Imtiaz Ali says he goes into ‘surrender mode’ when working with AR Rahman: ‘This puts him under even more pressure’

“This puts him under even more pressure. The first time we sat together for a discussion, he reminded me that I was the director and said that I have to do my job (and give instructions). That’s when I realized that it’s my job to communicate to them (the cast and crew members) as to what’s in the movie and what feelings are depicted,” he pointed out.

“But Rahman sir has such strong senses that he understands the things that you don’t even tell him. Whenever I listen to his compositions (for my movies) for the first time, I wonder how he understood that these were the very feelings that were going through my mind about this situation,” Ali added.

Watch Imtiaz Ali interview here:

Imtiaz Ali also spoke fondly of his association with singer Mohit Chauhan, highlighting their longstanding friendship and admiration for each other’s craft. He also mentioned that he was great friends with Mohit’s wife Prarthna Gehlot as well.

“It took me four to five years to make my debut directorial endeavour Socha Na Tha. Back then too, I had many friends who were musicians, and we used to jam a lot. One night, we were at a hotel, jamming, and that’s when I saw Mohit for the first time. It was soon after his ‘Dooba Dooba’ song had come out. That’s also the night I heard him sing for the first time: his smooth, silky voice. He sang a Pahari tune, and I realized that this man has something really special and precious with which he could provide any song with a mystic quality,” Ali noted.

Opinion | Chamkila and songs of resistance in Punjab | Explained | Who was Amar Singh Chamkila?

The filmmaker also recalled that the first song Chauhan sang for him was “Tum Se Hi” from Jab We Met (2007), composed by Pritam Chakraborty with lyrics by Irshad Kamil. Since then, he has lent his voice to at least one song in almost all Imtiaz Ali movies.

“When doing Rockstar, we wanted all the songs to be sung by the same singer because that’s Jordan’s (Ranbir Kapoor) voice. So, Rahman sir and I started thinking about whom to pick. Since it’s Rahman, I didn’t even give any suggestions since he is a legend in what he does, and any advice I give him would sound stupid. Then he himself suggested Mohit Chauhan’s name. And I was pleased,” Ali added.

From the homepage

Bihar elections: BJP sees changes as counter to anti-incumbency, but has few easy choices

Wintrack, importer of personal massagers, quits India citing harassment and corruption at Chennai Customs; Finance Ministry orders inquiry

How will the US government shutdown impact immigrants and visa holders?