of soothing you into his delicately constructed creations.
  
  In the ‘Megha..’’ song, he uses the sounds of clouds so effectively to convey the pleasant madness of people waiting for rain, and going crazy over the black clouds gathering over their village. Similarly, in ‘Madhuban mein...’, he uses percussion in a way that it effectively expresses the heroine’’s private little anxiety. And in a song like ‘‘Ori chhori maan le baat mori...’’, where the British character sings in English even as the Hindi song continues undisturbed, Rahman achieves a highly complicated feat of clubbing the folk and the Western, with a simple but intelligent usage of piano for the transition.
  
  In one of his other recent numbers, ‘Khamoshian gungunane lagi...’ (One 2 Ka 4), one can’’t
  help noticing the soft, sensuous and subtle way in which a Bhairavi thumri has been used to create a sensitive and romantic number, with all the freshness of a most ecstatic, youthful experience. Not to talk about the massive sweeps of different note patterns in the ‘Piya Haji Ali...’ qawwali in Fiza or the ‘Kehna hi kya...’ track in Bombay (and countless others, of course).
  
  Simple but textured orchestration, innovative percussion and charming melodies blend so effectively in Rahman’’s music that you can experience many of his creations almost as a rich, acoustic kaleidoscope.
  
  One reason for this is that unlike many other contemporary composers, Rahman keeps on working on the song well after it’s ‘done’. The magic that starts after he’s recorded the song doesn’t stop till he’s played with and perfected it to his satisfaction. Once the song is on his computer screen, he takes a phrase from here, puts it there, or there, or there, or here again. Block by block, verse by verse, he builds up his song like a master craftsman. This not only lends the song a feeling that it’s raised from the earth, but also takes the filmmaker’s picturisation one step ahead of what was planned.
  
  Those who have worked closely with him often talk about the way in which he keeps dabbling, fiddling and experimenting with new sounds and new rhythms till the point where his compositions start acquiring its distinct visual qualities. If, for example, one is listening to ‘Dil ye bechain hai...’ (Taal), it’s easier to come up with its beautiful picturisation script -- the softer colours, the dense fog lifting, the girl emerging like a palpable apparition etc. -- than say, if the track wouldn’t have the kind of textures Rahman has detailed it with.
  
  They also point out his unique and subtle way of getting the right notes out of a singer. He may just prod the singer saying, ‘‘Why isn’’t there pain in your voice’’? or ask for five variations of the same phrase and offer his feedback, and the singer knows what he’’s looking for. His unassuming directorial techniques succeed with everyone, whether he/she’’s a celebrity or an absolutely raw voice Rahman has decided to experiment with. Eventually, every note has to reflect the mood of the song, the character of the screen singer and most essentially, the soul of the number. He takes his time, but like a fabulous music designer, he creates intricate patterns where others may not think of going beyond a few simple lines.
  
  Even before he has touched mid-Thirties, Rahman has already worked with internationally reputed artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, Ustad Sultan Khan, David Byrne and Talvin Singh. Collaborations with Michael Jackson and Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber have happened along with the coveted National Award, Padmashree in a career that’’s barely a decade old.
  
  Today, A.R. Rahman is a star who commands a brand equity equivalent to the big acting stars.
  His name is used, not only to push the sales of the music cassettes and CDs, but also to ensure the success of the movie.
  
  When the music of Rangeela was released by Times Magnetics, Rahman’’s mug shot was put on the inlay, highlighting it as ‘Rahman’s first original score in Hindi’. When the same film was
  to be released in Chennai, all the stars (Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff, Urmila Matondkar) were relegated to the backdrop and they featured huge photos of Rahman on the publicity stills and posters with the line ‘‘A.R. Rahman Mudhal Hindi Padum’’ (A.R. Rahman’’s first Hindi film).
  When his credits come on the screen, especially in Bangalore or Chennai, the auditorium comes alive with wild cheers. And distributors are willing to fork out that extra bit if the movie carries the Rahman tag. There is little doubt as to who is the ultimate wonder boy of contemporary Indian film music.
  
