A.R.Rahman (Fan Club) - Page 16

By Sameer Wadekar, Bollywood Trade News Network

The recently concluded Commonwealth Games at Melbourne should go down as one of the most memorable events for India. Our efficient athletes did us proud by winning a streak of medals and Bollywood too mesmerized the world with its dazzle. The stars did their best with their dash of performances but it was the musical contingent that was a stand-out. The song 'Dhamaal' written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Vishal-Shekhar was loudly cheered and Saif Ali and Rani were seen matching steps to it. Equally applauded gem was 'Diili Chalo' that had words by Gulzar and was set to score by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The song was performed jubilantly by Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shiamak Davar and Sunidhi Chauhan.

Then there's the iconoclastic maestro A R Rehman who is again set to capture the international galaxy with his latest overseas assignment LORD OF THE RINGS musical, a stage version of J R R Tolkien's classic epic of the same name. The LOTR movie trilogy by the talented director Peter Jackson was a box-office triumph, the third installment fetched Jackson his first Oscar for best direction. The stage version opened in Toronto on March 28th, 2006 and has Rehman collaborating with the Finnish folk music band Varttina. Well this is not the first time that Rehman is dominating the international scene with his expertise.

Earlier he had composed music for the stage musical BOMBAY DREAMS and was chosen instantly to carry out the task by none other than the legendary Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber. BOMBAY DREAMS was a big hit in England. Prior to this Rehman's name was splashed all over in England when his scintillating musical score for DIL SE got induced in the UK Top 10. Rehman had also done the music for the Chinese film WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH directed by He Ping. And what more, the soundtrack of Rehman's debut movie ROJA was listed in TIME magazine's Top 10 movie soundtracks ever. And the little genius has got another feather to add to his cap now! His most cherished number 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' has found its way to the soundtrack of the now released Spike Lee directed film THE INSIDE MAN. The film stars acclaimed actors like Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster.

So is Bollywood really going global these days? I'm using the word 'Bollywood' here and that is not to be mixed with the term Indian music. The West was till very recently not excited about Bollywood music and hence it was quite proving to be a deterrent for Hindi film music to bang in onto the international front. While musicians like Pt. Ravishankar, Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu, Tavleen Singh and Bally Sagoo (to name a few) were already shining throughout, international acceptance was hard to come by for the Bollywood music deputation. It might be because the West could be having a tough time relating to the nuances of the cultish film music genre as it's an unheard and an alien idiom as per the international standards. That's why non-film music luminaries get an easy access to the masses and they are welcomed in the foreign territory. Contemporary music could be experimented with; it's more innovative and public-friendly and hence gets lapped up by the sophisticated Western society. Bollywood music till now was very inflexible, fabricated to cater to the National audience mainly and that's why remains restricted within the boundaries.

But things are seemingly changing. The West which earlier used to mock Indian movies for the routine song-n-dance sequences are now relenting to it! Whether songs-n-dances should be included in movies or not is still a debate, one thing remains intact. The musical strings have remained an indispensable part of Indian movies so far. And Hindi film melodies ingeniously inculcate various other musical styles decoratively. Hence Hindi film music becomes an ensemble of sorts of diverse musical tastes and traditions. So in a way it should be able to break the ice and get into the mainstream Western market. Asha Bhonsle's Grammy nomination for her complimented album R D BURMAN'S BOLLYWOOD in the category of 'Best Contemporary World Music Album' is a healthy sign towards that development. Again it should not be perceived as an indication of cinematic platitude but in terms of musical achievement, yes definitely, it could be a triumph. After having worked with biggies like Boy George and Michael Stipes (of REM fame), Asha has this time caught the attention of the present-day popular band The Black Eyed Peas. The Black Eyed Peas have sampled her song "Aye Naujawan Hai Sab Kuchchyahan" in their hit single "Don't Phunk With My Heart".

Sometime back, the flamboyant Bappi Lahiri's composition from the film JYOTI 'Kaliyon Ka Chaman' was sectioned in techno-funk band Truth Hurt's chartbusting song 'Addictive'. A lot of controversy erupted regarding the copyright clauses but the song became instrumental in giving the Americans a bite of Hindi film music. In the end, I would just sum it up by saying that Bollywood music needs more such instances to bring it onto the map!

Source: http://www.glamsham.com

IndiaGlitz [Monday, March 27, 2006]

Pawan Kalyan has lot of anger in him. Against the inequities and the injustices in the world around him.

A sensitive man, Pawan often has talked in private about he feels about the whole thing.

But now he will also be speaking about that in the open through his new film Satyagrahi ----Satyame Naa Ayudham.

To be directed by him, Satyagrahi, launched with much fanfare on Saturday, is a movie about student politics and one man's crusade for justice. In spirit, the film's story will be what Pawan himself has been feeling in his longing for an equal society.

Pawan, who normally keeps a low profile during his film launch, made it a point to speak in strong tones. That reflected his essential conviction and courage.

Before anyone can think that the movie is just about politics, Pawan said it was his way fighting for justice for the average man. As we all have noticed, the songs in his movies reflect that spirit. 'Now I am doing that in a full-length movie,' he said. Pawan, who said that Chiranjeevi could not be present as because he was in Chennai, was, however, happy that those who are close to Chiru were present.

The movie, in a nutshell, is about a student leader fighting against the politics entrenched in the system.

The movie boasts of some of the best names in the Indian industry. A R Rehman is scoring the music while P C Sreeram cranks the film.

A M Rathinam, whose Bangaram with Pawan is almost ready , produces it.

The story, screenplay and direction is by Pawan himself.

The launch was a big event with Dasari Narayana Rao, Allu Aravind, Venkatesh, Ramanaidu, V V Vinayak, Allu Arjun, Nitin and others at hand at the Annapoorna studios.

Dasari Narayana Rao made the first clap while the camera was switched on by Allu Aravind.

Dasari said there was power and style in whatever Pawan does.

V V Vinayak pointed out that Pawan looked for new things. Satyagrahi is a manifestation of that spirit.

Allu Aravind spoke about the fire in Pawan against injustice. 'To make a film like Satyagrahi needs lot of guts,'he said. He also opined that Bangaram would be a super hit.

Venkatesh wished Satyagrahi becomes a big hit.

A M Rathinam said 'Bangaram audio is super hit. It will be the same with Satyagrahi too. It will match the high expectations'

He also announced that the movie was being made in Hindi, Telugu and Bengali.

Among other present were Pawan's wife Renu and son Akiro.

Source: http://www.indiaglitz.com