Tampilkan postingan dengan label A.R. Rahman. Tampilkan semua postingan
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Music composer A R Rahman's international career which has taken off in a biggish way after 'Slumdog Millionaire' keeps encountering snags, thanks to long-pending assignments back home.

According to sources, Rahman has to keep interrupting his international plans to be home for various pending assignments. The harried composer is now seriously thinking of putting all home-made assignments on hold to concentrate on building his career abroad, or else he feels he would lose the international advantage he obtained after 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

Says a friend of Rahman: "The Indian assignments after 'Slumdog Millioniare' have been very time-consuming, especially 'Raavan' where Rahman not only had to do two versions of the music in Hindi and Tamil, but director Mani Ratnam also asked him to give three to four tunes for every lyric before one was selected. The music of 'Raavan' took more time than Rahman could afford, with the result that other Indian assignments primarily Abbas Tyrewala's John Abraham-Pakhi starrer got left behind."

At the moment Rahman is back again in Chennai for mixing the music of Abbas' film. But the background score of the film which releases in October is still be done.

No one is admitting it, but one of the primary reasons why Tyrewala's film got delayed is the music score which Rahman has been serving up piecemeal, for no fault of his, since the composer was committed to be out of the country for half the year for his world concerts.

Says the source: "Rahman had to continuously keep breaking his international tours and other projects to be home for various reasons, like the music release of 'Raavan' and other things. He has begun to feel that his international career would never take off if he has to keep returning home."

Abbas Tyrewala, in Chennai with Rahman for the mixing of his film's music, jumps to the composer's defence. "Yes Rahman has been a little tied up and therefore unable to deliver quickly. But that's because he has to be constantly moving back and forth between India and the US. 'Raavan' took much longer than Rahman thought. I'm not worried about my music. It's almost done. Whatever time Rahman takes is finally worth the while."

In the meanwhile, Rahman has not signed a single new assignment in Mumbai or Chennai in the last few months.

After completing Abbas Tyrewala's music, Rahman will now focus on consolidating his career abroad.


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Music composer A R Rahman's international career which has taken off in a biggish way after 'Slumdog Millionaire' keeps encountering snags, thanks to long-pending assignments back home.

According to sources, Rahman has to keep interrupting his international plans to be home for various pending assignments. The harried composer is now seriously thinking of putting all home-made assignments on hold to concentrate on building his career abroad, or else he feels he would lose the international advantage he obtained after 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

Says a friend of Rahman: "The Indian assignments after 'Slumdog Millioniare' have been very time-consuming, especially 'Raavan' where Rahman not only had to do two versions of the music in Hindi and Tamil, but director Mani Ratnam also asked him to give three to four tunes for every lyric before one was selected. The music of 'Raavan' took more time than Rahman could afford, with the result that other Indian assignments primarily Abbas Tyrewala's John Abraham-Pakhi starrer got left behind."

At the moment Rahman is back again in Chennai for mixing the music of Abbas' film. But the background score of the film which releases in October is still be done.

No one is admitting it, but one of the primary reasons why Tyrewala's film got delayed is the music score which Rahman has been serving up piecemeal, for no fault of his, since the composer was committed to be out of the country for half the year for his world concerts.

Says the source: "Rahman had to continuously keep breaking his international tours and other projects to be home for various reasons, like the music release of 'Raavan' and other things. He has begun to feel that his international career would never take off if he has to keep returning home."

Abbas Tyrewala, in Chennai with Rahman for the mixing of his film's music, jumps to the composer's defence. "Yes Rahman has been a little tied up and therefore unable to deliver quickly. But that's because he has to be constantly moving back and forth between India and the US. 'Raavan' took much longer than Rahman thought. I'm not worried about my music. It's almost done. Whatever time Rahman takes is finally worth the while."

In the meanwhile, Rahman has not signed a single new assignment in Mumbai or Chennai in the last few months.

After completing Abbas Tyrewala's music, Rahman will now focus on consolidating his career abroad.


