Before writing this review, let me state that I am just attempting to put on paper my knowledge and feelings about A R Rahman. I am by no standards or capacity, a person who can write a review on this amazing personality. In case A R Rahman happens to go through the website mouthshut.com then he will know that there are people like me who love him so much to such an extent that he will never know or even be able to imagine. This write-up is a kind of thanksgiving to this man. I am proud to be a fan of A R Rahman and I am lucky enough to be born in the same era as he. I can never think of reviewing the maestro! So, if you are looking for a balanced and objective review, this is not the write-up for you to read
Full name: Allah Rakha Rahman
Born: 1966
Profession: Music Creator
First Film: Roja
Introduction?
A R Rahman is a name that needs no introduction. From being an ad-film (jingles) music director to music direction for films in any language to composing world-class symphonies, he has been a class act all along.
Rahman Naturally
Spirituality, Humility, and shyness define the man. His modesty adds to the mystic aura. Non-controversial, never makes an arrogant statement about others, keeps to himself; qualities that you don’t expect in most famous and capable people of today’s generation. Yes, that’s A R Rahman for you. His music speaks more than the man himself. And the magic in his music shows the substance the man is made of.
The journey
The journey of A R Rahman has not been rosy always. The beginning of his life, if it were any indication, then A R Rahman would have been just another talented musician gone waste. He had to drop out of school and join the musical troupe of Ilayaraja (The Living Legend- Isaignani Ilayaraja) at the age of 10. Continued in the troupe
for many valuable years and also learnt music by accompanying greats such as Ustaad Zakir Hussain and Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. The money he earned through such jobs supported his family and the art of music he picked up helped him earn a career for himself.
The art of music, I must mention, was probably partially innate owing to the fact that his father was a music director. He honed this talent further by getting a degree in Western Classical Music from Trinity College of Music, London. He returned and began composing jingles for ads. He composed legendary jingles for ads like Allwyn Trendy, Titan,
Leo Coffee, Boost, Titan, Asian Paints, etc. These jingles are still played and liked by people of all age groups.
The Turning Point
Mani Ratnam was on the lookout for a suitable music director for his film Roja. A R Rahman was at the right place at the right time. He was introduced to Mani and the rest is history! A R Rahman is now a constant feature in every Mani Ratnam movie. And it is generally believed that A R Rahman gives his best only to Mani Ratnam.
Since then, Every tamil movie that had A R Rahman’s name on its poster, sold more music albums than tickets! (Exaggeration agreed!) But if you consider the fact that his old albums are still in great demand, you might get a statistical proof to my exaggeration!
(Bayshore, a company in Chennai, has taken up the task of keeping those classics on the shelf regularly. Thanks to Bayshore, we can buy those old CD’s and cassettes and complete our A R Rahman collection)
The Making of History
Though the dubbed version of Roja generated considerable waves in the country, A R Rahman became a household name in the country with the runaway success of Rangeela. After this, there was no looking back for A R Rahman.
Dil Se..
Doli Saja Ke Rakhna
Jeans
1947-Earth
Pukar
Taal
Fiza
Zubeidaa
Lagaan
Saathiya
The Legend of Bhagat Singh
Lakeer
Meenaxi
Yuva
Kisna
Swades
With these releases, he is now the only superstar of Indian music. After conquering Indian music completely, he has taken up foreign assignments too. The Chinese entry for the Oscars Warriors of Heaven and Earth had music composed by the maestro. The stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is again by A R Rahman. He has also worked with The Great Andrew Lloyd Weber in the musical Bombay Dreams which took the broadway by storm!
The Future
A R Rahman is 38 now. He has many more years ahead of him. Something tells me his best is yet to come. This man is a Living Legend. It amazes me when I think what better music can this prodigy compose!
And in this review I have not mentioned most of his tamil classics, which I used to listen to despite not knowing a single alphabet of this language. At this point, as my usual habit is to digress let me mention, I learnt Tamil fully and am now in a position to read, write, speak and understand the great language considered to be one of the most ancient ones on this planet. Everything is the courtesy of this great human being A R Rahman.
A R Rahman might never say that he is the best on his own. But let me tell you, even if he leaves this profession of Music Creation today; I can only say that I haven’t heard better music from anyone else in the contmporary music world!
Thanksgiving
Mr. A R Rahman
With every album Mr. A R Rahman, you have given me and millions of people like me immense happiness and satisfaction. The peace of mind that I get when I listen to your music every night before going to sleep is almost divine. The tranquility of your music is something unparalleled in today’s world of confusion and chaos!
I don’t know if I will ever get a chance to meet you and let you know these feelings of mine. But you & your music have been a great influence on me.
Thank you for everything!
Regards,
Aditya.