Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Raavanan (Tamil) audio released
Most awaited tamil version of Manirathnam's Raavan Raavanan music released today. Vairamuthu penned for all the songs. The music was released by sony. There was no special function to release the audio in tamil. There were rumors that Rahman and Vikram is going to perform live in the mid of May.
Rahman Billboard Interview
Iconic Indian film score composer A.R. Rahman says he's looking forward to bringing East and West together with his upcoming "The A.R. Rahamn Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour."
"We wanted to get the best of both worlds -- the finest team from America and the soul of the music and the traditions of India and all that stuff," Rahman tells Billboard.com about the tour, which begins June 11 at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island and will play at least 20 shows in North America and Europe. Staged by American creative director Amy Tinkham (Madonna, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney), the two-and-a-half hour show will feature a cast of musicians, dancers and acrobats, plus changing sets and an extensive video production.
"What is added is a new dimension which nobody has ever seen, the Asian audience has never seen," adds Rahman who won a pair of both Academy and Grammy awards for his 2008 "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack. "Normally what happens is we go and sing and there's some dancers and some kind of visual effects. But this one is so integrated, and every (musical) bar and every second is integrated with technology and stuff which moves around and it's done with so much passion."
Rahman himself will be playing keyboards and singing during the show, as well as speaking to the audience to explain the meanings and creation of the songs. "We're looking at a universal appeal to this," he explains. "There's some songs in English, of course, but even for those that aren't you can still come and enjoy the musicality and the whole culture and colorfulness and the vibrancy of Indian stuff. That's all going to be there."
Though the show is keeping him busy, Rahman is still busy working on new music. He's just finishing up his 10th soundtrack for his original employer and mentor, Rajat Kamal, and Rahman has also started work on a non-film album of original songs that will target the North American markets he conquered with "Slumdog Millionaire" and the single "Jai Ho." "It's a work in progress," Rahman reports. "I've had three or four sessions already. The music is probably an extension of what 'Jai Ho' did but going more friendly in terms of English audiences. It's retaining the same kind of magic, hopefully."
Rahman says he's also been approached about collaborations by "most" of the artists he joined for the "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" single earlier this year, but "I'm taking it easy. I want to finish my album first.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Raavana (Tamil) audio release
Raavana the tamil version of ace director manirathnam's Raavan music is likely to be released on April 30. Telugu version may also be released on the same day.
Rahman's Interview on JAI HO concert
n June, the music maestro will embark on his 'Jai Ho' tour across the US. Rahman says he may be doing more "Hollywood stuff" but he intends to keep up his Bollywood commitments of one or two films a year. The singer-composer, who is the only Indian to win two Oscars, a Golden Globe and two Grammys for his music in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' , says his concert is an extension of his philosophy.
"A lot of things have changed and I got a place here to work. I have a contract with Interscope Records...all these things are time demanding to fulfill so my time is divided almost half between India and here," Rahman told reporters. The 44-year-old musician, however, believes that since India has always embraced foreign cultures, they deserve a stage in the West.
"I wanted to do this concert for many reasons. In the beginning my intention was to extend the boundaries of what I was doing for music so we could do greater things. It probably is an extension of my philosophy," Rahman said.
"After my success I even feel stronger to do this stuff to make a bridge for other people to come and if one person succeeds then a lot of other people come," he added. Rahman is presently working with artistes like Usher, Nicole Scherzinger and Dido. Working abroad has made him realise that there is enough space for the two big film industries to produce work on the same platform.
"I don't know whether it is right or wrong but what is good is people recognising the potential of movies in India and are being more adventurous, " he said. "We don't need acknowledgment from anybody but it's good to have it." Rahman also dismisses the lingering criticism that it took a foreign film 'Slumdog Millionaire' , for an Indian to win the Oscar and then a Grammy.
"As long as it got recognised I don't bother about all this. It was such a small movie and became such a big hit, this is a blessing." Rahman has joined hands with Hollywood's creative director Amy Tinkham for his new concert in 14 cities across North America.
