Last year, a few on the internet complained about an AR Rahman concert. And no, the complaint wasn’t about not getting tickets or even about the venue, but about Rahman performing too many Tamil songs during his show. Many fans of the composer defended him, saying he is a multilingual performer with some of his greatest hits in Tamil. In a chat with Hindustan Times, Rahman admits that selecting his set list and balancing the languages is the toughest task for him, and opens up on how he has found that balance now.
Rahman on balancing songs and languages in gigs
AR Rahman is in the middle of his The Wonderment Tour, which begins its India leg next week, with shows lined up in Mumbai and Delhi-NCR. Talking about how he curates a set list that leaves ‘nobody unhappy’, the Oscar-winning composer says, “It's a blessing and a challenge. Not everybody gets the chance to cover north, south, east, and west. What I do is think: 'What would I like to listen to if I go to my concert?'”
Rahman says he takes a ‘musical approach’ instead of focusing on language. “Even if they don't know Tamil or Hindi, if it's musically interesting, it engages them. Alternate arrangements and musicianship add to that,” he says.
The singer-composer is aware that some fans complain about the language choice in his sets, but he admits he doesn't pay too much attention to it. “If you do a Hindi song in Tamil Nadu, some ask why you're putting that, or vice versa. Some people say the Tamil version of Roja or Bombay is better, while others prefer the Hindi version. You can't take all that into consideration when 50,000 people are sitting there. It's the most difficult thing for me to curate a list, but it's become a pattern. Initially, people complained, but then it became a phenomenon,” says Rahman.
{{/usCountry}}The singer-composer is aware that some fans complain about the language choice in his sets, but he admits he doesn't pay too much attention to it. “If you do a Hindi song in Tamil Nadu, some ask why you're putting that, or vice versa. Some people say the Tamil version of Roja or Bombay is better, while others prefer the Hindi version. You can't take all that into consideration when 50,000 people are sitting there. It's the most difficult thing for me to curate a list, but it's become a pattern. Initially, people complained, but then it became a phenomenon,” says Rahman.
{{/usCountry}}The composer says this multilingual approach has paid off in an unusual way, with songs surprising audiences at his live gigs over the years. He explains, “Sometimes, a song we least expected creates euphoria. For instance, Mustafa Mustafa during my second concert in Dubai. People didn't have smartphones back then, so they lit up lighters. That was the first time I'd seen that, and I had a 102°F fever that night.”
The composer says that of late, audiences have moved past the language barrier, focusing on music alone. “Recently, even in symphony concerts with just the piano and singers, people go into ecstasy. Now, a whole generation knows every single lyric word-for-word,” he says.
AR Rahman’s upcoming work
Rahman will perform at Jio World Garden, Mumbai, on November 1 and Backyard Sports Club, Delhi, on November 21, as part of his Wonderment Tour. The three-hour musical experience brings together some of his most iconic 90s compositions alongside his contemporary work, with a large-scale live production and international ensemble. Meanwhile, the composer’s next soundtrack is Ramayana, for which he has collaborated with Hollywood legend Hans Zimmer for the first time. The film releases on November 5.
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