Subhash Ghai Credits A.R. Rahman With Transforming Bollywood Music Through ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Rang De Basanti’
MUMBAI–Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai has praised Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman for reshaping the Hindi film industry’s musical landscape, highlighting his contributions to films such as “Lagaan,” “Rang De Basanti” and “Rockstar.”
In a post on Instagram, Ghai reflected on his decades-long association with Rahman, recalling their first collaboration on the 1999 musical drama “Taal” and describing the composer as an extraordinary talent capable of adapting to different musical traditions.
Sharing a photograph of himself with Rahman, Ghai revealed that he initially had reservations about bringing the composer on board for “Taal” because of Rahman’s limited familiarity with Hindi lyrics and Bollywood filmmaking at the time.
However, Ghai said his concerns eased after learning that Rahman had experience playing the flute associated with traditional Hindi film music.
“A blessed talent from our universe. A R RAHMAN. . WHY ? I was really nervous when I offered him my film TAAL to him as he cud hardly knew Hindi lyrics n not too close to Hindi films till he told me that he used to play Hero flute. I was relaxed. N entered into his style of music. N u know TAAL till now,” Ghai wrote.
The filmmaker credited Rahman with introducing a distinctive musical approach that helped redefine the sound of Hindi cinema.
“He changed the music culture in mumbai with lagaan n rang de Basanti or rockstar He won oscar for Hindi song Jai Ho He can learn n turn into any sound of any land n culture in to music He responds to every kind of film n director anywhere. So ARR is a blessed n will go on giving surprises to music lovers n will live for a long. My all blessings to his talent n happiness always,” he added.
Rahman’s work on “Lagaan,” released in 2001, and “Rang De Basanti,” released in 2006, became widely recognized for blending Indian musical influences with contemporary arrangements.
His soundtrack for the 2011 film “Rockstar” further demonstrated his versatility, incorporating rock music alongside Indian classical and other musical traditions.
Rahman also earned international recognition for his work on “Slumdog Millionaire,” winning two Academy Awards in 2009, including Best Original Song for “Jai Ho” and Best Original Score.
Ghai and Rahman have collaborated on three feature films: “Taal” in 1999, “Kisna: The Warrior Poet” in 2005 and “Yuvvraaj” in 2008.
Their creative partnership began with “Taal,” starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshaye Khanna.
The film’s soundtrack became one of its defining features, with Rahman’s compositions contributing significantly to its popularity and enduring cultural appeal.
Ghai’s latest tribute reflects his admiration for Rahman’s ability to work across languages, cultures and cinematic genres while maintaining a distinctive musical identity. (Source: IANS)
