A. R. Rahman Talks Partnership With Mani Ratnam, His Music School And Direction Plans

Their partnership is one of the most loved and has spawned some of the most memorable works in Indian cinema. Double Academy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman, who shares a 25-year-long relationship with filmmaker Mani Ratnam, says he sees the Roja filmmaker as a brother and mentor rolled into one.

A. R. Rahman spoke about his long-standing relationship with the ace filmmaker, his vision for his institute and his music beliefs, in a chat for a digital platform recently. It is well known that Mani Ratnam launched ARR in his 1992 Tamil film Roja and the rest is history from there on.

On celebrating 25 years of Roja by reuniting with Mani Ratnam for their upcoming Tamil romantic drama Kaatru Veliyidai, he said, “More than a director and filmmaker, he is someone who is very special to me. He gave me my first break. He’s like a mentor and brother rolled into one. He is a good human being. Sometimes you stick to people not because of the power but because of their humanness,”.

In a career spanning over two decades, the ‘Mozart of Madras’ has succeeded in maintaining freshness in his music. In 2008, Rahman founded his KM Music Conservatory with the aim to pass on his legacy and nurture young and aspiring musicians. He says his sister Fatima, who is the director of the institute and her team look after the management. “My sister is very musically sensitive about things as well. It is a good team we have and they know the vibe and what they should do,” he stated.

Despite his popularity, the ‘Isaipuyal’ says he remains humble because of spirituality. “The foundation lies in spirituality. When you want to reinvent, you need to take off all the old luggage and throw it off and go marching with nothing,” he added.

On when he will be making his directorial debut, the Oscar-winning composer stated that although he expressed his desire to direct a film not long ago, he says he was pushed into it. “I don’t have the time and attention span to do a 2D movie but virtual reality is something we have been researching and checking out for the past one and a half years. We could not find a director for that and as I was so involved in the previous events, everybody said I should do it. It’s not like directing. We had to reinvent all laws, techniques for virtual reality. It’s completely different,” he said.

Last year, Rahman launched a Visual Reality version of his iconic song Vande Mataram at the 10th edition of NFDC Film Bazaar in Goa, and said he had plans to make more such films using the technology.

A. R. Rahman’s upcoming films include Rajinikanth’s 2.0, Vijay’s Thalapathy 61, GV Prakash’s Sarvam Thaala Mayam, Arya and Jayam Ravi starrer Sangamithra in Tamil, the biographical film Sachin: A Billion Dreams, Majid Majidi’s romantic film Beyond the Clouds and Sridevi’s Mom in Hindi and, Viceroy’s House in English.