Mani Ratnam never told AR Rahman story of Dil Se: 'Just give me 7 stages of love'

Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman are currently promoting Ponniyin Selvan I. While Mani has directed the film, Rahman has given music for the movie.

AR Rahman is currently busy travelling with the team of Ponniyin Selvan I for the promotions of the film. As part of a promotional interview, he opened up about his long-standing collaboration with filmmaker Mani Ratnam and recalled not being told the story of Dil Se. He went on to admit that it pushed the entire team to think on another level and deliver what people even now consider one of the best soundtracks.

Music maestro AR Rahman and director- producer Mani Ratnam at a press conference of their upcoming film, Ponniyin Selvan: I in Mumbai. (AFP)

AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam have been working together for 30 years. Ponniyin Selvan 1 is their 16thfilm together.

In an interview to India Today, AR Rahman recalled a memory of working on Dil Se and what makes it one of his best soundtracks even today. “The memory is he never told me the story. He said I won’t tell you the story. Just give me seven stages of love. That’s it. I said ok. That was the whole brief of the project,” Rahman explained.

He added that the fact Mani Ratnam didn’t tell him the story actually pushed him to work harder. “It actually pushed all of us to think on another level which people feel even now when they say it’s one of the best soundtracks. It was inspirational,” he said.

Explaining why he didn’t reveal the story, Mani Ratnam said, “When you tell them, say even a lyricist, what you want. They get bound by it. If you don’t tell them exactly and just give them an abstract view, then it becomes…”

Recalling the popularity of the soundtrack, AR Rahman narrated an incident which happened soon after he won the Oscars. He said, “After the Oscars, my agent wanted me to introduce me to different music studios. He took me to Warner Bros, Fox and Sony. We had meetings. While we were walking from Warner to Fox, one white lady started running behind me. She said if I meet Mani Ratnam, tell him I watched his Dil Se 40 times,” he said.

Produced by Madras Talkies, Ponniyin Selvan I also features Jayam Ravi, Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala and Aishwarya Lekshmi among others.