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Interview: Mani Ratnam / AR Rahman (PS-1, PS-2, 30+ years of working together…)
Posted on April 22, 2023
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29 Responses “Interview: Mani Ratnam / AR Rahman (PS-1, PS-2, 30+ years of working together…)” →
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Baradwaj Rangan 
Sri Prabhuram
April 22, 2023
I don’t think there will be a more profound and fascinating director-composer collaboration in the history of Indian cinema.
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Voldemort
April 22, 2023
5 minutes in, had to say this. Wow. Rahman’s explanation of how he creates sounds based on the movie was mind-blowing!
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rsylviana
April 22, 2023
What a delightful trio! Apde kannla eduthu othikanum!
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Caesium
April 22, 2023
I’m happy as a viewer, but from Galatta’s perspective, isn’t it “better” (more $) to upload long videos in two parts?
Also, are we done with the “promo” videos?
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therag
April 23, 2023
What Mani said about songs is definitely true. As a viewer, you get a slice of the film before watching the film, so you have some expectations already about where this song is going to be placed, how it will be filmed etc. I was sorely disappointed by how Devaralan Aattam was sliced and diced, and had some dialogue over it. But I understand that this kind of makes sense in the film. (Vanthiyathevan barges in when the performance has already started).
I think for MR-ARR films, they should have a special “music-director’s cut” where all songs are full-length. If you can have a director’s cut, I mean why not?
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vijay
April 23, 2023
PS-2 is even more underwhelming a soundtrack as compared to PS-1.
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Prat
April 23, 2023
therag: I think they released the full video songs on YouTube a month after the release of PS 1.
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ANotSoAnnoyedFan
April 24, 2023
Despite all his experience and time in the lime light, ARR always seems a little awkward in front of the camera. The beats and pauses when he talks always feels a bit off rhythm. Its kind of endearing in a way. However, he has come leaps and bounds since his old interviews. As an introvert, I can appreciate his effort in putting himself out there more.
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Anand
April 24, 2023
PS2 album seem to be tailor made for certain situation and except 1 or 2 will play in background. The genre is mostly classical and hymns. Veera Raja Veera song is grand , others are functional and seem apt for the movie.
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Ashok
April 24, 2023
There is an inverse relationship between the quality of music and the amount of money spent on vfx.
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bart
April 24, 2023
A great interview especially explaining the process behind the making of songs – the new sounds or the aural experience when ARR came out of IR soundscape was beautifully put (offlate however, I find ARR a bit repetitive too). Well done BR!
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Madan
April 25, 2023
Brilliant interview, which was kind of a given when it’s BR interviewing Mani and ARR.
I did get a bit stuck on Rahman using the term avant garde a bunch of times. I can’t help thinking of seriously out there stuff like Zappa or Residents when someone says avant garde. I know Rahman really means ‘experimental’. But on his Mani albums, I have come across that quality only on Thiruda Thiruda, Bombay, Dil Se and Kannathil Muthammital. This isn’t to say that say Alai Payuthey isn’t good, it’s brilliant, but it’s quite straight up accessible, at least for me (likewise Roja). And off the top of my head, I can’t recall any song from the Mani albums being as tough, as exotic as Vennilave Vennilave/Chanda Re. I remember when I tried to work out what mode it was in, I couldn’t slot it! Mind blown. I am sure that says way more about my lack of musical education but I can usually work out the mode for a film song, esp when it has chords like Vennilave (as opposed to a very Indian raga based song where I have to derive the mode from the melody). But the chord writing on Vennilave was simply exquisite beyond words. On the melody front too, as much as there were terrific ones on the Mani albums, I can’t think of one to match Udhaya Udhaya. Which again is a genuinely challenging song, a real workout for the singers and simply masterful in its construction.
And I think ARR kind of answers why it doesn’t quite go that far out on the Mani albums when he says that they go back a couple of months later to the avant garde things and work on making it more accessible. I could tie this to what you, BR, said in the Mani 30 years podcast – this weird strongly mainstream impulse Mani has for one who wants to be trying new things all the time. So it seems as if somewhere Rahman pulls back a tad to accommodate this impulse. And though Mani says with Raja, if you didn’t spell it out, you would already have the composition done and dusted the next instant, it seems as if Raja too sensed this impulse and came up with careful portraits rather than making a splash. And that being why Agni was the only one where he really went balls out with experimentation, which tied in with Mani having fun with unabashed commercial cinema. But songs like En Iniya Pon Nilave, Uravenum, Rojavai Thalatum Thendral, Endrendrum Anandhame, Aagaya Vennilave, Nil Nil Nil all happened on other albums and not the Mani ones.
