What is AR Rahman's greatest ever film soundtrack?
Sidin Vadukut -
Monday, February 23, 2009 5:53 PM
With all due credit to the Mozart of Madras (Chopin of Chennai?), Slumdog Millionaire is not the maestro's best work by some distance. Over the last 17 years and over 100 film soundtracks Rahman has produced several tracks that will be remembered long after Jai Ho and Oh Saya. From Roja in 1992, which remains one of his best, to Delhi-6 this year, which some think IS his best, Rahman's repertoire is so versatile that picking a best from the lot is a challenge.
My first experience with Rahman was when my maternal cousins from Sharjah (where else) came over one weekend and played the Bombay and Gentleman tapes non-stop back to back for 48 hours. In something that became rare for me with Rahman in the years hence, I took to Chikku Bukku and Antha Arabi Kadaloram almost immediately. By the end of that week the music was beginning to drive my dad nuts. He couldn't believe that the same guy who made Roja would make these songs with "all the screaming and table tennis balls".
Also released in the early 90s was Rahman's only work for a Malayalam movie, 1992's Yodha which had the immensely memorable Padakali song which became a fave drinking song in college later. (Any idea why he never went cross-border since then? Your guess is as good as mine.)
The first half of that decade saw Rahman produce music in quality and quantity. And it culminated in 1995 with Bombay and Rangeela, two albums that truly made him a national icon. (While Rajni purists will disagree, the Muthu soundtrack of that year was not too bad. The triumpant woodwind intro to Oruvan Oruvan still gives me goosebumps. Even if on screen Rajni would overtake a bus with a horse cart, as only he can.)
It is one of the non-Tamil speaking world's great losses that Mani Ratnam's Iruvar never made it big and that the music never got the audience that other Rahman crossovers did. Iruvar is a stunning, audacious album that went with an audacious film.
He won his second national award for music direction with Minsara Kanavu (Sapnay) in 1997 and then composed the superb soundtrack to Dil Se... in 1998.
I rank 1999 among the best years in ARR's career. Taal, Kadhalar Dinam, Sangamam and Taj Mahal shared the spotlight with a personal favourite Takshak. Rahman won his god-only-knows-how-many-th Tamil Nadu state award for Sangamam, a gritty, earthy album suffuse with folk style music.
Of all of Rahman's Tamil-only albums, 2000's Kandukondein Kandukondein has the most crossover appeal. I know several people who don't understand a word of the lyrics to the songs, who love the music. Including one of my editors.
Lagaan in 2001, Boys in 2003 and Yuva plus Swades in 2004 were all superb albums. Pardon me while I zip across to 2006 and Rang De Basanti, an album that won even Daler Mehndi critical acclaim. RDB, like Iruvar, is an album that is difficult to appreciate fully without the film it propels. Both were excellent albums but were also, let's say, director's albums.
Which brings us to 2007's Guru and 2008's Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Jodhaa Akbar, And Slumdog Millionaire. Peruse that list of three movies to get a sense of the man's variety. Cotton candy college music? Wokay! Spiritual Sufi number? Double Wokay! Triumphant closing anthem? I would like to thank the Academy!
And now we have Delhi-6. Over idly-sambar recently one of my editors mentioned that Rahman's work in Delhi-6 is almost a statement. A cocky statement that he could do whatever he wanted to, compose anything, any genre and get away with it. And boy does he get away with it. Genda Phool is on permanent loop in my head waiting to be replaced by Rahman's next super hit.
Finally, drum roll, what is my all time favourite Rahman album?
His 1993 Tamil track Pudhiya Mugam, which was remade in Hindi as Vishwavidaata in 1997, remains my personal fave. It is a soppy, sentimental album but still an uplifting one supported by superb lyrics by Vairamuthu. To me the album is faultless. And timeless.
But what is your favourite AR Rahman movie soundtrack of all time? Click on the poll below to tell us. And add your own movie name if you don't agree with my top 5 (Rang De Basanti, Roja, Pudhiya Mugam, Delhi 6 and Lagaan.) plus Slumdog Millionaire.
What is your favourite AR Rahman movie sound track?
( polls)