‘AR Rahman should thank me for allowing him to work in Hollywood’: Ashutosh Gowariker says Slumdog Millionaire got in the way of their partnership

Also read – Ashutosh Gowariker: Where’s the director who gave us Lagaan and Swades, took India to Oscar stage?

Asked how he communicates with Rahman, Gowariker said, “Rahman is a very sharp man, and he immediately grasps the crux of the idea. He is able to visualise the situations immediately. It takes time, because ultimately, he’s catering to you. He isn’t making his own album. But he deserves that time.”

Rahman recently spoke about working on Slumdog Millionaire in secret, because people had advised him not to. “I met Danny Boyle in Mumbai, and he really wanted me to do the music for the film. I called my agent, who said, ‘Reject it straight away! He is very complicated, works with multiple composers and might throw your music out.’ But I remembered Danny’s face, which was full of love and respect. I thought these two things weren’t tallying!” the composer recalled at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne recently. Slumdog Millionaire ended up winning the Best Picture Oscar, but Rahman worked on only a couple of Hollywood projects afterwards.