“There are some great songs coming out in Tamil film music. There are several passionate compositions being made, not necessarily tune-wise, but production-wise. Good to have different kinds of composers, but I do miss those great melodies,” music composer A. R. Rahman told The Hindu.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of his soundtrack for the Hollywood film ‘Couples Retreat’ organised by Sa Re Ga Ma here on Monday, Rahman says his compositions for upcoming films ‘Enthiran’, ‘Sultan The Warrior’ and ‘Raavan’ would be distinctly different from each other and that of ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’, which was launched recently.
His work for ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’, the first Tamil film post his Oscar victory has instantly become a mega-hit, with fans raving about the breezy melodies all over the internet.
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Rahman who has been busy giving live shows, says the experience is beautiful. “Seeing all the fans is really wonderful. Without them, it’s like a cemetery. When we usually rehearse the day before our shows, it’s all empty, and the next day it is such a great feeling to see fans turning up in such large number.”
On his work for ‘Couples Retreat’, he says that Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley approached him before the Oscars, saying they were moved by his music. “They gave me a lot of freedom and a good budget for my orchestra. This is my first mainstream Hollywood film,” he says.
Interestingly, the sound track of the film has music from different genre, and lyrics, in a host of languages, including Tamil, Hindi and even Sanskrit. “The story gave such scope. In fact, I couldn’t find a lyricist to pen the Tamil song (kuru kuru kann...), and I wrote it myself,” he chuckles.
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Another highlight of the sound track is that Rahman’s son has lent his voice for one of the compositions. “He was playing and just humming something and I recorded it on my laptop. Later, when I listened to it, I liked the voice and decided to use it. He is still very young and training.”
On his recent visit to Australia and the attacks on Indians there, he says: “I interacted with students as well as Australian government officials. What has happened, has happened. We have to fix the problem rather than aggravate it to nasty levels.” Rahman is also keen on strengthening his music conservatory. “Our students are doing well and I would like to give the conservatory more attention.”
On several biographies of his being published, the composer says: “One of them, which is out, does not have the right tone. I am collaborating with Munni Kabir and we are working on one. It’s not a biography, but it has my take on different things. Most of my friends feel I am too young for a biography.”