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1995 - ARR'S Second National Conquest
by Umesh P [Cosmician], 29, Dubai

 

After setting afire the imagination of the Tamil populace and the nation with his mind-blowing compositions for 3 years,
1995 was the year when his first original Hindi score debuted aptly titled Rangeela. The film was even marketed as
AR Rahman's first original Hindi score. And what a score it was.

I still remember job-hunting in Mumbai on July-August 1995. I was roaming the streets, walking rather right from VT
to Nariman Points...taking in the sights and sounds of Bombay. And never did I fail to catch strains of "Rangeela Re..."
blaring out from some corner shop. Even in the markets of Kalyan and Ulhasnagar, the Rangeela soundtrack seemed
to be the background score around which the movie of daily life seemed to play. And in a Bombay Tour bus, I noticed the smiles that appeared on passenger's faces when Rangeela played from the speakers and some started to tap their feet.
Well, well..here I was experiencing first hand the effect of our AR Rahman in the north !

Previously, this year had seen some fantastic Tamil hits like "Uyire, Uyire", "Humma Humma" - both from the film
Bombay and "Odakaara Marimuthu" from the film Indira.

1995 also was the year when AR Rahman's musical score for his first Rajinikanth film - Muthu was released.
Incidentally, this film established Rajinikanth's market in Japan, the music being a definite plus. The soundtracks of this film featured some classic AR Rahman hooks and rhythms that still echo in the memories of Tamil filmdom. The song "Thillana Thillana" was lifted, music, sets, costumes et al into some Ajay Devgan starrer. Though AR Rahman had consciously used a hook piece and a rhythm from two western numbers for his Muthu soundtrack, these were overshadowed by his highly unique and individualistic music development into which these bits were included.

This is what set apart AR Rahman from other conventional Indian film music composers. Mediocre film music composers blatantly converted English and Arabic pop hits into their own vernacular versions. The grossness and ugliness of the lift showing through to the discerning listener.

AR Rahman on the other hand was from Advertising. A field that relies on communicating the inherent strength of products through the legal use of already existing symbols and motifs. He was bold enough to do the same in film music with sound bits and rhythms that had inspired him without letting that bit dictate the progression of his musical composition - a vast difference which only audiophiles and music lovers recognise.

EPILOGUE

AR Rahman's music has in sorts become the calendar of my life.

If I hear or remember a certain song of his, it automatically takes me back to the period of my life when I first heard the song. For example, when I hear "July Maadham vandhaal" or "Netru Illadha Maatram" from Pudhiya Mugam, it takes me back to my college excursion in 1993 when the album was released and we were all playing it in our portable recorders.

Rangeela brings me back memories of Bombay when I was job hunting. Muthu reminds me of the period when I got my first big break in an advertising agency in Chennai.

"Malargale Malargale" at once takes me back to the days when I had this strong crush. What a background this song provided when I was romancing the stone...(well she turned out to have a heart of stone...but hey at least I loved and lost ;) !

I could go on and on.... but I know that I have to stop now. Thank you for reading this far and I hope as a genuine music lover I have been able to share a bit of what the AR Rahman magic is all about.

- Cosmician

 

 

2002 Constellation - A group of ARR fans from TFMPage.com