Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; January 12, 2018)

India’s global music icon and winner of two Academy Awards (in 2009 for Slumdog Millionaire), A R Rahman needs no introduction and yet, he humbly introduces himself as ‘AR’ in a conversation. Even after being in the limelight for so many years, the musical maestro continues to be a man of few words. Recently, he spoke to Bombay Times about his new challenges, his concerts sparking the North-South debate and why he is so critical of himself as a singer. Excerpts…

You will be debuting as a scriptwriter-producer soon with your ambitious project, 99 Songs. What drew you towards writing a film?
Every person’s journey is unique. We go through different ups and downs and discover things that other people don’t. I have experienced so much in life through my journey, so it’s interesting to put it in a movie and present it to people. Over the years, I have seen beauty, struggle, redemption and love. This is what the movie is all about. We started shooting last year and the shoot is complete. The film is in post-production now, as the CG work is pending. There are a lot of songs, so I need to plan on releasing them one by one, as I want people to be introduced to the songs much before the release of the film.

How different was it for you to write a script vis-à-vis composing music?
The story-writing started seven years ago. Before that, I knew I wanted to tell stories but didn’t know how to, so I took lessons. I attended scriptwriting workshops. Also, your mind starts to work on its own when you are inclined towards something. There have been so many long flights I’ve taken, which also gave me a lot of time to think. 

Will we see you directing a full-fledged feature film soon?
Not really. I have directed a VR (virtual reality) movie called Le Musk, but 2D feature films require undivided attention. Like my son said, ‘Daddy, I don’t think you should direct anything anymore, as I am seeing more and more grey hair by the day’. Also, we already have great filmmakers and visionaries who are better at it. I can just relax and watch a movie instead (smiles). VR was a different ball game — that space was empty, so I jumped at it.

 While you are loved as a singer, you are not too happy with yourself when it comes to singing. Why?
The composer in me is not very accepting of the vocalist in me. It happens when you play two roles — that of a singer and a composer. As a composer, you are always sitting on the other side and telling singers how to sing. When you are singing, the same person (me) starts telling you, how much more you can do. That’s challenging.

 Your concerts often run into the North India-South India debate, with some fans complaining about how South songs often outnumber the Hindi ones. Hence, you agreeing to be the brand ambassador of a Northeastern state, Sikkim, was like making a statement that music doesn’t belong to one state or region; it has the power to surpass boundaries.
Sikkim is a non-controversial state, and is one with nature. The people of Sikkim are extremely nice and they are an example of co-existence. There are so many beautiful qualities about the state and so, I felt it’s the right thing to do. This part of the country (Northeast) has always fascinated me, but I hadn’t been here before. Recently, I visited Shillong and only after going there I realised what India is all about. I believe India is not just Mumbai, Chennai or Kerala. Each part of the country makes you feel like you are being born again and you still have so much more to discover.

 You’ve enjoyed a 25-year-long illustrious journey in the world of movies and entertainment. What’s next?
I want to do a lot of interesting things that I haven’t done before. I want to find new ways to face challenges and explore places that I haven’t seen before, like I am doing at the moment in Sikkim. I want to explore a completely new India and find ways to include it in our movies.