Produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, AR Rahman’s musical, Bombay Dreams, thrilled musical theatre audiences in 2002 on the West End in London and on Broadway in 2004, along with a brilliant North American tour in 2006.
In this special throwback interview AR Rahman talks with Subhash K Jha about working on the Tony nominated musical and more!
How important is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams s for your career?
It came out of the blue. I always thought I’d do film composition and maybe non-film albums, but never a play. I didn’t know the importance of a musical until I watched a few after I was signed for Bombay Dreams. That ‘s when it hit me that there’s a lot I can do in the area. Bombay Dreams has been a rewarding experience. The critics haven’t been too kind to the play. But they’ve liked music. All the flak has now faded. I think Bombay Dreams has a charm of its own. Farha Khan’s contribution is immense. Nowadays, when I speak to Andrew he gives me a scare. He keeps telling me I’ve establish base in London.
Are you contemplating that possibility?
It’s a bit confusing right now. There’re unlimited opportunities there. But my roots are in Chennai. I guess life has way of working itself out. I don’t have to strain myself to exercise options. Initially when Bombay Dreams was conceived I was just required to do two pieces. Andrew Webber heard some of stuff and decided on his requirements. Slowly a whole new score came up. After jamming with Shekhar Kapur and Webber we came up with a storyline. Then Meera Sayal took over and wrote the script. For 6-8 months there was a lull—I almost felt Bombay Dreams would remain a dream—before it suddenly took off again.
Are you happy with the response to the staged musical?
Bombay Dreams has made a very strong impact in England. When I step out of a flight in London a lot of Asians tell me, “We were like thumbs-down before Bombay Dreams. Now we’re thumbs-up.” I don’t know what they mean.
They mean Indian popular music has a renewed respectability in the West.
Oh, that’s good (laughs). The whole music industry is suffering a slump. Sure my music is selling. But when the whole business is on the blink you can’t prosper. On the other hand there’s a lot happening in the West, including soundtrack offers from Hollywood. It’s a tough decision to take. I can’t chuck everything here and leave. For me, it was a dream ten years back to study music and work abroad. It’s a different high to see your work been appreciated abroad. But more important is the work I’ve done at home in the last ten years because that’s what’s got me Western attention. I can’t leave my home behind. But at the same time I must move on.
What kind of offers do you have from the West?
There are some, including a crossover movie for Columbia Pictures. I got two film offers with major directors in Hollywood which didn’t excite me. I also have an offer to do a philharmonic album . I’m toying with various ideas. But I agree, popular film music in India has reached a deadend. That’s what happens when people begin to play safe. Art is endless. It’s like a bottomless ocean. Even a semblance of change can make a world of difference .
What according to you ails popular Indian music?
If you have durable melodies and good poetry people do respond to it, even if not immediately. When I see the so-called difficult songs being sung effortlessly by children on television’s talent-scouting contest Sa Re Ga Ma I realise the most hummable songs are those that touch on life. Composers take the easy way out. They make tunes that hit the charts for a month and then exit, therefore nothing memorable happens. I wonder why an album like my The Legend Of Bhagat Singh didn’t work. I worked really hard on it. And then nothing happened ! I had to invent new tunes for established classics like ‘Mera rang de basanti chola’. Tragically if a movie doesn’t do well everything including the music falls by the wayside. I think people got put off by the element of terrorism that underlined the overt patriotism in Bhagat Singh’ story.
Are you going to collaborate further with Andrew Lloyd Webber?
He wants to do an opera with me, though I don’t know what he has in mind. I’ll soon know. Then Shekhar Kapur wants to do a film called Paani. It’s a futuristic film set in Mumbai. Let’s see if it happens. Shekhar has started working on the script with the writer of that Jim Carrey film The Truman Show (Paani never got made).
