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Regarded as one of the most influential Indian filmmakers of the modern era, Ram Gopal Varma has made his mark by creating groundbreaking movies and introducing new talents, including actors and technicians who have since become industry icons. Among his many contributions to Bollywood, his introduction of composer AR Rahman stands out. Rahman’s entry into Bollywood came through Ram Gopal Varma’s (often referred to by his initials RGV) 1995 romantic comedy Rangeela, which quickly became a critical and commercial hit. Rahman’s soundtrack topped charts and won over millions and the album remains one of his most beloved works.
Although every song in Rangeela was a hit, did you know that RGV was initially unimpressed by the track “Hai Rama”? Yes, you read that right! When he first heard it, RGV even wondered if Rahman had accidentally sent him the wrong song or if the composer had gone crazy. “I wanted a very erotic number. I wanted something like ‘Kate Nahin Kat Te’ from Mr India (1987). After I described (to Rahman) how I want to shoot it, he came up with this tune [hums ‘Hai Rama’] and I thought he’d gone mad. I thought he made a mistake and sent me something else, a classical Carnatic raga or whatever. I said, ‘Rahman, I told you about the erotic song and you sent me something else.’ And he said, ‘no, this is made for the same situation.’ I just couldn’t understand,” RGV said during a chat with O2india once.
Rahman, speaking in the same interview, explained his approach: “If you look at the roots of our culture or the past or even Hindu mythology or ancient sound, they were always about ragas. There’s a raga for each emotion and that’s the base and foundation of our music. When that is lost and you do a song just for the sake of it with cheesy lyrics, it becomes too crass and it becomes unhealthy for me. So, I was trying to find a way to make this interesting and rooted to our culture.”
Over time, however, RGV began to appreciate the tune. “Because the CD (with the tune) was with me, I kept playing it once in a while. Suddenly, at one point, it just got stuck in my head and I said, ‘Rahman, maybe it’ll work,'” the filmmaker said, to which Rahman added, “Somewhere, I was very confident that it’s going to work. While we were producing the song, I could just see him (RGV) discover every little scene and shot. He was constantly walking across the studio, restlessly.” The filmmaker said that when Rahman completed the orchestration, he was blown away. The track was sung by Hariharan and Swarnalatha.
Starring Urmila Matondkar, Aamir Khan and Jackie Shroff in the lead roles, the movie became a turning point in the careers of all those involved, including the actors and Rahman’s music played a major role in this.
“What Rahman’s music does is, it leaves you with no other choice but to think differently. From the choreographer to the director, this applies to all and even the actors have to change their renderings accordingly. I remember Aamir telling me, ‘it’s for the first time, I am hearing a song that’s not coming on beat.’ And to use Rahman’s voice for Aamir for the song ‘Mangta Hai Kya’ was pathbreaking because Aamir felt that people might laugh since they were so used to hearing Udit Narayan (sing for the actor). Rahman completely destroyed the aspect of a conventional singer like SP Balasubrahmanyam or KS Chithra singing by getting anyone because each person makes a song sound different,” RGV said, adding that the composer’s such unconventional approaches pushed everyone involved to bring their A-game.
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