Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman, who celebrates 25 years in the music industry this year, prefers to let his songs do the talking.
But if the celebratory concert to mark this milestone is at the Bollywood Parks Dubai on January 26, there’s no ignoring this staggering statistic. So what makes this artist, dubbed as the Mozart Of Madras, so supreme?
The music maestro, who’s muted about his achievements that include two Grammy wins, doesn’t have a concrete answer to his ingenuity. But we still tried to de-mystify his inventive mind.
“Making music is like cooking a meal on your own … You may feel like throwing it in the dustbin sometimes. I have had those moments but then you always look towards a better future,” said AR Rahman, who claims he is his own worst critic. The process of making his kind of music is long, but he always perseveres.
The composer, who recently cut back on taking up film projects as he was busy writing and producing his own movie — 99 Songs starring Manisha Koirala and Lisa Ray — is a keen observer of life and rhythm around him.
He counts his parents as his biggest inspirations (his mother pushed him towards music when he was pondering whether to become a musician or to go down the traditional computer engineering route), and is an advocate of spirituality.
“This is the real truth,” said AR Rahman. A pragmatic life-lesson, this wasn’t the sole gem he doled out. The Slumdog Millionaire composer, who is poised to perform at a UAE concert organised by Brothers Incorporated, dropped a few gems during the sit-down interview with Gulf News tabloid!. Here’s what we gleaned from him during our brief chat …
I am my own listener:
“You have to be your own critic, you have to ask your own questions, such as ‘will I listen to that song I have composed’ or ‘will I get inspired by such a song’. You have to keep going and do that constant be-your-own-mirror-thing.”
I never look back and I go with zero expectations:
“You can never plan your future. Sometimes, you think you will do this movie and then begin work on the next movie. But those movies may never take off. The key is to keep quiet because some greater stuff will come about in your life. There have been instances where I have scored six or seven songs for a film, but it never took off. I go with no expectations, so when something comes along, you just learn to be grateful about it.”
Simplicity is not dumbing down audiences:
“The most simple words have the power to become the most iconic words in music history. I have a dream is small but it doesn’t mean it’s mediocre. To reach the masses, you often need to take a simple route because they don’t have the time and have many distractions and challenges in their lives. I am never condescending about my own audiences.”
Making music is all to do with your mind:
“Your mind can make you a saint or it can make you a murderer. If you are not in control of your mind, anything can happen. So, it is all about controlling that beast. There is both heaven and hell in your mind and your success lies in how you control that monster. For me, my spirituality has been my guiding force.”
I consider my lows in my career as a blessing, and the highs can be a curse:
“Every down is a stepping stone to success because without tasting that low you don’t get to enjoy the greatness when you succeed. I try to analyse everything that happened to me spiritually. You will find that you will learn something from every adversity and every adulation that you face. The real truth is to keep going and never to lose hope. What goes down, comes up and vice versa.”
I don’t consider money or fame as a purpose:
“The real purpose is humanity.”
Don’t Miss It!
What: The Journey: Celebrating Music
Date: Friday, January 26th
Venue: Bollywood Parks Dubai
Time: Gates open at 6pm, showtime is from 9pm-11.30pm
Tickets: From Dh157 and are available on platinumlist.net.
How to get there: You can bring your own vehicle, but there are shuttle buses starting from Jafliya Metro, Dubai Immigration Car Park, City Walk: Green Planet building — same as the Big Bus pick-up point at Ibn Battuta:P5 Parking, behind Premier Inn Hotel