Tinkham, who has worked for pop-music icons, including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey, says the concert will be a mix of Indian tradition and modernism. "The concert will keep in intact the heritage and traditions of India with a new modern presentation. The show will feature changing sets, large images on LED screens and a spectacular cast of musicians and dancers from across the globe," Tinkham said.
The high-tech, larger-than- life show may be completely opposite of his shy persona but the musician says it goes with the music. "The music is exuberant and it won't do justice to the music to lock it into a room...If you go to a Beyonce concert it's mostly about her but in this it's the music that is the hero."
"A lot of things have changed and I got a place here to work. I have a contract with Interscope Records...all these things are time demanding to fulfill so my time is divided almost half between India and here," Rahman told reporters. The 44-year-old musician, however, believes that since India has always embraced foreign cultures, they deserve a stage in the West.
"I wanted to do this concert for many reasons. In the beginning my intention was to extend the boundaries of what I was doing for music so we could do greater things. It probably is an extension of my philosophy," Rahman said.
"After my success I even feel stronger to do this stuff to make a bridge for other people to come and if one person succeeds then a lot of other people come," he added. Rahman is presently working with artistes like Usher, Nicole Scherzinger and Dido. Working abroad has made him realise that there is enough space for the two big film industries to produce work on the same platform.
"I don't know whether it is right or wrong but what is good is people recognising the potential of movies in India and are being more adventurous, " he said. "We don't need acknowledgment from anybody but it's good to have it." Rahman also dismisses the lingering criticism that it took a foreign film 'Slumdog Millionaire' , for an Indian to win the Oscar and then a Grammy.
"As long as it got recognised I don't bother about all this. It was such a small movie and became such a big hit, this is a blessing." Rahman has joined hands with Hollywood's creative director Amy Tinkham for his new concert in 14 cities across North America.
Tinkham, who has worked for pop-music icons, including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys and Mariah Carey, says the concert will be a mix of Indian tradition and modernism. "The concert will keep in intact the heritage and traditions of India with a new modern presentation. The show will feature changing sets, large images on LED screens and a spectacular cast of musicians and dancers from across the globe," Tinkham said.
The high-tech, larger-than- life show may be completely opposite of his shy persona but the musician says it goes with the music. "The music is exuberant and it won't do justice to the music to lock it into a room...If you go to a Beyonce concert it's mostly about her but in this it's the music that is the hero."
Raavan Music- Filmfare review
Director: AR Rahman
T Series
Rs 160
Raavan scores from the word go. Beera beera, the opening song, seems to be the introductory song to Abhishek Bachchan’s character. It reminds you of Omkara’s title song, which described Ajay Devgn’s character. Gulzar incidentally has penned both. Let me add here that Gulzar has outdone himself with his word wizardry. Be it the chant-like Beera, the prayer-like Khilli re, the Sufisesque Ranjha ranjha, the rhythmic Thok de killi or the love ballad Behne de (the most poetic of the lot) – Gulzar saab has moulded his words to fit every situation, they are young and vibrant and show no signs of ageing.
The same can be said of Rahman’s orchestration too. Every song is different. They follow different voice and sound patterns. Let’s take Behne de for instance. The song symbolises the ebb and flow of love and Rahman’s music too does the same. It’s as if you are suspended on the crest of a wave and can experience the nuances of the river.
In contrast, Beera has a haunting melody. Drums and human voices are used to bring out an almost tribal chant. African and calypso influences are employed to bring out voodoo like effect. Hats off to Kirti Sagathia and Vijay Prakash for singing this so effectively.
Contrast this with the Sukhwinder Singhj number, Thok de killi, whose opening bars remind you of Thodi si dhoop from Rang De Basanti. Sukhi has sung it with a lot of fun, with verve, he’s not gone overtly high pitched but has sung it in a much mellower tone. Guitar, drums and even the mridangam are used to create a constant rhythm.
Ranjha ranjha’s opening reminds you of the Akhiyan milaoon (Raja) beat but then Rahman goes crazy and adds an Arabic twist to it which takes it to another level. Rekha Bhardwaj is awesome and so is Javed Ali in the rendition.
