Just when we think that there’s nothing more to be said or written about Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman, a new anecdote emerges from somewhere, offering something fresh about him, thus making us admire him even more. The tale becomes even more intriguing when shared by his fellow legends, thus underscoring why he is an absolute GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Recently, renowned poet and lyricist Gulzar shared a fascinating detail about Rahman’s working style, emphasising that he is a maverick who doesn’t need many people to assist him in his work.
Mentioning that Rahman mostly works alone, with just one assistant or so, Gulzar shared during a chat with O2india, “Most of the time, he would be the only person in the entire studio. He would be sitting with the huge recorder alone and would also do things on his own. He is an expert at it. He might, sometimes, have an assistant to help with plugging in the wires. That’s all! Just two people in the big studio. I had never seen a recording being done like this before. It’s very lonely.”
He also shared that even ace playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, initially, struggled with the isolation at AR Rahman’s studio when recording the song “Jiya Jale”, penned by Gulzar, for director Mani Ratnam’s Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala-starrer Dil Se (1998). “It was her first time working with Rahman. [In his studio,] the singer won’t be visible from where he is recording. Usually, we stand right in front of the singer (in another room adjacent to the recording booth), giving instructions through gestures. Back then, unlike now, Rahman did not understand Hindi that well either. After some time, Lata ji asked me in Hindi, ‘I can’t see anyone in front of me; who am I singing for? I feel very awkward because there’s absolutely no contact (with anyone).’ You cannot sing or even recite a poem alone,” he shared.
“I explained this to Rahman and told him that I will sit on a stool in front of the door, which is visible to both of them. Thus, she managed to get some sight of me, and that’s how she completed recording the song,” he added.
Nonetheless, Dil Se became one of the most celebrated soundtracks in Bollywood cinema history, with “Jiya Jale” earning special appreciation from all quarters.