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Winners of Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 07.44


Best Actor (Male)
Amitabh Bachchan - Paa

Best Actor (Female)
Vidya Balan - Paa

Best Actor in popular category (Male)
Shahid Kapoor - Kaminey

Best Actor in popular category (Female)
Kareena Kapoor - 3 Idiots & Kurbaan

Best Film
3 Idiots

Best Director
Rajkumar Hirani - 3 Idiots

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Rishi Kapoor - Love Aaj Kal

Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Arundhati Naag - Paa

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Boman Irani - 3 Idiots

Best Actor in a Comic Role
Omi Vaidya - 3 Idiots

Best Music
A R Rahman - Delhi-6

Best Playback Singer (Male)
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Aaj Din Chadya - Love Aaj Kal

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Kavita Seth - Iktara - Wake Up Sid

Best Lyrics
Irshad Kamil - Chor Bazari - Love Aaj Kal

Best Story
Imtiaz Ali - Love Aaj Kal

Best Screenplay
Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra - 3 Idiots

Best Dialogue
Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani - 3 Idiots

Best Editing
Rajkumar Hirani - 3 Idiots

Best Special Effects
Charles Darby - Aladin

Best Cinematography
Rajeev Ravi - Dev D

Best Choreography
Bosco- Caesar - Zoobi Doobi - 3 Idiots

Best Action
Vijayan Master - Wanted

Most Promising Newcomer (Male)
Omi Vaidya - 3 Idiots

Most Promising Newcomer (Female)
Mahie Gill - Dev D

Most Promising Debut Director
Nandita Das - Firaaq

Entertainer of the year
Katrina Kaif

Star Plus Jodi Award
Amitabh Bachchan - Abhishek Bachchan

Best Jodi of the Decade Award
Shahrukh Khan - Kajol

Lifetime Achievement Award
Javed Akhtar

Best Child Artiste
Pratik Katare - Paa

Best Ensemble Cast
Luck By Chance


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Rahman moves from Slum to Stars

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 11.39


Just when we thought the Slumdog mania is over, here’s a smack up. A R Rehman is making a big song and dance.

In his next big international venture, he is going to team up with Mick Jagger, Kylie Minogue, Pussycat Dolls and Joss Stone as they are on his favourite list for the new project he wants to produce.

The mini Mozart of Madras is currently busy working on a special track for the film Blue, after which he will finish work on Couples Retreat, which also has his son singing in it. Now that’s a combination we all want to hear.

Earlier, Rahman worked with Pussycat Dolls and took up the Slumdog fever one step up on music charts across the globe. And now with more names adding to an all out international project, things can only get better for the musician from Slum land!

A source confirmed the news, “Rahman has been getting a lot more names who want to associate with him after his new found success in the international arena. He is also finalizing the list, and since it is going to be a compilation of various artistes he wants to insure he has the best.”

Very soon there will be an official announcement as the work on the album has already kickstarted with super acts like Pussycat Dolls and Kylie more than willing to be a part. Kylie not only sang, but also features in an item number in Blue.


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A.R. Rahman gets honorary doctorate

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 12.52


Following his two Oscars, it is the third doctorate for him

Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Chandrayaan project director M. Annadurai were on Saturday (August 1) conferred with honorary doctorates by Anna University in Chennai.

Governor and university chancellor Surjit Singh Barnala gave away the honourary degrees at a special convocation.

The degrees were conferred on Rahman and Annadurai for their achievements in the realm of music and space technology respectively and on Stalin for his contribution to the state's administration, Anna University Vice Chancellor P. Mannar Jawahar said.

This is the third doctorate for Rahman after he won two Oscars for Hollywood movie "Slumdog Millionaire". The first was from Aligarh Muslim University and the second from London's Middlesex University.

This is the first honourary doctorate conferred on Stalin, 56, a graduate of Madras University.

Honorary doctorates from Tamil Nadu universities are normally given to chief ministers of the state with incumbent M. Karunanidhi, as also M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalitha who have previously occupied the post, among the major politicians to have been conferred the honour while in power.


