Lord of Rhythm

doweshowbellyad=0; MAKING A POINT: A R Rahman (TOI Photo)AR Rahman whose tunes rock the marquee, talks to DT about his tryst with The Lord of the Rings musical and more...
You may imagine that someone who’s music has sold more albums than the Beatles, Elvis Presley and even Michael Jackson, would sport some swagger and attitude. But AR Rahman is disarmingly unassuming.He is the most celebrated music composer in a country that produces 1,500 musical films each year. His simple demeanour says he’s untouched by his achievements. He’s casual but certainly not informal.
The music maestro won the award for the Best Music Director (Tamil) at the 54th Fair One Filmfare Awards 2006 (South). Rahman just returned from the UK, where The Lord of the Rings musical was being staged.
The 40-year-old has set the score for the stage adaptation of the Hollywood blockbuster. "It’s an opportunity not everyone gets. And I had to sacrifice a lot of films to do The Lord of the Rings -- India has so much more to give to the world, besides a fantastic set of morals and values. But it’s sad that we don’t give our 100 per cent to everything we do," he rued.
Rahman became popular in the West, particularly the UK, when Broadway guru Andrew Lloyd Webber tuned into his music that was being played on a local radio station. Webber roped him in for the theatrical production, Bombay Dreams.
Rahman says, "Language does not matter, but the work I do, does. If there were an offer from Tollywood, I’d accept that as well. And most Tamil films anyway get dubbed in Telugu. So, the impact is doubled," he explained.
But with a packed schedule, he feels rushed for time. "I wish I could do more. Sometimes I don’t have the
energy."
The singer and composer, prefers to work at night. "It’s the silence, I guess," he explains, breaking into the Christmas carol, Silent Night. Rahman has the talent to enhance the digital ambience to produce sound with a three-dimensional feel.
His hands are full at the moment with his latest venture, "I have started my own record label, and it’s a bold step in my life," he confesses. With August 15 just a day away the corner, Rahman will come out with his version of the National Anthem.