A musical maze called Slumdog Millionaire

First the Golden Globe, now it's in line for the Oscar. Will AR Rahman never cease to amaze us with his dizzying ascent in the world of music - or should I say world music? Well, if you look at his 15-year-old career, the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack ranks nowhere near his brilliant Indian albums, but then it was never intended as an Indian track!
The beauty and brilliance of Rahman's music in Slumdog Millionaire lies in its astounding range of fusion that transcends the cultural and geopolitical boundaries. It is music that confounds the senses with its diversity - it is music that seamlessly switches through genres, instruments, rhythms and emotions.

Here synthesizer sizzles with sitar, classical Carnatic strains coolly caress Caribbean sounds, Hindi melts with English and Bollywood gets a perfect Hollywood makeover! It is truly a melting pot soundtrack that presents all the urgency, passion and complexity of this powerful film that evokes so many conflicting emotions.

The highlight is of course, the Oscar-nominated chartbuster Jai Ho. Appearing right at the end of the movie, this zingy dance-number in Sukhvinder Singh's robust vocals perfectly captures the Indian-ness, the celebratory mood and the sense of triumph in Gulzar's quirky lyrics. Staccato strings, Spanish backup and Suzanne's vocals add that extra something to the song.

The other Oscar-nominated song O Saaya is a twin-flavoured treat, where Rahman's edgy vocals evoke a sense of mystery and foreboding while the bright voice of M.I.A. (a British-born female musician of Sri Lankan descent) provides the hope and energy. In the background, the train sound mimicked by the percussion gives the song a nice momentum.
The other songs are effective rather than excellent. Suzanne's westernised dreamy love-song Dreams On Fire is soothing on the ears. Blaaze and Tanvi Shah efficiently render the gangster rap-styled Gangsta Blues.

Alka Yagink and Ila Arun come together to revisit their kitschy Bollywood number Chunri Ke Peechhe Kya Hai. But instead of using Laxmikant-Pyarelal's original tune, Rahman decides
to give the song an interesting new twist and presents it as a similarly raunchy and folksy-themed Ringa Ringa.

It is in the different thematic background pieces that Rahman's mastery of mixing and fusing once again astonishes you with its sweeping vision. Latika's Theme, Riot, Escape & Mausam, Liquid Dance and Millionaire are all superb multi-genre tracks that blend vocals with instrumentals. They are 'atmospheric' in every sense of word!
Whether he wins the Oscar or not is immaterial, but one thing is for sure - AR Rahman has created a major impact on the world music scene that no other Indian artiste had hitherto managed.

Slumdog Millionaire's music may not be Indian in the true sense of the word but the man behind the music is. That's what matters, that's what counts and that's what makes it so special!