Now we come to Khilli re, my personal favourite. This is Rahman of Roja, of temple bell chants, of ghatam and ghungroo sounds. This is a situational suhag raat song, sung superbly by new singer Reena Bhardwaj. Rahman has used sitar, tabla and flute to make inroads into Naushad-Khayyam territory. Take it out of context and it sounds like some ’60s, ’70s song. Naveen Kumar (flute) take a bow.
The last song, Kata kata, inverses the Rukmini rukmini (Roja) situation. There, the song was about the aftermath of the wedding night. Here, the song is about a would-be-bridegroom . His friends are teasing him that his bachelor days are over. Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala come together for this folksy song. Rahman uses the Rajasthani vocals and sounds to perfection, creating an atmosphere where you get transported to the wedding pandal.
This is another Rahman album which grows on you with repeated listening. Don’t expect a quick fix, just let go and listen to it on the loop and you’ll be rewarded with something very earthy and original that’ll create a place for itself in your heart.
Devesh Sharma
T Series
Rs 160
Raavan scores from the word go. Beera beera, the opening song, seems to be the introductory song to Abhishek Bachchan’s character. It reminds you of Omkara’s title song, which described Ajay Devgn’s character. Gulzar incidentally has penned both. Let me add here that Gulzar has outdone himself with his word wizardry. Be it the chant-like Beera, the prayer-like Khilli re, the Sufisesque Ranjha ranjha, the rhythmic Thok de killi or the love ballad Behne de (the most poetic of the lot) – Gulzar saab has moulded his words to fit every situation, they are young and vibrant and show no signs of ageing.
The same can be said of Rahman’s orchestration too. Every song is different. They follow different voice and sound patterns. Let’s take Behne de for instance. The song symbolises the ebb and flow of love and Rahman’s music too does the same. It’s as if you are suspended on the crest of a wave and can experience the nuances of the river.
In contrast, Beera has a haunting melody. Drums and human voices are used to bring out an almost tribal chant. African and calypso influences are employed to bring out voodoo like effect. Hats off to Kirti Sagathia and Vijay Prakash for singing this so effectively.
Contrast this with the Sukhwinder Singhj number, Thok de killi, whose opening bars remind you of Thodi si dhoop from Rang De Basanti. Sukhi has sung it with a lot of fun, with verve, he’s not gone overtly high pitched but has sung it in a much mellower tone. Guitar, drums and even the mridangam are used to create a constant rhythm.
Ranjha ranjha’s opening reminds you of the Akhiyan milaoon (Raja) beat but then Rahman goes crazy and adds an Arabic twist to it which takes it to another level. Rekha Bhardwaj is awesome and so is Javed Ali in the rendition.
Now we come to Khilli re, my personal favourite. This is Rahman of Roja, of temple bell chants, of ghatam and ghungroo sounds. This is a situational suhag raat song, sung superbly by new singer Reena Bhardwaj. Rahman has used sitar, tabla and flute to make inroads into Naushad-Khayyam territory. Take it out of context and it sounds like some ’60s, ’70s song. Naveen Kumar (flute) take a bow.
The last song, Kata kata, inverses the Rukmini rukmini (Roja) situation. There, the song was about the aftermath of the wedding night. Here, the song is about a would-be-bridegroom . His friends are teasing him that his bachelor days are over. Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi and Kunal Ganjawala come together for this folksy song. Rahman uses the Rajasthani vocals and sounds to perfection, creating an atmosphere where you get transported to the wedding pandal.
This is another Rahman album which grows on you with repeated listening. Don’t expect a quick fix, just let go and listen to it on the loop and you’ll be rewarded with something very earthy and original that’ll create a place for itself in your heart.
Devesh Sharma
Monday, April 26, 2010
Raavan - Story
The one line story is about a married women Sita (Aiswarya Rai) getting kidnapped by a guy with negative shades, a modern day Ravan (Vikram in Tamil and Abhishek in Hindi version), and subsequently they get attracted to each other.