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Anand
April 25, 2023
@Madan would you term PS1 experimental ? Compared to PS2, and also the variety in PS1 album and breaking the conventional classical based songs which was the normal template for a periodic film, t seems so
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Madan
April 25, 2023
Anand: Only Devaralattam was experimental from PS1 in terms of evoking a very ancient style of music. I don’t really find Chola, Ponni Nadhi or Rakshasa Mamane experimental. Even the wonderful Alaikkadal is still treading known ground.
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Voldemort
April 25, 2023
Madan : ….as exotic as Vennilave Vennilave/Chanda Re
Can you explain to a lay person what makes Venilave an exotic composition? I love the song and it would be wonderful to know what makes it beautiful. Thanks.
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Madan
April 26, 2023
Voldemort: As I said above, I am not educated enough to break down what’s going on harmonically here. But if I just talk about the set up, the crux of this song is Rahman manages to churn up plenty of turbulence with an arrangement that’s apparently minimalistic. I would say this contrast between the apparent minimalism and the ‘inner turbulence’ really makes this song.
For instance, when the vocals come in, there is nothing other than gentle percussion accompanying Hariharan. But after that, you have that tinkling motif on keyboard post which there’s what sounds like synth-bass now following the vocals. Also, the vocal line is much more in an introspective, even delicate mode in the pallavi. But cut to the charanam and it’s much more agitated. And when Hari ascends to the Penne high note, there’s a sort of swirling bassline accentuating the tension. I am not too hot on the second charanam but before that, in the second interlude, Rahman adds a jazz piano section out of nowhere!
I also like the gentle accenting of the vocals in the pallavi; it helps emphasise the beat without making it, well, too emphatic. It’s like “Indha BHOOlogathil yaarum…” Stressing more on BHOO makes us connect with the flow of the beat better. A trick that both IR and ARR use a LOT. Sounds simple enough but has to be done with care so that it’s not in your face.
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Voldemort
April 26, 2023
Thank you for the detailed breakdown, Madan. This was very helpful!
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hari prasad
May 27, 2023
Rahman and his music are the real life Benjamin Button…
Such an insanely catchy number
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hari prasad
May 27, 2023
That “Ella Maarum” line might be the catchiest hook I’ve heard in recent Tamil songs.
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hari prasad
May 27, 2023
This felt like a reggae update of the Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi song from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane only because of the similar sounding scale and this song resoundingly answered my inner question on why Rahman doesn’t compose Tamil songs with that youthful energy of his Hindi songs like that aforementioned song.
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Madan
May 27, 2023
Super fun song indeed. Wow, both ‘jambavans’ rolling back the years and letting their hair down. BUT…I also wish they both would sing LESS (and I know this is a deeply unpopular opinion with both fanbases). When Rahman hits the high register, he often sounds like Everything Everything’s Jonathan Higgs (and I don’t mean that as a compliment!).
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anonymousviolin20
May 28, 2023
I don’t think it’s that unpopular of an opinion. I just saw a poll recently on r/kollywood asking whether Rahman should stop singing, and it was 26/25 for yes/no.
But I do have to agree with your opinion on both of them. Ponni Nadhi was a song that I especially wished was sung by someone else. And for Raja, as much I loved the song, I think Sean Roldan or maybe even Anurag Kulkarni could’ve added an interesting flavor.
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Prat
May 28, 2023
Actually most music directors should stop singing today – Anirudh, Santhosh Narayanan, and Yuvan most of all. And Dhanush.7 Songs are getting scarce, and they ruin the few good ones by singing it themselves. people are just used to their voice and don’t actively like it – they should realise it.
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Prat
May 28, 2023
good songs are getting scarce
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Aman Basha
May 28, 2023
Ma man ARR can shake a leg and how!
Also I recently learnt that AR Rahman collaborated with Michael Jackson for an unreleased song called Ekam and performed on stage with him. Anyone here has it/heard it/saw it?
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hari prasad
May 28, 2023
Nowadays we have tons of reality shows for singing and yet the music director himself croons most of the songs making these shows redundant and irrelevant.
Or the soundtrack has to compulsorily feature a song that is sung by either Sid Sriram or Anirudh so that it can trend on Instagram reels / YouTube shorts.
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Voldemort
May 28, 2023
Completely agree with Sid Sriram and Anirudh being everywhere. They are omnipresent and it’s as if there is no one else. Same for the Pritam-Arijit Singh-Amitabh Bhattacharya trio in Hindi. It has gotten too repetitive and slightly annoying.
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hari prasad
May 28, 2023
SPB too was omnipresent in literally every Tamil soundtrack from the mid 70s till the late 90s , but atleast that didn’t feel force fitted down our throats nor it was a cashgrab and people didn’t grew tired of him.
The composers didn’t make him sing the same type of songs , he had variety unlike Anirudh who’s called by them to only sing peppy numbers , except for the rare Uyire Un Uyirena Naan Irupen song from Zero composed by Nivas K Prasanna.
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hari prasad
May 28, 2023
Even Rahman called Anirudh to sing a peppy song like Mersalaayiten.
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