A. R. Rahman Interview: On ‘Thug Life’ And Reuniting With Mani Ratnam
Composer A.R. Rahman talks about working with Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan, and how he's been dealing with the ups and downs in his personal and professional life
During the recent launch of Thug Life in Chennai, Kamal Haasan drew the most applause from the audience when he recalled hanging out with Mani Ratnam and A.R. Rahman together during the making of the movie.
“Mani and A.R. Rahman are both similar in that sense; they only talk about cinema all the time. There is no unnecessary gossip or chatter... I’ve actually learnt to talk less from them,” exclaimed Haasan, to much laughter from Rahman himself.
“It’s not that we are too serious all the time, what he meant was the fact that we don’t like backbiting or gossip, and we keep our focus on work. I basically learnt to do this during the Ramadan fasting period; you aren’t supposed to speak ill of anyone in that month. But with every year, that practice got instilled in me over and over again, and now it's part of me..,” muses Rahman, when asked about this during an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.
The upcoming gangster drama reunites Rahman with his mentor and favourite collaborator, Ratnam, for the 19th time; one of Tamil and Indian cinema’s most legendary partnerships (and friendships) that began with Roja in 1992.
“With Mani, we really don’t speak too much; it’s usually about movies or we watch portions of footage together. Our exchanges are very short and to the point —'Can we change this?' 'That sounds great!' — and so on. But I keep pulling him aside from time to time to show him anything new I discover, like a new mixer, sound tech and so on, and he keeps asking me how I find the time to do this,” Rahman says, grinning.
Quick Five With A.R. Rahman
Favourite track to perform live? Dil Se Re.
An artist you’d like to shout out? Hanumankind!
Dream collaboration? With Asha Bhonsle-ji.
An album that challenged you in recent times? Chhaava and the Ponnniyin Selvan soundtracks; they had huge orchestral scores with folk and ethnic themes.
A song guaranteed in your set list? Maa Tujhe Salaam.
He adds that he had been waiting, like everyone else, for the two other icons — Ratnam and Haasan — to come together again. “This combination is truly great; Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan after 38 years, and I get to join this collaboration. I can see the fondness Mani has for Kamal-ji; whenever he talks about Kamal, an aura comes around him and you see him smiling. He is greatly inspired by Kamal, and vice versa too. And when I'm with them, I get inspired too.”
What's a bit surprising is that this is just Rahman's third time composing for a Kamal Haasan film after Indian (1996) and Thenali (2000). The composer still fondly remembers the time he spent with Haasan a couple of years ago in Los Angeles; they took a tour of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures together, checking out celebrated moments from the Oscars over the years, including Rahman’s dual wins from 2009 before watching screenings of The Godfather and Oppenheimer. “We spent a lot of time talking about movies then, and it was fascinating to hear him narrate stories; that LA trip was truly memorable,” he quips.
The 58-year-old is tight-lipped about the soundtrack of Thug Life when asked if he’s sung in the film; the track list doesn’t credit his name as a singer (yet). But despite being the voice of some of his most iconic tracks, Rahman laughs that he always tries to avoid singing in his films. “I mostly try to find ways to escape from getting behind the microphone; I prefer to stick to composing. But when the director keeps asking me over and over again, I’m not able to refuse. For instance, there’s another movie of mine coming out soon — not Thug Life — where the filmmaker pushed me to sing all the songs in the album! He just wouldn’t accept anyone else. Now people are going to think I didn’t give a chance to any other singers…,” he smiles.
The Oscar winner has just kick-started his new concert experience, The Wonderment Tour, with a show in Mumbai earlier this month. For the once-reclusive performer, has it gotten easier over the years since his first stage outing in 1996? He sighs as he recalls that period, “Every one of those earlier concerts was like death to me! But slowly I got used to it. The idea is to keep our word and commitment to the audience, even where there are multiple factors that threaten to derail the event, like rain, crowds, etc. Our inputs have always been 100 percent, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. How can we integrate my music into the mainstream concert experience in the best manner possible? That’s what I’m always seeking to do.”
He agrees that the spate of international music acts gracing domestic stadiums in recent years — Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Guns N’ Roses — should raise the standards of Indian performers too. “Of course everyone here should be inspired by all the international artists coming to India. It is a soft power for us, and we have so much to give the rest of the world. If everyone in the world is seeking to watch a live Coldplay show, then we need to aim to reach that standard too; global audiences wanting to attend Indian concerts.”
It’s been a mixed couple of years for the legend; success with film albums such as Ponniyin Selvan, Aadujeevitham and Amar Singh Chamkila, but his last concert in Chennai facing criticism for its mismanagement. There’s been discord in his personal life too, and a health scare earlier this year when he was hospitalised. How has he overcome this rough patch?
“If you know the formula of life, then nothing would be an issue, right? I see it like this; nothing in life is a straight road. You have two ways of seeing things: one is as a problem, and sit and brood over it... the other is to look at it as a challenge, and figure out how to resolve and get back into the groove. That’s what I try to do always,” he concludes lightly.