Best of AR Rahman - non filmi

Another best of ARR post, in what I see as many more to come. This time, non-filmi.


My introduction to ARR was non-filmi. Except, I did not know who he was as a six year old kid. Every Sunday around 11 am , DD would telecast  a program in Telegu which featured the Sprit of Unity Concert theme.  I would run to from wherever I was in the house at that precise time, to catch the end credits.

Here is the best version I could find on youtube




Also very vivid is a series of ads - Leo Coffee , Asian paints, with their heart melting freshness.




(I link the " yelelo" in the Asian paints ad to the ARR version in Chinna Chinna Aasai )



A rare video shot in 1993 during a TV interview



Later on, after he became a nation wide phenomenon with Vande Mataram,  there was the Airtel ad featuring a curly haired ARR





Venturing out of TV and commercials, here is my real list of non-filmi ARR favourites.


"Raaga's Dance", is what happens when a child prodigy such as Vanessa Mae and ARR collaborate.
I remember welling up and then crying profusely the first time I heard this during bus ride back home from work.  Such intensity and emotion in these five mins ; the wild violin , Carnatic vocals, the percussion that tries to keep up and the brilliant climax.




This next track is from the movie "Couple's Retreat", called "Kuru Kuru Kangalile" . Play this on your next long drive on a winding road , preferably amidst the hills and you will realise the definition of the term "breezy".

Rahman is pitch perfect in the higher pitches, but Kurukuru is as mellow as it gets.  The whistle notes, followed by the slow rise and the "mmmm..mmm.." hum through the track are very pleasant on the ears.



"Mann Chandre nu " from ARR's album " Connections"  is a composition beautiful beyond words. It is a Punjabi track and I cannot understand one word, but the sadness it evokes is palpable. Sukhwinder Singh's voice lends itself so well to the emotion and the gentle percussion on the background is other worldly. The additional vocals include Vijay Prakash, who we all know well now. Tune in with some quality headphones and be ready to lose yourself.  Jiya se Jiya from Connections is another great track, if you are interested in the album.




I am going to cheat a little bit here on the title of this blog post. The next track is the MTV Unplugged version of " Ranjha Ranjha" from Raavan.  Remakes such as these are proof no one else should try to reinterpret ARR's work. 

Rahman sings alongside Shruti Hassan who is absolutely brilliant in this and makes me wonder why she does not sing more. This is the first time I have heard the Morsing used so extensively through a track, Somebody please hand this Morsing player a national award. He carries the entire track on his shoulders. Watch out for the hair raising interlude between 2:39 to 3:16 . The Morsing kills you . Mind = blown. I never tire of this one.  Long live platforms like Unplugged and Coke Studio that let artists be free to explore








" Aao Balma" from Coke Studio Ustad is a surreal track, which has Ghulam Mustafa Khan's entire family sing together - across multiple generations. Watch  for the harmony among the family when they sing. With  regulars like Mohini Day on the bass guitar, Keba , Sivamani providing all the drums, special effects and Prasanna on the guitar, there is no short of entertainment . Rahman restricts himself to the piano and does not interfere in the vocals. Watch him give his special touch to the ending.



In the same episode of MTV Unplugged comes " Soz o Salaam", a traditional classical track rendered by the Ustad's family, with his grandson and the Ustad taking the main vocals.  Rahman regularly introduces to unique sounds with his penchant for new instruments.  This one brings to us the windy Continuum finger board played by ARR himself. He seems to have grown quite fond of it over the years .




"Zariya" from MTV Unplugged, is a result of the mad combinations that Rahman is capable of bringing together.  A Nepalese Buddhist , a Jordanian singer and Tamil Nadu's own "Kulavai" sounds in the same track?  Not too much for our Isai Puyal. Listen to the changing notes and flavours in this one . The Continuum Keyboard features here too. A medley like no other.





Watch the behind the scenes of Zariya here..





The next track,  is another interpretation of a movie track from Rockstar "Phir se Ud Chala" - the MTV Unplugged version.  Viacom's Voot  app should have a high definition version of this as part of their archives . All I could find was this one on Youtube.

Rahman sidelines himself to additional vocals and let's his lead singer take centre stage. The wonderful violin here is by Ann Marie, who is a regular in ARR's concert circuit. At 3.5 mins, you wish this would be longer.




Going back in time ,  how can an ARR non-filmi list be complete without Vande Mataram?
It was the first time we got to see the Isai Puyal shed inhibitions and come in front of the camera. I read /watched Bharat Bala convinced him to be part of the video - kudos to you Sir. Critics panned the purity in pronunciation of "Vande Mataram" when the album released.  It hardly mattered to us fans of course. I doubt if any other track invoked so much patriotism across the country as this one did. (I cannot for the life of me find the video with Tamil lyrics, so this is the Hindi version)  Exquisitely shot,  with beautiful , real faces across the breadth of the country, this video etched Rahman's first public image for most of us - a reticent genius  screaming "Vande Mataram" with his locks flying in the desert wind.





"Gurus of Peace" with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and ARR, is "Porale Ponnu Thaayi"  taken to another level. Rahman has mentioned in a lot of places that "Porale..." is one of his favourite compositions.  Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's voice is everything here..






To end things on a high, here is Shakalaka Baby from Bombay Dreams. I am so glad Andrew Lloyd Webber took ARR outside the country. As a fan, it is an opportunity to see his work from new angles every year.  Bombay Dreams is hands down one of ARR's top five albums ever. I love the entire sound track, but this version of Shakalaka Baby has outstanding arrangement and such a refreshing interpretation of the original from Mudhalvan.







That brings us to the end of this non-filmi ARR post. Hope you liked it - do leave your comments below and let me know if there is anything you liked that I missed out on.

May the world conspire to bring us more of ARR in non traditional projects and platforms.




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