A.R.Rahman (Fan Club) - Page 13

Source: KAILASH KHER'S AWARGI IS FINALLY OFF THE BLOCK. Jingle-Jangle MAN
artcle by Baisakhi Roy

He occupies the slot in the music world that Amitabh Bacchan once did in Bollywood-from one to 10, CD jackets carry him on their cover with stars and Allah Rakha Rahman, 36, straddles Hindi filmdom as he easily as he composes ringtones for cell phones. The country's highest paid music director-he reportedly charges Rs 2 crore per film-is shy and reclusive, works through nights, sometimes for 18 hours at a stretch, in a sprawling recording studio in Chennai. Michael Jackson, with whom he has worked, once wore a T-shirt praising him. Year 2002 has been special for Rahman, having opened up India's auto-bahn to the West. For even if the British newspapers skewered Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams, Rahman's score was a winner-the ecstatic British tabloid hailed him as "the Asian Mozart from Madras". The man is now working on a new Hollywood musical

His music transcends all barriers - linguistic, geographical and chronological. He is a phenomenal success. He is incredibly talented. He is Allah Rakha Rahman, popularly known to music lovers world over as A.R.Rahman.

Life is one big journey, and you are never sure if you have reached your destination. I am still trying to find that Destination. But the thing is, once you reach that destination, you don't need to survive.

He's a genius. Working with him in Dil Se was a milestone in my career. He has single-handedly changed the sound of music in Hindi movies. He has even changed the format of songs and has popularised fine verse.

The nineties brought A. R Rahman who engineered a sound revolution by using new technology and his popularity grew with the rise of satellite channels.

Rahman revolutionised sound. He's a trend-setter in more ways than one. The only thing common between us is the fact that we started out in advertising and moved on to films. There's just no comparison otherwise. Rahman is a legend of sorts.