A.R. Rahman’s 'Infinite Love' for the world

December 25, 2012

ar-rahman

Long before Indian musician and composer A.R. Rahman became an Oscar-winning global phenomenon, the Jai Ho! writer was already legend in his home country, credited with changing the face of contemporary Indian music. In a nation obsessed with Bollywood music, his unique ability to blend Indian classical music with electronic sounds redefined an industry, and propelled him to the top, following his acclaimed debut in 1992 with the film ‘Roja’.
Then came 2008’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and Rahman is officially one of the busiest composers in the world, shuttling between Los Angeles where he is lunching with Steven Spielberg one day, and Chennai in south India where his studio is based.


It’s no wonder then that it has taken the ‘Mozart from Madras [old name of Chennai]’ 15 long years to release his solo single. Following the seminal 1997 album ‘Vande Mataram’, which is still the largest-selling non-film album in India, Rahman last week released ‘Infinite Love’, a single and video, which he calls his “message of peace and hope amidst a time of dark omens of destruction”.


A project two years in the making, the song, and the upcoming album, sees Rahman back in his element. Although the first single is in English, details of the rest of the album are still held in secrecy.


The musician spoke recently about the inspiration behind the solo effort, music, world peace and living in Los Angeles.



‘Infinite Love’ was conceived about two years ago…
I worked on a scratch and then got busy and came back to it about a year ago and things sort of fell into place.
I think it’s a very relevant issue to talk about love and peace right now. There are so many things going on right now which we need to change and that was the trigger for the song.



If the world ended tomorrow…
I think it’s important to live your life every second. When you do that, you give your time to things that you get the most pleasure out of. Sometimes you can live 10 seconds and that could define your whole life. Sometimes you can live for eternity and it may not be valuable at all.



I want to inspire children…
I wanted to make ‘Infinite Love’ kid-friendly. Kids don’t have exciting content to watch these days. There are so many inappropriate things all around. I was focused on triggering some kind of inspiration for kids, to inspire them to be leaders and to remind them that we have such a great culture. There are such great pools of wisdom hidden in our country and we need to take them and give it to the world.



My son Ameen makes his acting debut in ‘Infinite Love’…
He really wanted to do it. He’s always wanted to be a musician but I’ve told him he has to work hard for it. For the video, he took acting lessons for three days before the first shot.



I like Priyanka Chopra’s voice and attitude…
She approached me when she was an upcoming actress and I didn’t really know her. And we lost touch. But I’m really glad that a major actress like her is taking this direction [moving into music]. She has fallen into the right hands and is working with the right people. I’m happy that people are branching out and expanding. I hope she grows and gets even more experimental.



Tabu and I are working on some songs…

It’s a work in progress. She has the right spirit and she loves singing. But we’re still working on it.



I am hoping for good things on qyuki.com…
The social media platform was Shekhar Kapur’s (Oscar-nominated director) brainchild. It’s a platform for creative people to express themselves with a mission to create creative leaders and to moderate the mediocre from the genius. It’s a great opportunity for people around the world and I am so happy it has caught on so beautifully.



I’m currently reading a book about screenwriting…
It’s called ‘Save the Cat!’. A really funny book. But I read half of it and slept off. Most of my reading is done on flights. It’s a long way to Los Angeles from Chennai.



I don’t have time to listen to music much…

I don’t even have an iPod. As they say, when you’re working in the kitchen, you don’t want to eat.


The last time I did something for the first time was drive in Los Angeles…
I recently received my international licence and I leased a convertible and drove all over town. It was interesting because in India, you drive in the left and in the US, they drive on the right. I haven’t driven for three years, so it was nice to take the top off and have the heater on full blast. It gets cold in LA, you know.


*Catch the full interview with A.R. Rahman on Josh Drive on Josh 97.8 with Samer and Valda tonight between 7 and 8pm. For more, go to joshfm.ae.