  The interesting thing is, he has maintained his position as a wonder boy, from his very first film, Mani Ratnam’s Roja. After an eventful and early initiation into musical apprenticeship with
  veterans like Ramesh Naidu, M.S. Vishwanathan and Illayaraja (and then a brief stint with ad jingles and fusion bands), when he made his debut with Roja, it was to change the face of film music in the next decade. Soulful and experimental, the music of Roja sounded like nothing heard in film songs before, and became a rage throughout the country.
  
  Thiruda Thiruda, Gentleman, Kadhalan, Bombay -- in less than four years, Rahman had arrived and was there to stay. Bombay crossed five million units and even albums like Vande Mataram, released by Sony Music, sold over a million copies in India alone (it was released in 28 countries simultaneously across the world).
  
  The chartbusting ‘‘Chaiya chaiya...’’ (Dil Se) however, in many ways, marked a new phase in Rahman’s career. It countered the accusation that Rahman faltered when it came to North Indian styled music, which is the mainstay of Hindi film songs. And his ability to bring out the best out of a diverse range of singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Swarnalatha put to rest the criticism that he could work best only with unknown South Indian voices.
  
  However, while facing criticism too, Rahman manages to incorporate a certain melody and rhythm within his personality that is almost exemplary. He beats back censure -- ‘too technical, too slow, too westernised, too repetitive, of lacking soul’’ and even of plagiarism (when his Muqabla original was shamelessly copied by as many as five films within that very two year span in mid nineties) -- with studied silence, but never with indifference.
  
  However, in the fast-paced work ethic of the film industry, the only criticism that perhaps becomes relevant sometimes, from the producer’s point of view, is that he is slow. But he himself admits it with a forthrightness that’s disarming, "Sometimes, what I’m looking for
  comes to me immediately, but on others it may take some time."
  
  While working on Bombay for example, the mixing was being held up since the background score was not ready. For three days, Rahman sat in his studio but nothing would work. He needed to deliver a score which would bind the film, but that was just not happening, even after fiddling with a theme he had created with passion.
  
  Then, from out of the blue, he tried out putting lyrics into it and the lyrical rendition of the background score worked out to be absolutely brilliant. Once again, it was his ability to design sound outside the set parameters that cut through his creative block.
  
  Overall, Rahman has been greatly responsible to bring about a remarkable technological sophistication in the recordings, through his latest techniques. His studio, started as Panchathan Record Inn in 1989, is arguably India’s most well-equipped and advanced recording studio today. The Inn, where he started experimenting in sound engineering, design and production, today also houses Asia’’s most comprehensive sonic library.
  
  Rahman’’s prodigious talent and output has, in fact, played its own role in giving many composers a distinct Salieri complex. There’s no dearth of ill-wishers in the industry who want
  him to fail. Tales of his arrogance, how producers have to wait outside his studios all night (that’s when he works: 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.), abound. But the incredible thing is: he simply
  doesn’t fail. He knows the mind of the director he works with and the pulse of the public, better
  than any other composer in the industry today.
  
  It’’s not surprising then that he has in his bag, some of the best projects on the floor today, in
  spite of the fact that he chooses to base himself only in Chennai.
  
  In addition are ventures like Ekam Satyam (A.R. Rahman’’s own outing with Michael Jackson, incomplete since 1999), Bombay Dreams (Andrew Lloyd Webber/Shekhar Kapur), Listen (a collaborative project between 99 artists from the UN), The Return Of The Thief of Baghdad (an English-Telugu film) and 1857 - The Rising (Ketan Mehta’s historical).
  
  Rahman’s oeuvre, much like his music, takes a while to grow on you. His music can leave you numb with ecstasy, with its zing as well as its substance. On his private front however, this shy and reclusive music wizard would rather concentrate on the task at hand, instead of getting affected by the trappings of phenomenal success.
  
  (Brahmanand Singh - Courtesy: Cinema In India, an NFDC publication)
  
  
• From: Rep (@ 161.142.100.86) on: Fri Jul 12 02:12:56 EDT 2002
  
  From: avr (@ 143.127.3.10) on: Thu Jul 11 01:45:07 EDT 2002
  
  Hello people:
  
  Thanks for a series of informative posts on ARR. Keep up the nice work.
  
  

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