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I thought the movie would be boring because it was about history'

AR Rahman on composing the music of Mohenjo Daro

Chaya Unnikrishnan

After Tamasha, AR Rahman is back in Bollywood with the music of the period film Mohenjo Daro directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. This is his fifth collaboration with the filmmaker after Lagaan, Swades, Jodha Akbar and the serial Everest. The first song, the romantic Tu Hai that will be released on July 3 has been sung by Rahman, and filmed on the lead pair Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde. Here, the music maestro talks about his long association with the filmmaker, when he decides to sing a song and more..

When do you decide your voice is better for the song?

(Laughs) I don't decide it. Sometimes, I just compose in my voice or on my instrument. If the director says I think you should sing the song', I tell him I prefer getting it sung by another singer. But if the director tells me that 10 times then I feel okay, maybe he really wants me to sing and I do.

What is the song Tu Hai about?

I can't reveal much, but it's a beautiful sequence in the movie. In a way, it's spiritual but has a lot of love in it. I have sung along with a new singer.

Tell me about your tuning with Ashutosh with whom you have done three films and a serial?

When I first met Ashutosh I thought he had incredible patience and an ability to get things which I also love, like melodies and recognising great music motifs. It's nice to have a team like Javedsaab and Ashutosh, who fights for things. When I do something and I change it, he says what you had before was good and insists on it. It's interesting. I have to be very careful what I give him first, because he takes it and internalises it. He doesn't like me to change after that because he starts owning it. It's been more than a 15-year collaboration when we started working on Lagaan in 1999. It's been a good association. Some of the songs have become cult songs like Yeh Jo Des (Swades) Lagaan, Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Jodha Akbar). I hope people like this (Mohenjo Daro) music too.

Is it more challenging to compose for a period film?

I had very low expectations from this movie. I thought it would be boring because it was about history. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched the movie. It was engaging, it had a lot of love in it, is colourful, there's Hrithik (Roshan) and the rest of the cast is amazing. As for it being challenging, I think every time there is a new route, new inspiration, it opens up many factors which makes you change the way you think. It's very hard to do the same thing " commercial movie again and again. A new thing, on the other hand, makes you excited and puts you on the edge rather than making you complacent.

How important is to have a tuning with the director because we have seen that once you work with a director you are with him for his future projects too.

I think we grow. What happens is we have an understanding, trust and faith, and respect each other. At the same time, people have encouraged us, loved us so we want to give them something more exciting, something that they can cherish and keep in the library. That's the reason I work with the same people again and again. We have sorted out other things, there's only the passion about what we want to deliver, there are no ego issues, it's about creative stuff.

You are composing the music for Ok Jaanu, the Hindi remake of OK Kanmani. Are you also singing title track, which was a big hit in the original?

Yes, I am, in fact I have already sung it. We are also adding three new songs in the film.

Internationally what will be your next?

There's a movie in the pipeline which will be announced by July-end.