Meanwhile her husband a Police Officer ( Prithviraj in Tamil and Vikram in Hindi), who always thinks negatively does not have the best of relationship with his wife as he is devoted more to his brother (Laxman?) played by Prabhu.
The protagonist is Ravana, an anti hero who is doing it to take revenge on the cop who humiliated his sister (Priyamani) and was responsible for her death. Mani fearing the wrath of Hindu organizations is now trying to keep the parallel between his ‘fictional’ story and Ramayan to the minimum.
Meanwhile her husband a Police Officer ( Prithviraj in Tamil and Vikram in Hindi), who always thinks negatively does not have the best of relationship with his wife as he is devoted more to his brother (Laxman?) played by Prabhu.
The protagonist is Ravana, an anti hero who is doing it to take revenge on the cop who humiliated his sister (Priyamani) and was responsible for her death. Mani fearing the wrath of Hindu organizations is now trying to keep the parallel between his ‘fictional’ story and Ramayan to the minimum.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Amir Khan's birthday wishes for Sachin
Actor Aamir Khan, wishes just one thing for him — that he scores a 100 international centuries in cricket becoming the first ever cricketer in the history of the game to do so. Currently, Sachin has scored 93 international centuries — 47 in Tests and 46 in One Day International’s (ODI).
Aamir says, “I am waiting for the day when Sachin will score his 100th century. I know he can. In fact, I have been telling this to him for a long time now that he is heading towards his 100th century. I am hopeful that the landmark is not far away from him.”
Aamir had also wished his fellow Bandra boy when he scored the first double century in a One Day International match against South Africa a few months ago. The actor also reminds us that Sachin is inching towards another landmark —a century of half centuries in One Day International cricket. Even here Sachin is just seven half-centuries short having scored 93 50s.
Aamir feels Sachin has reached such a cult status that his success and failures have started to affect the ‘collective self-esteem’ of the general public. He says, “Sachin is the self-esteem of the collective consciousness of society. You, I or the rickshawdriver who is listening to cricket commentary — we all feel a sense of achievement whenever Sachin does well; he has such an effect on us. He forms our collective self esteem.”
What binds both Sachin and Aamir is the passion for their respective professions. Aamir ends saying, “He is truly inspirational. The passion and the love with which he does what he does best is something that is inspirational.”
Aamir says, “I am waiting for the day when Sachin will score his 100th century. I know he can. In fact, I have been telling this to him for a long time now that he is heading towards his 100th century. I am hopeful that the landmark is not far away from him.”
Aamir had also wished his fellow Bandra boy when he scored the first double century in a One Day International match against South Africa a few months ago. The actor also reminds us that Sachin is inching towards another landmark —a century of half centuries in One Day International cricket. Even here Sachin is just seven half-centuries short having scored 93 50s.
Aamir feels Sachin has reached such a cult status that his success and failures have started to affect the ‘collective self-esteem’ of the general public. He says, “Sachin is the self-esteem of the collective consciousness of society. You, I or the rickshawdriver who is listening to cricket commentary — we all feel a sense of achievement whenever Sachin does well; he has such an effect on us. He forms our collective self esteem.”
What binds both Sachin and Aamir is the passion for their respective professions. Aamir ends saying, “He is truly inspirational. The passion and the love with which he does what he does best is something that is inspirational.”
Rahman bought 8 Ipds
Rahman reached USA for his Journey Home World tour concert preparations. Once his team reached america they went directly to apple store and bought 8 Ipads. He showed those and the apps he already installed to MTV. Generally apple wont give more than two tablet for a person but he grabbed 8, when asked he said he bought it for his friends in India.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Endhiran - Shankar finished shooting
Endhiran shooting has been completed, Shankar confirmed this news in his own blog. The editing work is going on. Rahman completed all the songs, final recording alone is pending. The audio can be expected on October. Rahman has been paid 10 crores for this project. Endhiran is the most expensive tamil film now.
Raavan trailer released
Raavan 40 seconds trailer has been released. The audio release date has been confirmed in the promo itself. Here is the video for you.
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