ARRahman FanClub-3,First Look-2 @Page 23 - Page 16

After 'Bulla Ki Jaana', which ruptured all the stereotypical norms of making music, Rabbi Shergill now claims to dabble in a wide variety of musical styles for his next untitled album slotted for release soon.

"My fans will realise that I do songs that come out of my experiences. I don't want to do one album twice, so this one is going to be different. I have taken risks," says Rabbi who will perfrom at Mocha, Juhu on February 6.

He recently finished writing lyrics and composing for the film 'Delhi Heights' and describes it as a good experience.

"I got a clear field to work on the film; there were very few constraints and I can say that I largely shaped the sound," he says, adding that his future projects with Bollywood will depend upon his free time.

Inspired by diverse bands like Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay, adds Rabbi, "I think there's only one guy who has consistently kept his music going and been successful – AR Rahman."

And with Sufi music being the flavour of the season, Rabbi whose Sufi influences came across on his first album thinks it's all just hype. "I think it's become a token word," he says.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1076328

The villain of the 80s India when free marketing ideas were frowned upon by the government of a still-socialistic India becomes the hero of post-economically liberated, capitalistic India.

That is pretty much the gist of Mani Rathnam's latest multi-star studded film Guru with Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidhya Balan and an aged Mithun Da. AR Rahman's music is hard to hum along with as he has experimented with some new techniques. It needs repeated listening to take it in. But music is incidental in this film. It is pure drama.

Would the rural youth from Gujarat have turned out different if he had not had those years of "free trading" experience in Turkey is a question that the mind certainly begs to ask. Ancient India with its Varna system supported free trade with Dharma being the "controlling" element. The ingeneous youth from India's "outback" certainly has it in his blood.

And then he meets up with the "Indian firangs" in their golf courses and 3 piece suits. He is ostentatious with a "Never Say Die" attitude (Mujhe na sunaai nahin detha). His wife simply adores him as he does her.

What makes this story touching is that he made many lakhpatis out of poor people who otherwise would have never dreamed of such riches in several generations.

Of course the film does not question the environmental damage that the production of polyester and rayon material has wrought on the land and water as it takes away from the main story- the "man". It however opens the debate on what is considered fair business practices. When companies like Binny's and Bombay Dyeing were towing the line of government regulation, "Shakthi" imports "spare parts" and produces more than it is licensed for.

But for the youth from Idhar, Gujarat, it made no sense. Money was to be made and not just for himself, but for an entire community and for a nation. He wanted to enrich a country that was gathering its rags together after years of foreign rule. The garish costumes of the 80s films bear testimony to the new wave of synthetics that hit the markets of Surat, Ahmedabad and Bombay and later the conservative South (the last bastion of hand loomed cotton).

Abhishek has certainly matured into a fine actor. He carries the role easily on his shoulders as the filmi version of Dhirubhai Reliance Ambani. Of course a good director helps. That is so evident in Aishwarya's case. She stuns people with her looks that it doesn't matter whether she can act or not. Mani Rathnam makes her act for sure. He does not succumb like the director of Umrao Jaan and let Ash murder the role. Madhavan as the journalist (Arun Shourie's filmi prathibimb) does his natural stuff as does Vidhya Balan- now there is a beauty having a flair for the performing arts. Mithun Da does wonders with the complex role of being the editor (Goenka). The love he has for this brash youth and yet hoping that he would learn patience and be dharmic remains a dream that never translates to reality is painfully beautiful to watch.

I remember those 80s when my grandfather would take the side of Goenka and refuse to invest in Reliance shares knowing that he was losing himself a fortune. Yet he admired his business acumen. It was simply a matter of principle. He was a Chartered Accountant and could pick stocks that were sure winners. His son, my uncle, would debate with him and say India had to eradicate the license Raj and get moving with the times. My law-abiding, administrative services dad would agree with the principle but wished that the man be patient. Nations could not afford to just rewrite their economic theories in days. They take decades.

Today, Reliance India has a huge market share in the telecommunication field. Reliance Industries has become one of the MNCs that is home-grown. And Guru certainly made colorful clothes that has clothed an entire generation of Indians who otherwise would have continued to have just a couple of saris or dhotis to call their own a la Gandhi. It is ironical that both these sons of Gujarat had such a united vision of boosting the Indian economy but achieved it in such diverse ways!