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It’s not the instrument. It’s how it translates from an artiste. I love the voice - it’s the most perfect instrument ever heard. It’s God given.
A.R. Rahman. Filmfare, July 2001
Everyday is about choices, and in my case, these choices involve the public. They have the right to express their delight and their discontent. I give every song my best, but destiny, that vibration of fate, sometimes fails me. Still, I a m a believer in the Almighty and I leave it to Him to carry me along.
A.R. Rahman, Hindustan Times, 26 Jan. 2010.
I mostly don’t write to specifically defined cues. I just watch the film a couple of times, stop watching it, then write something that comes to my mind from the film. This way, when I try to sync the music, the results are that much more wholesome. You get something extra that you don’t get when you’re looking at specific points in the timeline. The music is much more organic this way, not jumping cue to cue.
A.R. Rahman, interviewed by Divanee, 24th Dec. 2010.
I try to make the music work independently from the movie I’m scoring, with pieces that are musically independent and make sense even without the movie.
A.R. Rahman interviewed by The National on 15 Dec. 2010
What we were trying to achieve (with the score for 127 Hours) was immense energy, not self-pity. We wanted something constantly uplifting. That’s the primary emotion. But it is very easy to pump it up and go. We thinned it out to get the right temperature. Instead of going more, the music takes a back seat. That’s unusual. Usually you go high, higher, highest. But not here.
A.R. Rahman (Interview for variety.com, 17 Nov 2010)
India… The people make it work again and again. Everything comes together in the last minute. What a great feeling being a part of it (Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony). When I was with folk, classical dancers and musicians in the waiting passage that led the artists to the stage, it felt like I was in a mini Noah’s Ark containing all of India’s arts and culture. True bliss watching it and being a part of the performance. Thank you.
A.R. Rahman after the Commonwealth Games 2010 Opening Ceremony
If you understand the essence of religion, it’s about love. Though it’s a cliché, it’s the truth, and it’s what I’m trying to do with my music.
A.R. Rahman (Here & Now, Sept. 2010)
I like to see a film and then start scoring it in my mind, while doing something unrelated. The mind, the more active it is, the more productive it is.
Outlook India, Feb. 22, 2009
My favourite musical instrument changes from time to time. Eighteen years of composing and finally it comes to vocals because it is a God-given instrument. Of course, any instrument player who connects his soul to his instrument is great and that instrument becomes great. The instrument itself is ordinary, but the people who play it make it special.
The Journey Home Concert Interview for Darshan TV, June 2010
I respect people’s tastes. I don’t say that I’ll only do high society music, because that would be condescending of people who want something simple. You can make music that appeals even to a child or an infant.
The Journey Home Concert Interview for Darshan TV, June 2010
I am for everyone, my music is for everyone, because films (and film music) cater to everyone.
The Journey Home Concert Interview for Darshan TV, June 2010
In my opinion, everybody has the same soul from God and we are united by that. Outside, our bodies are different, our faces are different, but inside we are all the same, we share the same feelings of sadness, love, pain… My music comes out of these feelings. Whether it is Japanese music, African, Qawalli, or any other form of music, if it touches your heart it becomes important for me.
The Journey Home Concert Interview for Darshan TV, June 2010
You learn to compartmentalise:
When I work there (in the west), I feel excited. When I work here (in India), I feel excited. After a while, you learn to compartmentalise and use all the inputs to create a new kind of product. As long as I create music anywhere, I am in great spirits.
Times of India, May 3, 2010
