rahman248
[Source - IBN Live]

Rajeev Masand: We know that Mani Ratnam has been an influence and a mentor. While you were doing ad films, he offered you Roja and most of your best work has been with him. Tell us as to what kind of relationship do you share with him. Is it something apart from just the director-composer relationship? Are you two friends? Do you hang out outside the studio?

A R Rahman: We don’t hang out much (laughs). What is really a relationship? A relationship means the first good experiences, like first love and you always remember that. He picked up the best out of my work and said, “This is you.” He was the first one who gave me a good work. For us, it’s been a challenge to cross each thing from Bombay to Iruvar. Whenever we sit, we don’t talk about old things, rather we try sharing a new frequency to create the same magic again.

This is one heck of a not-to-miss Rahman interview[Via Ajay]. Truly. IBN’s interviewer Rajeev Masand has done a good job by not asking those cliched questions again. Instead, I found some important questions asked, probably for the first time to Rahman. Though Rahman manages to keep out of controversial ones with a practised ease.

If you are a Rahmaniac, you should read this one, without a question. .

10 Responses to “Rahman - On Mani and much more”


  1. Thanks for the link.

    Who’s Bartana?

    I am of the opinion that Rahman definitely knew that
    it was Varttina he was working with.

    Posted by: bharat | May 9th, 2006 - 7:58 am

  2. Great blog (I’ve been tracking the posts on Ratnam here). On my bookmark list it goes!

    Speaking of Ratnam (yes, THAT film again):

    http://qalandari.blogspot.com/2006/05/public-man-from-iru-no-less-but-no.html

    Posted by: Qalandar | May 9th, 2006 - 10:48 am

  3. Hi,
    I saw the interview. ARR looked embarrased when asked about his payment for Mangal Pandey. And yes the interviewer asked very interesting questions to ARR. Yet i was disappoited as he didn’t ask what are ARR’s current projects. Though it is a cliched one, i always expect this to be asked in every ARR’s interview coz that will confirm many rumours. I always want to hear the news directly from him.

    Posted by: Sureshkumar | May 9th, 2006 - 2:27 pm

  4. That was a nice interview. The interviewer Rajeev Masand is doing a superb program called ‘Now Showing’ in CNN-IBN which analyses Bollywood movies. This guy surely has the stuff.

    Posted by: S.K.Ramachandran | May 9th, 2006 - 7:00 pm

  5. Wow.. that was a quick post LG :)

    Posted by: AjayR | May 9th, 2006 - 8:07 pm

  6. Guru,

    AR’s interview was truly memorable…
    offtopic, check this latest interview from PC!

    His next will be the Mani - Aamir - AR film which will start in Oct.. and that the script is a stunner!

    Hmm… 2 Scripts ready and filmed in such a short span and for Mani, should have been the first time! Should be interesting!

    Posted by: Sriram | May 9th, 2006 - 8:36 pm

  7. Any interview by A.R Rahman is worth reading - just like his songs - though he evades many questions, most of the times. I would love to read his opinions on Joshua Sridhar’s music [i remember his opinion on YSR was so damn accurate, when YSR started] - but already know he won’t give [will simply say they are all good - some such - like he did about Harris Jayraj ]. Thanks for the pointer.

    Posted by: Ramesh | May 9th, 2006 - 10:36 pm

  8. Sureshkumar:
    ARR said in the AajTak interview last week , he was working currently on Mani Ratnam’s Guru - that was the first thing he mentioned and then Shivaji. Guru seems to be rolling definitely.

    Prabhu Chawla was kind of trying to get ARR to talk in Hindi during the Aaj Tak interview - he politely declined saying that it was not perfect yet. Wish, Mani Ratnam would think likewise ;-)

    Posted by: BNB | May 10th, 2006 - 10:31 am

  9. True comments indeed. Lovely blogsite you have Guru! Keep up the great work!

    Yes, the Finnish group is Värttinä - the transcriber got it wrong. Their website is:

    http://www.varttina.com/

    and they can be seen performing at WOMAD (http://www.womad.org) in a few worldwide locations this year.

    Blessings & Best wishes
    Ashanti OMkar
    http://www.OMkari.net
    http://www.aworan.net

    Posted by: Ashanti OMkar | May 10th, 2006 - 3:09 pm

  10. hi frnds,
    nice to hear frm rahman directly.but frm my point he’s a bit embarrased of his failures with mangal pandey,bf, god father where as new composers especially hj with vet vil at full flow.
    dint u notice it ?????

    Posted by: govind vijayan | May 13th, 2006 - 3:41 pm

scribbles ?

lazy geek a.k.a guru subramanian is from chennai living in the showery seattle a software consultant by destiny loves creative arts yaps about intellectual stuff and still on the only(!) belief that he is a geek!!
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