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'Jai Ho, MJ!' says Rahman

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 13.35



"Jai Ho, MJ!" said Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, for whom pop legend Michael Jackson symbolised limitless energy, perfection and vision, while the death of his "role model" has left dancing star Prabhu Deva numb.

"MJ, for most of our generation, was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision," said Rahman, who had recently met the pop superstar following the Oscar awards.

"I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of 'Jai Ho's' chorus.
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"He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and did a five second stunning example. It was like a lightning strike," the composer recalled.

"He was concerned about developmental issues such as global warming and about wars and its damages to the human community. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of 'We are the World' for him. I nodded in awe ...!" Rahman added.

"I remember my late sound engineer Sridhar had brought me a video of the premiere of 'Remember the Time' when I was recording 'Kadal Rojave' for my first movie Roja. Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon," he said.

In a philosophical note, Rahman concluded his condolence statement: "Life is short..! Artists and their art live for ever. Jai Ho, MJ ! We love you for your music, regardless of all the controversies!"

The 50-year-old singing sensation died Thursday following a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles, leaving millions of his fans around the world stunned.


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Bollywood mourns Michael Jackson's death

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 11.50


He is someone who called himself as 'Bad' and 'Dangerous', and still was loved by one and all, the world over. We are indeed talking about the one and only 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson, the very name who invented the cult 'Moon Walking' dance step. Well, the entire world came to a standstill yesterday when this musical legend breathed his last. He suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away, thus bringing the musical world to a grinding halt!

We spoke to Bollywood's eminent music directors and choreographers for their reactions to MJ's death. This is what they had to say:

Sajid (of Sajid-Wajid duo): "It is a big loss for the music industry, and he was a legend of sorts, someone who never paid heed to the image or personality, that he carried and the way we remember Bob Marley, Michael Jackson also falls in the same league. Today is by far a very mournful day for the entire music industry."

A.R. Rahman: "I am shocked at the untimely passing away of Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musicians of our times. MJ, for most of our generation was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of Pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision. I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we vibed very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus.

He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and did a five second stunning example. It was like a lightning strike. He was concerned about developmental issues such as Global Warming and about wars and its damages to the human community. He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of "We are the World" for him. I nodded in awe...!

He introduced me to his three lovely bright kids. The kids told him "I love you Dad". And he replied, "I love you more" as a proud father. I wished him well for his concerts and he said "God Bless you". After hearing the shocking news, I wished it was another rumor which would fade away soon. It took me time to believe that he is no more. I remember, my late sound engineer H. Sridhar had brought me a video of the premiere of 'Remember the Time' when I was recording 'Kadal Rojave' for my first movie Roja. Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon.

Now, there is no Sridhar and no Jackson anymore. I hope all of us value people's existence more and respect them when they are alive. LIFE IS SHORT...! Artists and their art live for ever. Jai Ho, MJ! We love you for your music, regardless of all the controversies!"

Vishal Dadlani: "Goodbye, Michael Jackson. The one thing we never let you be was a human being. You went from a God to an alien to a demon. But if we remember you for anything but your music, the failing will be ours. Sorry for all the harassment, thank you for all the music."

Wajid (of Sajid-Wajid duo): "It's indeed very sad news, I was driving when I got this message from someone, I was so shocked that I actually stopped driving and started to think about the man since then. It's actually a very big loss to everyone, because all of us have grown up listening to his songs; he was a real example of a perfect singer and performer... a complete artist. I was in fact looking out for his new album that he was composing, but now everything has come to a stand still and I am at a complete loss for words."

Sukhwinder Singh: "I am totally shocked. Since the time I first heard this news, I felt a great sadness from somewhere deep within."

Jatin Pandit: "A major section of the music industry has been wiped out; he was in a class of his own. I was really fortunate enough to witness his performance when he came down to Bombay. He was a rare combination of performance and talent."

Saroj Khan: "It's a great loss to the world. He was not just a lovely dancer, but also a wonderful creator. I admired him very much. God bless his soul to rest in eternal peace."

