Subhash Ghai shares how AR Rahman changed Mumbai’s music culture with ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Rang De Basanti’

Mumbai, Nov 10 : Filmmaker Subhash Ghai recalled music maestro A R Rahman’s contribution to the Indian music industry and shared how he transformed Mumbai's music culture with films such as ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Rang De Basanti.’

Taking to Instagram, the ‘Taal’ hit-maker shared a heartfelt note about the composer, describing him as a “blessed talent.” He also recalled how he first approached him for his 1999 film ‘Taal’. Recounting his initial hesitation, Ghai said he was nervous about offering Rahman the project because the composer was not very familiar with Hindi lyrics or Hindi films at the time. However, his concerns eased when Rahman told him that he used to play the hero flute.

Sharing how he eventually embraced Rahman's distinctive musical style, he recalled their association with ‘Taal’ and praised the composer's ability to adapt to different musical influences.

Posting their picture, Subhash wrote “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.” (sic)

“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.

Subhash Ghai and A R Rahman have collaborated on three feature films: ‘Taal’ (1999), ‘Kisna: The Warrior Poet’ (2005) and ‘Yuvvraaj’ (2008). Their association began with ‘Taal’, starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshaye Khanna, which became widely remembered for its music.