30 years of A R Rahman

Since his sensational debut with ‘Roja’, the composer has collaborated regularly with Mani Ratnam, the filmmaker who gave him his break

Mani Ratnam made his first film, ‘Pallavi Anu Pallavi’ (1983), in Kannada, and it inaugurated a hugely successful collaboration with the music composer Ilaiyaraaja. He made nine more films with the music composer, all featuring memorable hits, before he picked A R Rahman to score for 'Roja'. It has been 30 years since, and they have together delivered a string of popular numbers. Here is a quick look at some:

Kadhal rojave: Rahman made the music for ‘Roja’ (1992) on a shoe-string budget of Rs 25,000, and that meant he wasn’t hiring too many live musicians. The structure of this number brings to mind ragas like Kafi and Pilu, and Rahman’s phrasing was noticeably snappier than that of his predecessors. In Chinna chinna aasai, the first song he composed for the film, you find short, crisp phrasing. (Were the lyrics inspired by that lovely K S Narasimhaswamy poem in Kannada, Hakkiya haadige taledooguva hoo naanaaguva aase?). The style perhaps came from Rahman’s experience of making ad jingles—they had to tell a story in 30 seconds, and couldn’t linger on anything for too long. At least some of the sensation created by the album could perhaps be attributed to the synthetic sounds that replaced the sounds that lovers of film music were used to. With synthetic strings playing in place of the violin section, and an extensive use of electronically generated beats, the songs in ‘Roja’ sounded radically different from the film songs of the time. The album was released by the Bengaluru-based Lahari Audio, and sold a staggering 30 lakh copies in Tamil and Hindi alone. It was also released in Telugu and Malayalam.

Mani Ratnam discovered
Rahman in 1992.

Konjam nilavu: Mani Ratnam then made ‘Thiruda Thiruda’ (1993), a comedy caper, and again roped in Rahman for the music. A bit of interesting trivia is that he co-wrote the film with Ram Gopal Verma, who had made ‘Kshana Kshanam’ (1991), an enjoyable comedy caper starring Sridevi and Venkatesh, two years ago. Rahman explored his pop influences, such as Michael Jackson, in this slickly shot song, sung by Anupamaa and Suresh Peters. With its choice of new voices, and its choral exuberance, the album gives you an indication of what is to come from the Mani Ratnam and Rahman stable.

Hamma hamma: Picking up the threads from ‘Roja’, Mani Ratnam made ‘Bombay’ (1995), his second film in a trilogy. The third, ‘Dil Se’, came out in 1999. His treatment intrigued critics about his political leanings. Many of his films created the perception that his politics is ‘left-liberal’, writes film critic Raja Rajamani, ‘with a soft corner for the Dravidian movement.’ Rajamani disagrees with the perception, and writes, “If we critically look at his filmography in totality, it is not difficult to observe the recurring occurrence of themes in favour of hyper-nationalism, anti-federalism and state oppression.” In a 1997 private album, Rahman reimagined Vande mataram, pushing aside the prayerful tune heard on All India Radio, and offering in its place a tune marked by high-pitched aggression. Together, Mani Ratnam and Rahman were perhaps on to what was happening outside—the polarisation and the subsequent consolidation on religious lines. Hamma hamma is to ‘Bombay’ what Nila adu vaanadu mele was to ‘Nayakan’, representing a highly stylised eroticism with a sensuous dance and an insistent beat.

Hello Mr Ethirkatchi: ‘Iruvar’ (1997) was a political drama, a thinly veiled story about friends-turned-rivals MGR and Karunanidhi, and one of Mani Ratnam’s less successful films. This song, featuring Aishwarya Rai, draws on jazz, and is composed in a style Rahman did not pursue in later years. In the ‘90s, fans were at loggerheads over who was greater—Ilaiyaraaja or Rahman—and Rahman did make some tunes that seemed like a hat tip to Iliayaraaja. ‘Kurukku siruthavale’ from Shankar’s ‘Mudhalvan’ (1999) is an example. But it is likely that Rahman consciously moved away from styles that might have reminded music lovers of the earlier masters of film composing. And he was using sound programming tools and sound libraries that the others were still discovering and coming to terms with.

Oru deivam thanda poove: This is a hit from ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’ (2002), and features a mother and her 9-year-old adopted daughter. The haunting abstractness of the tune is matched with expansive drone shots. The cinematography inspired the way several songs were shot, across languages. (Compare it with ‘Ee sanje yaakaagide…’ in Kannada). A mother and child playing is something Mani Ratnam had earlier explored in ‘Pallavi Anu Pallavi’, in Nagu endide, whose tune remains popular to this day thanks to a mobile service provider jingle it later inspired.

Mani Ratnam and Rahman have collaborated consistently, and their songs in ‘Guru’ (2007), ‘Ravanan’ (2010), and ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’ (2017) have enjoyed a fair amount of air play, but their more memorable tunes come from an earlier era. The slickness of their productions has set benchmarks for others, and challenged their peers to experiment. In an interview with Deccan Herald in 2018, Rahman had spoken about the difference between Hindi cinema and Tamil cinema. The first, he said, is happy with a pleasant vibe, while the second expects challenges, and likes to be surprised. With Mani Ratnam, he has consistently followed the second approach.