AR Rahman Says ‘Many Singers, Directors’ Were ‘Kind’ During His Illness: ‘When They Heard I Was In Hospital…’ | Exclusive
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AR Rahman says he has fallen behind in friendships, adding that he doesn’t get to meet Imtiaz Ali and Mani Ratnam beyond work.
AR Rahman was hospitalised in Chennai in March this year due to neck pain.
This year, AR Rahman completes 30 years in the Hindi film music scene – a journey that began with Rangeela in 1995. In the last three decades, the music maestro has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan, six National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. He has also collaborated with the who’s who of the industry, both in India and abroad.
And while he truly cherishes the relationships that he has built through his professional associations, Rahman, speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, says that he lives in solitude and the one area of life where he ended up falling behind is friends. “I did have friends but I’m always behind. Even if I’ve a lot of time, I go even deeper and intense into work. If I know that making a song will take eight hours, I don’t stop at that. I keep pushing myself beyond that. My mantra is: more time, better work and better satisfaction. It’s not like I do less work just so that I can have more friends,” he tells us.
The music maestro further adds, “I feel like it’s some kind of a ‘nasha’ when I go into my work. I keep telling myself that I can do better and trying to find out what more I can do. I want to be able to tick mark all the boxes when it comes to getting into a new musical zone. In doing so, 30 years have gone by!” In fact, he struggles to even meet his close and frequent collaborators like Mani Ratnam and Imtiaz Ali. “Actually, there’s no time, especially when I’m in India. Even if I’m free, I keep trying to build a new project or thinking of newer ideas. I’m in my own world,” he states.
According to Rahman, friends shouldn’t be confused with yes-men. And despite having a limited circle of friends, he feels grateful that many of his collaborators sent him their best wishes when he was hospitalised in March this year due to neck pain. “I do love my friends. When they heard that I was in the hospital, everyone reacted to it. So many singers and directors sent me messages. It was very kind of them. I acknowledged all that stuff and thanked them,” he says.
Talking about his friends in Hollywood, Rahman says, “I’ve a composer friend from Finland. When I was working in Hollywood, he used to be my plus one for everything – like (Steven) Spielberg’s party. I’ve another friend called Bernard Hiller, who’s an acting coach. He used to take me over to some really odd parties (laughs). They know my life. They tell me to do more, including directing films. I keep asking myself, why are these guys pushing me? Maybe there’s really something in me that they see.”
So, how does he make time for them? “The best way to honour them is to include all of them in my prayers, which I do. That’s the only way I can celebrate my friendships,” shares the Amar Singh Chamkila and Chhaava composer, who’s all set to kickstart his Wonderment Tour in Mumbai in May.