If you read the paper and/or watch TV there is no way you could have been insulated from the current topic of discussion - Does AR Rahman deserve the Oscars for his score for Slumdog?
Before I go any further I must confess to being a huge Rahman fan. In fact although I look down upon people who make a fuss about celebrities, there are four people who I might grovel in front of, should I ever be fortunate enough to meet them - Rahman is one of them. His creative genius is spectacular - it is unimaginable what he can do with a few vocals and a host of instruments. Anybody who criticises his music is obviously churlish and envious of his talent.
Coming back to the Oscars and whether Rahman deserves it for "Jai Ho" I feel that Rahman definitely deserves it but maybe not for this particular song. He has composed far more superior songs with complex melodies and rythms that have continued to enthrall listeners despite the test of time. In fact I think some of his best work is in his earlier albums. Of late he has been far too tied up with Hollywood projects and Andrew Lloyd Webber to really focus and give his all to Indian cinema.
However I believe that Life is a little absurd in its ways. Sometimes you toil and sweat and give something your all and it does not fructify and sometimes things happen with a mere push. Call it luck or destiny or whatever but thats the way the cookie crumbles. I think sometimes our credits build up over time till they reach the highest point and then the deluge bursts at the addition of a mere drop. Maybe thats what happened with Rahman. He has been biding time giving us listeners masterpieces after masterpieces but it took a Slumdog to bring him to the international stage. And now a million people bask in his reflected glory. Suddenly everyone wants to be associated with him - they were in his band, they have worked with him and so on and so forth. It is amazing how success attracts fireflies in hordes.
So let us not take away from his win. It is truly deserved and long overdue.
Monday, February 23, 2009
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