Mani Ratnam a brother, mentor rolled into one: A.R. Rahman
Chennai
Mar 17, 2017
Double Oscar-winning composer A.R Rahman, who shares a 25-year-long
relationship with filmmaker Mani Ratnam, says he sees the 'Roja' director
as a brother and mentor rolled into one.
Rahman spoke about his long-standing relationship with Ratnam,
his vision for his institute and his music beliefs, in a chat for digital platform
Film Companion.
Ratnam launched Rahman in his 1992 Tamil film 'Roja'.
On celebrating 25 years of 'Roja' by reuniting with
Ratnam for upcoming Tamil romantic-drama 'Kaatru Veliyidai', he said:
'More than a director and filmmaker, he is someone who is very special
to me. He gave me my first break.
'He's like a mentor and brother rolled into one. He is
a good human being. Sometimes you stick to people not because of the power but
because of their humanness.'
In a career spanning over two decades, Rahman has succeeded
in maintaining freshness in his music.
Asked how he avoids monotony in music, he said: 'I don't
do movies when makers come with requests of repetition. If I feel I can't do
anything new, I try to dodge it.
'So many movies which I was supposed to do, I decided
against. Sometimes there may be a very small movie but it might trigger something
interesting for me and I go ahead and do it.'
In 2008, Rahman founded K.M. Music Conservatory with the aim
to pass on his legacy and nurture budding musicians.
He says his sister Fatima -- who is the director of the institute
-- and her team look after the management.
'My sister is very musically sensitive about things as
well. It is a good team we have and they know the vibe and what they should
do,' he said.
Despite his popularity, Rahman says he remains humble because
of spirituality.
'The foundation lies in spirituality. When you want to
reinvent, you need to take off all the old luggage and throw it off and go marching
with nothing,' he added.
Having expressed his desire to direct a film not long ago,
Rahman said he was pushed into it.
'I don't have the time and attention span to do a 2D movie
but virtual reality is something we have been researching and checking out for
the past one and a half years.
'We could not find a director for that and as I was so
involved in the previous events, everybody said I should do it. It's not like
directing. We had to reinvent all laws, techniques for virtual reality. It's
completely different,' he said.
Last year, Rahman launched a Visual Reality version of his
iconic song 'Vande Mataram' at the 10th edition of NFDC Film Bazaar
in Goa, and said he had plans to make more such films using the technology.
Chennai
Mar 17, 2017
Double Oscar-winning composer A.R Rahman, who shares a 25-year-long
relationship with filmmaker Mani Ratnam, says he sees the 'Roja' director
as a brother and mentor rolled into one.
Rahman spoke about his long-standing relationship with Ratnam,
his vision for his institute and his music beliefs, in a chat for digital platform
Film Companion.
Ratnam launched Rahman in his 1992 Tamil film 'Roja'.
On celebrating 25 years of 'Roja' by reuniting with
Ratnam for upcoming Tamil romantic-drama 'Kaatru Veliyidai', he said:
'More than a director and filmmaker, he is someone who is very special
to me. He gave me my first break.
'He's like a mentor and brother rolled into one. He is
a good human being. Sometimes you stick to people not because of the power but
because of their humanness.'
In a career spanning over two decades, Rahman has succeeded
in maintaining freshness in his music.
Asked how he avoids monotony in music, he said: 'I don't
do movies when makers come with requests of repetition. If I feel I can't do
anything new, I try to dodge it.
'So many movies which I was supposed to do, I decided
against. Sometimes there may be a very small movie but it might trigger something
interesting for me and I go ahead and do it.'
In 2008, Rahman founded K.M. Music Conservatory with the aim
to pass on his legacy and nurture budding musicians.
He says his sister Fatima -- who is the director of the institute
-- and her team look after the management.
'My sister is very musically sensitive about things as
well. It is a good team we have and they know the vibe and what they should
do,' he said.
Despite his popularity, Rahman says he remains humble because
of spirituality.
'The foundation lies in spirituality. When you want to
reinvent, you need to take off all the old luggage and throw it off and go marching
with nothing,' he added.
Having expressed his desire to direct a film not long ago,
Rahman said he was pushed into it.
'I don't have the time and attention span to do a 2D movie
but virtual reality is something we have been researching and checking out for
the past one and a half years.
'We could not find a director for that and as I was so
involved in the previous events, everybody said I should do it. It's not like
directing. We had to reinvent all laws, techniques for virtual reality. It's
completely different,' he said.
Last year, Rahman launched a Visual Reality version of his
iconic song 'Vande Mataram' at the 10th edition of NFDC Film Bazaar
in Goa, and said he had plans to make more such films using the technology.
Tags: A. R. RahmanMani Ratnam