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News Network
February 9,2020

New Delhi, Feb 9: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani got emotional while watching the movie "Shikara: The Untold Story Of Kashmiri Pandits". It is a Hindi-language period film produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir.

In a video clip, the political veteran is seen trying to hold back his tears at the end of the film while Mr Chopra rushes to console him. Other people around them were also seen getting emotional and congratulating the filmmaker for the movie.

"Shikara" is about how Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee from their houses in the Kashmir Valley in early 1990, in the wake of insurgency. The filmmaker said the film showcases how Kashmiri Pandits rebuilt their lives in the aftermath of the tragic event.

Featuring Aadil Khan and Sadia, Shikara released on February 7. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who is from Kashmir, dedicates his movie to his mother, who died in 2007.

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Abdul Gaffar Bolar
 - 
Monday, 10 Feb 2020

Does this man know the trouble and pain of humans???

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News Network
January 27,2020

Los Angeles, Jan 27: Pop-rock innovator Billie Eilish on Sunday bested a packed field to win the Grammy for Song of the Year -- which honors songwriters -- for her hit "Bad Guy."

The 18-year-old beat veteran acts Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey along with newcomers Lewis Capaldi and Lizzo to take home the coveted honor.

She shares the prize with her older brother Finneas O'Connell, her primary creative collaborator.

The pair were gracious onstage, with Eilish telling her fellow nominees: "I grew up watching all of you."

"We just make music in a bedroom together," said O'Connell. "We still do that and they let us do that. (...) This is to all of the kids making music in your bedrooms today -- you're going to get one of these."

Eilish was among this year's most nominated artists with six nods, and is the youngest person ever nominated in all four of the top categories.

Best song was her second award of the night. She won earlier for best pop vocal album for "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?"

Before she released the album in March 2019, Eilish had already assembled a fervent online following for her bold, often haunting pop sound.

In August, Eilish became the first musician born in the 2000s to top the Billboard Hot 100, when she dethroned Lil Nas X, who spent a record-breaking 19 weeks at the top with viral hit "Old Town Road."

The artist named Billboard's 2019 Woman of the Year has also written and will perform the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film "No Time To Die."

"I feel like I'm not supposed to be here," she told E! television on the red carpet before the gala. "Life is weird."

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News Network
April 19,2020

Mumbai, Apr 19: It is important to stay united and have faith in each other to fight the coronavirus pandemic, veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar said on Sunday, expressing concerns over the attack on healthcare workers and cases of communal tension in the country.

In a video shared by Akhtar's wife, veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Twitter, the writer urged people to stand together in this time of crisis.

"The country is undergoing a crisis at this point of time. To fight this crisis called coronavirus, it is important for us to be united. If we will keep suspecting each other or won't understand each other's intentions, there will be no unity, then how will we fight it?

"You must salute these doctors who are endangering their lives to test you. Unless you get tested, you will not know whether you have the disease or not. You can be treated only after that. It's a matter of stupidity that, I've heard, people are pelting stones on those doctors. This should not be done," Akhtar said in the 2 minute-long clip.

The 75-year-old lyricist also said that targeting a particular community defeats the goal of unity.

"I also hear that shops of a particular community are being shut, 'thelas' are being overturned or people are hit so that they can flee. This is not how unity works. We will have to believe each other. We all are citizens of this country," he said.

Akhtar appealed to the Muslim community to offer prayers from home in the holy month of Ramzan, which will begin from April 24 or April 25.

"I request all the Muslim brothers that now that Ramzan is coming, please say your prayers but make sure that this doesn't cause problems to anyone else. The prayers that you do in the mosque, you can do that at home. According to you, the house, the ground, this all has been made by Him. Then you can do your prayers anywhere," he said.

"Ensure that your speech, slogans and deeds don't create any suspicion in the minds of others. And to all the other citizens of the country, I'd say please have faith in each other, practice unity, don't resort to hatred. Only with the help of love and trust, we will be able to fight with the coronavirus," he added.

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