Ganesh Hegde: "It's an extremely sad day for the whole industry. His death means a total end to the world of music and an era in itself. There's a lot of reason for the fact that I am here and am what I am today. One of the main reasons is none other than the King of Pop Michael Jackson! He is the one who showed the way to many people like me that rags can surely be transformed into riches.

I still remember the day when I had a chance to meet him just for a minute. And trust me, I must have told him 'Sir, I love you' at least 20 times in 10 seconds. He, very generously said that 'I like it'. That's the most important one minute of my life."


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Exclusive: Winners of the IIFA Awards 2009

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 12.22


Best Film
Jodhaa Akbar

Best Actor in a Leading Role - Male
Hrithik Roshan - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Actor in a Leading Role - Female
Priyanka Chopra - Fashion

Best Director
Ashutosh Gowariker - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Male
Arjun Rampal - Rock On!!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Female
Kangna Ranaut - Fashion

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Akshaye Khanna - Race

Best Story
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday!

Best Debutant Star - Male
Farhan Akhtar

Best Debutant Star - Female
Asin

Outstanding Achievement by an Indian in International Cinema
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Best Actor in a Comic Role
Abhishek Bachchan - Dostana

Best Music
A R Rahman - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Lyrics
Javed Akhtar - Jashn-E-Bahara (Jodhaa Akbar)

Best Playback Singer - Male
Javed Ali - Jashn-e-Baharaa (Jodhaa Akbar)

Best Playback Singer - Female
Shreya Ghoshal - Teri Ore (Singh is Kinng)

Best Dailogue
Manu Rishi - Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

Best Screenplay
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday!

Sound Editing
Ghajini

Sound Recording
Ghajini

Best Action
Ghajini

Special Effects
Ghajini

Best Sound Recording
Rock On!!

Best Editing
Jodhaa Akbar

Best Make-up
Jodhaa Akbar

Art Direction
Jodhaa Akbar

Best Costume Award
Jodhaa Akbar

Best Background Score
A R Rahman

Star of the Decade - Male
Shah Rukh Khan

Star of the Decade - Female
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Music Director of the Decade
A R Rahman


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Rahman says he hates politics

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 12.12


Music maestro A.R. Rahman, whose compositions in "Slumdog Millionaire" made him the first Indian to win twin Oscars, is critical of political parties using for a poll campaign the song "Jai Ho" that he composed for Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches drama.

"I was like in the bed, I was dehydrated, exhausted, and then all these things happened, somebody told me these people are using it. I hate politics. I just want people to serve the people. I want governments, whichever government comes in, to be unbiased and say there should be justice in the country and that's my purpose in life," Rahman said in an interview on CNN's Talk Asia.

The interview will be aired on CNN May 20 and there will repeat telecasts on May 21 and May 23.

The Congress had bought exclusive rights to the song "Jai Ho" for its poll campaign but the jingle was later dropped as the party's theme song.

In the interview, the shy composer also explains how his accolades for "Slumdog Millionaire" are also a recognition for India.

"I got very emotional when saying this is for India, when you guys truly deserve it because there are so many different film industries in India, so many different markets, Hindi film industry, Tamil film industry, Malayalam, then Bengali, so in a way I think it culminates all their aspirations and so it's here," he said.

Before he shot to stardom with the film "Roja", Rahman used to create radio jingles. He has since collaborated with international music superstars like Michael Jackson and Kylie Minogue.

When asked about his next project post-Oscars, he said: "I have a couple of offers from Hollywood. Pure American movies which I thought for the heck of it let's do it and a couple of other surprises that you'll know very soon if it works out. Big surprises I think."


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Slumdog Millionaire - DVD Review

Diposting oleh alexandria joseph | 11.38


Slumdog Millionaire MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Frieda Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubiana Ali, Tanay Chheda, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar
Director: Danny Boyle
Producer: Christian Colson, Tessa Ross, Paul Smith
Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: A R Rahman, Gulzar, Tanvi, Raqueeb Alam, Blaaze

THE FILM

Ok, so let's be honest about this one. Majority of us who watched the film and then formulated an opinion about Slumdog-Millionaire did so way before its theatrical release in India. Which simply translates into the fact that we saw it on a pirated DVD (or online 'unpaid' version). There is a good and a bad connotation to it.

