Pray that I bring the Oscar home says A R Rahman

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Abdul Rahman Ansari

@ar78655

Rocker

Posted: 16 years ago

Pray that I bring the Oscar home

A thrilled AR Rahman talks exclusively to Subhash K Jha about bagging three Oscar nominations for Slumdog Millionaire

Hours after the announcement of three Oscar nominations one for Original Score and two for Best Songs, 'Jai ho' and 'O Saya', the usually reticent AR Rahman sounds more excited than he ever has.

A jubilant Rahman said, "What can I say? It's a dream-come-true not so much for me as much as my wife. She'd wake up in the middle of the night and say, 'I want you to win an Oscar'. And I'd just smile. Today, my wife's dream seems a possibility."

"But, I don't want to get too hopeful. At the moment, let's just rejoice that my work has been nominated for the Oscars. I'm happy not just for myself but also for Gulzar saab who has been nominated for the lyrics of 'Jai ho'." said Rahman.

Rahman tries hard to contain his excitement. During the nomination he was at home in Chennai. He said, "My wife and my children jumped with joy when they heard the announcement. My mother is also here with me. It's her prayers, support and upbringing that's bearing fruit now."

Rahman was supposed to be in Mumbai for the premiere of the Slumdog Millionaire's Hindi version Slumdog Crorepati on Thursday when news of the Oscar nominations came in. "I couldn't attend the premiere in Mumbai because I had some work in Chennai. It happened for the best otherwise I wouldn't be here with my family to share this moment," added Rahman.

Rahman says he wasn't too sure of the Oscar nominations even after he won the Golden Globe. "I know the Golden Globes are precursors to the Oscars. But honestly, it sometimes works in reverse. For instance, Bruce Springsteen won the Golden Globe but he hasn't got an Oscar nomination. Thank God, it went the right way for me," said a relieved Rahman.

Now, Rahman is preparing to leave for the Oscar ceremony. "The ceremony is on February 22,2009. But I've other business to attend to so I'll be leaving for LA very shortly. And yes, my wife will accompany me to the Oscars. How can she not ? She dreamt this dream for me," said Rahman.

An exhilarated Rahman said, "It's a moment of pride not just for me. India has done it. Pray that I bring home the Oscar." We certainly hope so!