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Trying to pick Rahman’s
best albums is not easy,
because whatever he does
is so good. Selecting a
few good ones as his best
is something like ‘searching
for a needle in a stack
of needles’, to borrow
a line from Saving Private
Ryan. Initially, the intention
was to make a list of Rahman’s
top 10, but it ended up
in 15 and could well have
gone up to 25 had it not
been for some ruthless decisions,
which could be taken only
by one with a strong heart.
So, here are the top 15
albums, not necessarily
his best musical scores,
but landmark albums that
have helped build ‘brand
Rahman’ into the global
phenomenon that he is now.
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Sivaji:
The Boss :15 |
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We
all thought that Shankar would
work only with Rahman until
Anniyan happened and everyone
thought that a change in order
was imminent. But, Sivaji
happened and the famous duo
was back together. Superstar
in his element called for
some rollicking stuff that
would reverberate in theaters.
Rahman understood the requirements
and delivered a score which
one would not describe as
classy but instantly likeable
and popular. An ‘Athiradee’
album, which set unseen records
in audio sales in the recent
times. |
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Kizhakku Cheemayile :14 |
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This was the first album
that took Rahman’s
music and popularity to
the rural parts of Tamil
Nadu. Kizhakku Cheemayile
remains his only real hit
that was extremely well
received in the villages
of the state. The movie’s
success and the expertise
of Bharathiraja in handling
rural themes did help a
lot. This again went on
to prove the critics that
Rahman is good at folk tunes
too.
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Rang
De Basanti :13 |
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Rang
De Basanti was perfect music
for the angry & restless
generation next. Some of the
numbers really tugged at the
patriotic strings in the heart,
like ‘Khoon chala’.
The anguish of bereavement
was perfectly conveyed in
‘Lukka chuppi’,
the suppressed feelings of
anger mixed with the relief
of having released it was
personified in ‘Roobaroo’
while the Punjabi flavor in
‘Rang de Basanti’
simply rocked, not to forget
the liberating ‘I am
a rebel’. |
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Muthu
:12 |
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This
was Rahman’s first step
outside Indian boundaries.
Though many may not consider
Muthu as one of Rahman’s
best albums, the movie did
take his name and music as
far as Japan. The huge success
of the movie in foreign shores
gave Rahman that vital exposure,
which should have primed him
for all that, was to follow.
‘Thillana thillana’
is still one popular number
among Rajini fans. |
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Minsara
Kanavu :11 |
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This
was Rahman’s first chance
to do a musical film. He did
not let the chance slip by,
showing us his full repertoire
of musical skills. The songs
became boundlessly popular
overnight; the National Award
was a natural and obvious
result. The uninhibited ‘Ooh
la la la’, the lilting
‘Vennilave’ and
the sensuous ‘Thanga
thaamarai magale’ are
proof enough of his versatility. |
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| Click
here for the Top 10 Albums of
A.R.Rahman >>> |