Good - We all were quite excited about knowing what Slumdog Millionaire was all about and hence could hardly wait for it to arrive in theatres.
Bad - Because we not just contributed to piracy but also robbed the film of a few crores extra that it could have earned had it been seen directly in cinemas.

So why am I am talking about the relevance of buying the original DVD here rather than talking of Slumdog Millionaire - The Film! Because till date, every Ramu, Rani and Rambo has seen (or at least heard) what the film is all about and there is no single soul left on the planet earth (at the least the kind that loves to watch any movie with an Indian connect to it) who is unaware what Slumdog Millionaire is all about.

In fact I have an interesting anecdote to quote here. In my January trip to Far East Asia, I met a bunch of college going kids in a tube (train). I was with some friends of mine and was looking for directions. During the course of our conversation, I brought up the topic of Bollywood.

'Have you heard about Shah Rukh Khan?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Amitabh Bachchan?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Akshay Kumar?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Bollywood - The film industry from India?' Answer - 'India, the same country from which a film called Slumdog Millionaire is being talked about? Heard it has chances of Oscar nominations, am I right?'

All I could do was nod in admiration!

And this conversation was way before Oscar short listing was held! So yes, when the film had already reached every nook and corner of the film watching world, the buzz was pretty much palpable.

And why not? After all the film was (and continues to be) as euphoric as it gets with every right answer in the game show making you spill that popcorn. The narrative that oscillated between past and present was as innovative as it gets. Anil Kapoor's characterization too was as wicked as it gets. And the kids made you wonder if they should return in front of camera in quick time or should they complete their studies in next few years and then come back as matured human beings as well as professionals.

Of course there have been debates and there would be debates about the music of Rahman being the best ever by him that deserved the Oscars! Well, of course most Indians would agree that he has come up with better soundtracks in the past but the fact remains that at the end of the day, it is Slumdog Millionaire that has made him a household name.

So just for this very fact, even though it sounds as clichéd (and routine as well as predictable) as it gets, let's say 'Jai Ho' to that!

PACKAGING

Slumdog Millionaire comes in a soft box packaging. However, one expected it to be much lavish in appeal considering the film has won 8 Oscars for itself. However, that's not the case as on the stands, it is visible as just another DVD rather than anything which is exclusive.

DURATION

The film's duration is ~120 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

The film comes with the bonus features that include:

- The Making of the Film
- The Premier

Special Features are clearly disappointing in case of Slumdog Millionaire. The least one would have expected from this multiple Oscar winning film was 'Director's Commentary', some true 'Behind the Scenes' segments, glimpses of the actual production and 'Deleted Scenes'. However, none of that is included in the 'Special Features' which merely comes with a routine 'Making of the Film' segment where all you get to hear are mini interviews of Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan and Anil Kapoor with bytes from A.R. Rahman, Dev Patel and 'Frieda Pinto'.

Comparatively, there is still some excitement generated from the 'The Premier' segment since you get to see and hear a horde of celebrities talking about the film on the eve of the film's release in Mumbai. If you are star struck then this one belongs to not-to-be-missed category as you get to witness a huge range that goes as Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Genelia D'Souza, Sushmita Sen, Tusshar Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Hrithik Roshan, Jiah Khan, Arshad Warsi, Ambanis, Zeenat Aman, Sridevi, Danny, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Gulshan Grover, Ranbir Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Saira Bano, Shabana Azmi and many more.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 399/=

CONCLUSION

The point is plain and simple: We have seen the film on pirated DVDs; now let's do the film some favour and give it back what it truly deserves - 'Let's buy the original DVD'. Not just is the original DVD far better in picture quality, it also carries a much better sound quality; something that lends the film a much better cinematic experience.


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