'One Heart will be one of a kind experience'

As we enter AR Rahman’s residence for the interview, we see him seated in front of his keyboard which is a scintillating sight. His movie One Heart , a concert film, will feature the composer’s concert tour across 14 cities, and accompanying artistes such as Ranjit Barot, Haricharan and Shreya Ghoshal among others. 

“We planned this in 2015 and the producer of this film, Senthil told me it would be a good idea to make this into a film which could be a fund-raiser for our foundation for musicians named One Heart. When we edited this, it was a simple narrative. We screened it in Toronto, people liked it. Some of them were in tears. Then we decided to release it in theatres,” he says. The film will also see his collaboration with musicians like Sivamani and Ranjit Barot. “Our friendship goes beyond music. I have known and worked with Ranjit Barot for 25 years now and with Sivamani since 1983. These are people, who help me rise to the occasion. Apart from that there is Haricharan, Shreya Ghoshal and Mohini Dey. It is wonderful to have collaborated with such talents,” says Rahman.

The composer says that One Heart will take the audience through his journey which tells them about his thought process while working on a composition or before a concert. 

“How would you feel when I take you around my studio? That is the experience one will get when they watch this film,” adds the  Mozart of Madras. 

Rahman, in earlier interviews, had said that he was apprehensive when it came to facing the cameras. When asked if he had such inhibitions when he came across this idea, he says, “Not really. I do things which I feel intuitive about. When I decide, I want to do something, I begin my work in the next couple of days. That’s how this happened. Moreover, the idea of funding for musicians through One Heart foundation inspired me. I became a musician with what my forefathers left behind for me. When I thought about the future generation of musicians, I wanted to do this for them. We must build a good infrastructure for upcoming musicians. And I am now sowing the seed.” 

Apart from music, Rahman has also taken up direction and writing this year. Was that a conscious decision for him to enter various aspects of cinema and he responds, “Everything fell in place. Why I began writing the story for 99 Songs under my own production was because I believe I have a special place in people’s heart. When you ask them about me or Sachin Tendulkar, they say we are their favourites. However, when it comes to cinema, there is a hierarchy, starting from the director, the hero, heroine, the producer and then the music director. And I won’t be able to interfere in the story or the situation to compose music as I like. But when I am the writer, I can ask the director to shoot a scene which gives me a platform to compose better music,” he reveals. 

Rahman, who became a director with Le Musk, tells us about what made him venture into direction. “The movie is in its  post-production stage. The director, who was supposed to make this film left half way. However, I was the one giving him the inputs. People then suggested that I direct the film. If it’s a 2D technology it would have been easier. But, Le Musk was shot in Virtual Reality technology which requires proper research. And then I called up one of my friends from Hollywood to take care of the acting part. I am more like Alfred Hitchcock who doesn’t teach acting,” he says with a smile. 

Talking about composing music across genres for 25 years now, he says that he does research for a movie for a good couple of months prior to recording. “When I composed music for Sachin: A Billion Dreams , my experience in working on Pele’s biopic helped me,” he adds. At the audio launch of Mersal , Rahman had said that the song Aalaporaan Tamizhan should be an aspiration to youngsters. 

“I was born here. I am a Tamilian. I would like to see the future generation carrying that legacy forward irrespective of the field they belong to. They should be exemplary in being civilised as that will place us on top. We should always aim in bringing positivity to the society we belong to,” he explains. 

On the composing front, Rahman says that he will be scoring for Sanghamitra next. The composer was criticised for singing Tamil songs in the London concert last month.

“There were 9,000 Tamil people and 50 Hindi speaking people. I always see the majority,” he says.