One is a director, the other a composer. And together Imtiaz Ali and A R Rahman, the duo behind hit albums of films such as 바카라Rockstar바카라, 바카라Highway바카라 and 바카라Tamasha바카라, are just two music aficionados jamming together.
The two, back together for 바카라Amar Singh Chamkila바카라, say theirs is a connection that goes beyond a simple director-composer equation. It바카라s one that started on a poetic note with Ali reciting Punjabi preacher-poet Baba Farid's famous lines "Kaga Sab Tan Khaiyo" to the Tamil speaking Rahman during the narration of "Rockstar".
"He didn't know anything about my work," Ali told PTI, recalling his first meeting with the Oscar winning music maestro.
"I liked his hair," added Rahman about his director바카라s famous unruly mop of curls that have become a signature of sorts for him.
Ali, of course, knew everything there was to know about Rahman's music, not just in Hindi cinema but in Tamil as well. But they really connected over Baba Farid.
The conversation inspired the 2012 film's famous song 바카라Naadan Parindey바카라, sung by Mohit Chauhan.
"I felt I had your attention," Ali told Rahman about the meeting at the musician바카라s Chennai studio years ago.
Ali said his producers had told him to "catch hold" of the musician at any cost for the movie, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri.
"Working with him, all borders disappear. We don바카라t think, 'He is the director and I바카라m the composer'. We just jam with it and we think how we can make this interesting, and how we go deeper into something. He has a great sense of picking up tunes, lyrics, so I trust his instinct. He's a fan of music, lyrics, great poetry, psychology and philosophy," Rahman told PTI.
Their latest collaboration "Amar Singh Chamkila", about the popular 80s grassroots Punjabi singer who was shot dead along with his wife and singing partner Amarjot, will start streaming on Netflix from April 12.
The challenge with the film, Rahman said, was that Chamkila wrote and sang his own songs.
"My question was, 바카라Chamkila already has songs, so what am I going to do in it?바카라 We sat and figured it out," he said.
The film will see lead stars Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra sing several songs. The other numbers, sung by Alka Yagnik, Mohit Chauhan, Rahman, Arijit Singh and others, play in the backdrop.
Ali and Rahman, both in their 50s, want to take Chamkila바카라s music across the world as they are catering to a global audience by telling the story of a person who came from rural Punjab.
Alka Yagnik sang 바카라Agar Tum Saath Ho바카라, a popular romantic number from 바카라Tamasha바카라 and is back for 바카라Naram Kaalja바카라 in 바카라Amar Singh Chamkila바카라.
Asked why veteran singers don바카라t get too many chances in playback singing today, Ali, 52, said, it was Rahman바카라s idea to rope in Yagnik, a popular voice of the leading ladies in the 90s and 2000s.
바카라She (sang), 바카라Agar Tum Saath Ho바카라 and now, in retrospect, the whole world knows why. Alka ji바카라s voice could be very nice because it has a vintage quality but I couldn't see it at that time. Even this time, she has sung, 바카라Naram Kaalja바카라 and it was his (Rahman바카라s) idea. Again we didn바카라t expect it.바카라
Rahman, 57, who is particular about the singers he collaborates with, added, 바카라The unfortunate truth is if somebody becomes popular, everybody goes to the person. They overuse that person and kill them.바카라
According to the music maestro, it is important to cast singers correctly and he said he managed to do that with both Yagnik and Richa Sharma in 바카라Maidaan바카라, another Hindi film he has composed for.
바카라It's great to hear all these voices together, like a symphony.바카라
Are there creative clashes when they are working together?
바카라No, never. I never argue with Rahman sir. The only point of conflict has been that I like something that he's made, and he thinks it's not good. This has happened two-three times,바카라 Ali said.
Rahman, on his part, said things can always be improved further and he has no hesitation in revisiting his compositions even if he has given it to the director to be used in the movie. This is true of Ali as well as of Mani Ratnam, the man who introduced Rahman to the world with 바카라Roja바카라 in 1992.
바카라If I바카라ve time, I tell them, 바카라I바카라ll give you something better바카라. Then they say, 바카라This is better, thanks바카라. For me, time is the biggest resource and gift, because you can get anything back, you can바카라t get time. In this, we had a bit of time to rethink one of the songs, which was a repeat song, 바카라Vida Karo바카라,바카라 Rahman said.
Ali said when Rahman decides to change a song and he has already grown fond of it, there is a bit of sadness to let it go.
바카라The song 바카라Agar Tum Saath Ho바카라 was the third or the fourth composition that he had made and I had approved. Then I already shot the song situation on some other song and then he said, 바카라No, we'll do this바카라.바카라
After 바카라Amar Singh Chamkila'', Ali is already ready with a new script and has told Rahman about it.
Other than Ali바카라s film and 바카라Maidaan바카라, Rahman has Aanand L Rai바카라s new film 바카라Tere Ishk Mein바카라 and a silent film, 바카라Gandhi Talks바카라.
Rahman has worked on consecutive Hindi movies after a long time and said he never went away.
바카라I never feel like I바카라m taking a break or anything because all the songs are my ambassadors, whether it's 바카라Roja바카라, 바카라Bombay바카라, 바카라Taal바카라, 바카라Rockstar바카라, 바카라Highway바카라, 바카라Tamasha바카라 or 바카라Raanjhanaa바카라. Sometimes, it바카라s nice to take a break and do other things in life. I don바카라t want to get stuck with just film soundtracks. You have to learn about life,바카라 Rahman said.
