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Vijay Prakash
First meeting
Swades was my first experience of working with A.R. Rahman. I got a call from his office asking me to come down for some recording. I was in Mumbai and thought I was required to visit Chennai. But I soon learnt that I had to visit Panchgani, which surprised me because I wondered why would anyone want me at a hill station. Anyway, I went all the way to Panchgani where the film was being shot; he was recording the songs there. At 8pm I got a call. I recorded Pal pal hai bhaari with Madhushree. By the time we finished it was early morning.
Studio versus stage
The feeling is the same, irrespective of the platform. People remember every single note they hear (of a Rahman song). So the effort is to deliver songs that are as close to the original as possible. Sometimes he gives us an opportunity to improvise a little here and there. At the end of the day it’s the melody we connect to. Once he became a global phenomenon, he had to cater for a different audience and thus a transformation has taken place. His fans are also changing with the era. A lot of youngsters have become his fans and the older generation still remains loyal.
Personal note
The latest movie that I have worked with him on is called Maryan, which released a few weeks ago and has Dhanush in the lead.
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Neeti Mohan
First meeting
I have done two world tours with him. I started listening to Tamil music through him. They were looking for a fresh voice for his concerts in 2007. I had sent in my CV hoping to share the stage with him. My first concert with him was in San Francisco.
Master of music
He is a master of Indian and Western music and tries to be organic. His music is so interesting… suddenly there is hold and then a release; it requires a lot of preparation. We are given the songs before a concert. One has to go prepared with his or her part. There are a lot of departments involved and when everything is ready he steps in… three-four days before a concert.
Personal note
I released a single last year called Ja ja; a couple of months ago I released a single around chai, which is about how our lives revolve around it. Besides that I recently sang in Chennai Express (Kashmir main tu Kanyakumari) and in Raanjhanaa (Nazar laaye).
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Harshdeep Kaur
First meeting
As a fan I met him when I was 10 years old. He had come to receive an award in Delhi. My dad has a musical instrument factory and we had a backstage pass. I met him and got an autograph. As a singer I first met him when he was doing the music for Kisna: The Warrior Poet. I went to audition and was lucky to sing three songs (as part of the audition). When he was making Rang De Basanti, he wanted somebody to sing a Punjabi prayer (Ik Onkar).
From the heart
He tells us to sing from the heart. His approach changes with every song. When I recorded Ik Onkar, he just asked me to close my eyes and sing. While recording Katiya karoon (Rockstar), I saw the birth of the song. He composes a song and then comes up with a basic track and finally when you hear it on the CD, there are so many other instruments. Usually when I go for other songs, everything is ready… I just have to sing it. He makes songs according to the scale of the singer he is working with. He takes care of an artiste’s comfort zone. He doesn’t do many retakes. When you are in his studio, the mic is on all the time, even when you are talking. Sometimes the song comes out well during rehearsals.
Practice brings perfection
We are going to every city a day before the concert to practice. Sometimes we rehearse till four in the morning.
Expect a wi-fi enabled Salt Lake Stadium, an app and more at Rahman’s Calcutta gig
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| (L-R) M.S. Muralidharan of Techfront, A.R. Rahman and Deepak Gattani, managing director, Rapport Global Events and show director |
Attending an A.R. Rahman concert is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and making this experience possible is Techfront, a company that is the forerunner in providing end-to-end integrated technology solutions in areas of arena management for sports, entertainment and media. M. S. Muralidharan, managing director, Techfront, and promoter of RahmanIshq, spoke to t2 about the ongoing preparations for the October 1 concert at Salt Lake Stadium. This will be followed by stops at Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
Being the provider of interactive digital system, what will you bring to RahmanIshq?
The RahmanIshq concerts will establish new standards in the interactive fan engagement platform. We are giving fans a holistic experience that will combine technical wizardry with state-of-the-art stage tactics and powerful music. Fans will just not be mute spectators but form an integral part and be active participants of the event.
The concert in Calcutta is the first RahmanIshq stop in India. What can we expect from Techfront at the venue?
Techfront and its subsidiaries Men@Work and Follow On Interactive are undertaking the entire production of stage, sound, light and set design, so it’s a 100 per cent Techfront-produced show. Let’s call it magical fireworks!
3D technology is picking up in the last two years. In what ways can be it implemented at the Calcutta gig?
We are taking interactive and 3D technology to a whole new level. Our physical tickets will be in 3D formats and augmented reality enabled. For instance, when a person purchases a ticket he will be able to hear a recorded message from his idol on his phone once he scans the barcode on his ticket. This is the first time something on these lines is being done at a concert. Entry and exit gates at the event will have holographic projections of Rahman greeting individual ticket holders. Further, fans will get a chance to communicate on their smartphones with photo bombing at the concert itself. A few of the best pictures shot will form collages on the giant live screens on the stage for five seconds.
The challenges?
There are a few of them as this is the first ever large-format multi-city live concert that is being positioned as Rahman’s first road tour. We will be on the road for almost four weeks. From venue permissions to transporting the stage and sound equipment from one state to another to government policies, all of it is challenging. However, we have drawn up an elaborate plan to address all the hindrance, ensure fans an enriched concert experience, superior facilities, like camping, gaming zones, food courts, air-conditioned rest rooms, etc.
Are you looking at an application that can transmit the concert live?
We are creating a complete Wi-fi-enabled environment at Salt Lake stadium during the concert so that fans can download an application called Follow On from iTunes, Android and Windows and enjoy the interactive experience. Even though the live event can be streamlined only inside the venue, certain superior features can be experienced even outside by downloading these applications, such as state-of-the-art augmented reality. The tutorial for downloading and using the application can be seen in the video, which is available on Followontv (on Youtube) and Facebook and also on rahmanishq.com.
What are some of the inputs from Rahman?
He is quite kicked about the entire concept. He has taken almost one year to put together a concept of this nature. Since he is quite tech savvy, this tour is very close to his heart. He wants to show the world how well equipped India is for a concert of this stature. Be it Madonna, U2 or Coldplay, Techfront is certain of delivering an experience that will set a benchmark in the live-act industry.
