A R Rahman picks Santhosh Narayanan!

On his birthday recently, music maestro A R Rahman had a live chat with his fans in facebook which was moderated by musician Salim Merchant. Few excerpts from his interaction.

On how Moongil Thottam from Kadal was conceived, A R Rahman says that he never noticed it first as it was just an alternate one for Nenjukkullae. “Mani Ratnam took that tune and said we can make one more out of this. It was a very unpredictable tune. When I heard it after he approved, I totally loved it. Then we wanted the lyrics but Vairamuthu had gone for his holiday and so we opened his lyric book and there was Moongil Thottam and it just fell into place. When I did it, I felt there was some kind of magic in it”

On sharing that special bond with director Mani Ratnam, Rahman says it is beyond material means. “He is a friend and a mentor and working with him is like coming back home. There is so much of affection”.

To a fan's question on which is the difficult track he composed, the maestro reveals, “It is not difficult because it is difficult, but I may be at a frame of mind which may not be in sync with the mood of the track that I am expected to compose. That’s when you learn to compartmentalize your personal and professional life. Every film has one song like that!”

On the promising crop of newcomers in music direction today, Rahman mentions Santhosh Narayanan in addition to Amit Trivedi and Sachin (Jigar) from Bollywood. He feels these composers are quite consistent. He advises the new crop to constantly learn and avers that’s the key to survival.