Turning the focus on the Mani Ratnam and A R Rahman, Subhash K Jha celebrates all the musical collaborations that stood out in the movies.
It is a massive pity that Mani Ratnam stopped working with Ilaiyaraja. They are born a day apart , Mani Ratnam on June 2 and Ilaiyaraja on June 3, and share a deep affinity to creating a texture of music that flows organically from the plot. There is nothing imposed or show-stopping about the stunning elegant songs Ilaiyaraja did for Mani Ratnam in Mouna Ragam, Nakshatram , Geethanjali and Anjali.
Each of these were musical milestones and Mani admitted to this writer that his early films would not have made the impact that they did were it not for Ilayaraja’s contribution.
Then came Mani’s Roja and a new composer called A R Rahman. Mani never looked back. Since Roja, it has been Rahman all the way.
About switching from Ilaiyaraja to Rahman, Mani once said to me, “I am glad you think that way. My collaboration with Ilaiyaraja is not comparable with what Rahman does in my later film. It is two different dimensions of music. You cannot compare what Sachin Dev Burman did for Dev Anand’s cinema with what Rahul Dev Burman did.”
A R Rahman once told Subhash K Jha, “As for the magical Mani Rathnam- Rahman combo, We’ve been working together since Roja. What I like about him is he doesn’t allow the music to be repeated. Though terrorism was a common thread in Mani’s Roja, Dil Se and Kannatil Muttimital, he has moved away to direct films that have more mass appeal like Saathiya and now Guru . As a team, we are constantly exploring new areas to see where we haven’t been before. In many ways, Mani is a touchstone to my career.”
Celebrating the MR-ARR Collaboration
1. ‘Roja jaan-e-mann’ (Roja):
Roja was Mani Ratnam’s first foray into Hindi cinema, and he took A R Rahman for the joyride. This was Rahman’s first Hindi soundtrack. And what an impact! Time magazine listed Roja as one of its 10 best soundtracks of all times. The title song comes as a duet in two versions by S P Balasubramaniam and Hariharan, with Sujata Mohan doing the female vocals in both. I think Hariharan’s version has an edge.
2. ‘Chotisi Asha’ (Roja):
What happened to the impish Minmini who sang Rahman’s sprightly number to eternal fame? Rahman says Ratnam wanted a song that conveyed the innocence and zest of a young woman. They got it right.
3. ‘Tu hi re’ (Bombay):
Hariharan and Kavita Krishnamurthy belted out this dizzying love ballad as if there was no tomorrow. Hariharan counts this among his finest chord moments. “I’ve sung numerous songs in many languages that I hold close to my heart. But ‘Tu hi re’ is…something else. Singing for a film of Mani Ratnam and Rahman is an experience beyond words.’
4. ‘Jiya jale’ (Dil Se):
Lataji first song with Rahman was also her first song for Mani Ratnam. Rahman doesn’t take long over his recordings. ‘Jiya jale’ was recorded in forty minutes. Said Lataji, “Jee haan. I was sitting and humming an alaap for ‘Jiya jale’ to myself. He overheard me and said, “Please continue singing. I want something like this for the song. Don’t worry about where the song will end. You just keep singing.” I just went on. Later, when I heard the complete song, mujhe bahut achha laga. People who don’t follow the language at all have even enjoyed the Malayalam passages in Jiya jale.”
5. ‘Chaiyyan chaiyyan’ (Dil Se):
Did singer Sukhwinder compose this chartbuster, one of Shah Rukh Khan’s swoon songs? Gulzar Saab recalls the writing of it. “ In ‘Chaiyyan chaiyyan’ for Dil Se, some people objected to the use of the word ‘tabeez’. I’m very, very careful about the words that I use. In fact, I left ‘Billu’ (featuring Shah Rukh Khan) midway for this reason. There have been a number of occasions when I’ve opted out because I wasn’t comfortable with the words that I was supposed to write.”
6. ‘Bhang’ (Guru):
‘Bhang’ was a number where a tipsy Abhishek Bachchan freaked out on screen. The number is akin to Abhishek’s legendary father Amitabh Bachchan’s evergreen ‘Khai ke paan benaras wala’, which interestingly enough Shah Rukh Khan reprised in the remake of Don . But did Bappi’s voice match Abhishek? “Why not?” shot back Rahman. “I think Bappi’s voice was fine on Abhishek. I personally avoid singing for leading men. Even in Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se where I had a song filmed on Shah Rukh Khan (’Dil se re’) I didn’t sing in the foreground. “I’ve always liked Bappi-da. He’s some kind of an innovator. In the 1950s he was the first composer to do disco. He was the first to record in London. And I like his voice. When we recorded a fun-filled mischievous dummy track for Mani Ratnam’s Guru in the voice of a Bengali guy in Chennai we thought of a matching a voice to do the final recording. Gulzar Saab who wrote the lyrics for the song suggested Bappi-da’s voice. We immediately invited Bappi-da to Chennai. He came heard the song, said he liked it, recorded it . It was all very pleasant and cordial.”
7. ‘Fanaa’ (Yuva):
The most disappointing Mani-Rahman collaboration. Only ‘Fanaa’, filmed on Vivek Oberoi and Kareena, and that too in the background, stood out. Rahman was not happy with the way his music was used. “In Yuva, Mani Rathnam didn’t want songs in the first place. The songs were done largely for the background . I knew from the start that there would be very high expectations from our combination. I knew they were in for a letdown, though not as much as they finally were… I’ve been making too many sacrifices, specially with the way my songs were used .”
8. Lajjo:
Rahman and Ratnam were to do a film called Lajjo which never got made. Speaking on the subject Rahman had told me, “It will be a whole new musical vision…. Lajjo will star Aamir Khan who always selects his films carefully. Being a part of Aamir’s films like 1947—Earth, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti where the endeavour is to excel, I feel my career in Bollywood has benefited immensely.”
