Rajiv Menon on how converting to Islam improved AR Rahman's musical prowess: Courtesy: Rajiv, AR Rahman (Insta)
Collaborations are all about the comfort levels between the people involved, and in creative fields like music and cinema, this camaraderie is paramount. One such long-lasting friendship that has also created music that would stand the test of time is the one shared by Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman and director-cinematographer Rajiv Menon. In an interview with O2 India, Rajiv opened up about their friendship that started long before Roja when he was working with a young Dilip Kumar in advertisements. “He was very shy, and he was a man of small words. Now, he writes long e-mails, gives a lot of interviews, and is very well-spoken,” pointed out Rajiv about the stark difference between Rahman of the late 80s, and today.
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‘AR Rahman had a deep attachment to his mother’
Rajiv said that Rahman’s motivation came from his deep attachment to his mother, and the passion that made him want to create an international-level school that would teach Western Classical music to Indians. “I’m sure her loss is hurting Rahman,” said Rajiv, adding, “Rahman has done more for Western music in India than anybody else. His institution is not making a lot of money, but he wants a place where people can learn music. His impact is also seen in the way musicians have upped their scale with respect to production values for their concerts. He is experimenting a lot with VR, and takes offbeat stories to produce as films.”
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Summing up the transition of Rahman from a demure young boy to the national treasure of today, Rajiv said, “From being the young boy who was playing with a few keyboards, and having some fun, he is now an institution, and an icon.” Attributing his humility and honesty for his rise and rise, Rajiv felt that Rahman’s approach towards divinity and music gives him a unique space in Indian music.
How AR Rahman embraced Islam
Talking about transitions, Rajiv also opened up about how he was the translator when fakirs from Gulbarga came to Rahman’s house to facilitate the adoption of Islam by the family. “There was a period they didn’t know Hindi, so I would be the translator. I have seen this period of transition and gravitation towards religion, and belief. I have seen Rahman deal with immense pressure from within the family, especially with the marriages of his sisters. It was music that helped him brave the storm,” said Rajiv, who revealed that Rahman believed the testing times allowed him to produce music.
“He’d say that music helped him forget it. He thought God gave him problems so that he can use music to gain some clarity,” said the Sarvam Thaala Mayam filmmaker who said that sublimating himself to the divine, and adopting Sufi Islam also helped his musical prowess. Drawing parallels between great musicians who had to break through out of something to find a space for themselves, Rajiv said that Rahman’s transition to Islam allowed him to discover Hindustani music and Qawwalis.
“This allowed him to learn about different rhythm structures, middle-eastern minor scales, the clapping and singing together, chorus, etc… Qawwali has that energy, right? Where you sing together and feel the power of god. Qawwalis played a very big role in his musical compositions,” said Rajiv, who believed Rahman was an eclectic mix of genres, and he could incorporate different musical influences into his music.
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In fact, Rajiv said that it was his gravitation towards Hindustani music and qawwalis that ensured he could cement his place in Hindi cinema. “The knowledge of Hindustani music and qawwali ensured his music went national. You see, Carnatic songs can’t go national because even though there are Hindustani influences in its ragas, the Hindustani music doesn’t have any Carnatic ragas,” said Rajiv, who opined that Rahman‘s knowledge of North Indian ragas endeared him more with the Hindi audience. “I think the lack of exposure to these ragas acted as an impediment to many South Indian musicians who composed for Hindi films.”
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