Zubeen Garg and A.R. Rahman

Guwahati, March 15: A.R. Rahman and Zubeen Garg. One is already a maestro, the other aspiring to be among the very best in the country.

Together they are planning the mother of all jugalbandis. A self-admitted fan of Rahman’s brand of music, Zubeen disclosed that he will be performing live with Rahman in a south Indian city.

It will be the first step towards roping in the southern star for a duet in a Hindi film that Zubeen is producing. Fascinated by Rahman, Zubeen said: “He is a living legend. It would be another dream come true when I perform with him,” he said.

Apart from the live performance in the south, scheduled to be held by the middle of this year, Zubeen has also contacted the music maestro to sing together in a Hindi movie that he is making later this year.

Zubeen said Rahman holds a special place in his life. Since his college days, when Zubeen was a struggling singer, Rahman was a source of inspiration.

“There were many occasions when I was down in the dumps and depressed as the public and the music industry initially did not give me due recognition. On such occasions, I listened to Rahman’s music. His music generated positive energy in me and inspired me to work harder,” he said.

Even though Zubeen refused to disclose anything further, one of his close associates said Rahman has also been impressed by Zubeen’s performance.

He said the latest hit, Ya Ali, is also very popular in south India. During a recent function in Mumbai, where Rahman was an invitee, he showered praise on the singer from Assam.

Zubeen also performed live at a function in Hyderabad last month to rave reviews. The singer belts out hit numbers from south Indian films.

Apart from several albums of his own, Zubeen is planning to cut an album on the songs of legendary music director S.D. Burman on his birth centenary this year. According to Zubeen, the album on Burman’s songs would be another challenging task for him.

“There are many more significant things which I plan to do this year. Another exciting assignment would be to make a remix album with Ismail Darbar. I might visit Pakistan to promote Ya Ali, the song that celebrates friendship and love. But top priority is making the jugalbandis with Rahman,” he said.