Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman, known for iconic tracks like Dil Se, Roja, and Maa Tujhe Salaam, is one of India’s most celebrated and highest-paid musicians. Renowned globally for his brilliance, Rahman is equally famous for his unconventional working style, something that often surprises his collaborators. Recently, renowned lyricist Sameer Anjaan opened up about his unique experience working with the maestro on Ajay Devgn’s 2002 patriotic film, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, shedding light on Rahman’s unusual creative process.
Saneer Anjaan recalls travelling to the jungle at 3 am for a recording session with AR Rahman
In a recent conversation at the Ashoke Pandit Show, Sameer Anjaan recalled his unusual experience when he travelled to AR Rahman’s house. The Dil De Diya Hai lyricist recalled his surprise when he saw legendary filmmakers Ram Gopal Varma and Subhash Ghai outside Rahman’s house, the former sleeping on the stairs and the latter on the lawn swing. But the musician was not home. Sameer shared:
“When we reached his house, we saw that Ram Gopal Varma had fallen fast asleep on the stairs, and Subhash Ghai was passed out on the swing in the lawn. Asha Bhosle was singing inside, and Udit Narayan was just talking nonsense upstairs, but in all of this, Rahman was not there.”
As if that wasn’t surprising enough, Sameer revealed that he, director Rajkumar Santoshi, and producer Ramesh Taurani were asked to venture into a dense jungle at 3 am, where AR Rahman was preparing for a recording session amid the eerie silence of the night. Recalling what felt more like a horror film session than a recording meet, an amused Sameer shared:
“We were asked to drive to another location and follow a car. We stopped on the side of a highway, and a man, holding a lantern, asked us to follow him. It felt like we were going for a horror film’s session. The man walked before us holding a lantern, and we were driving behind him. It was a dense jungle. When we reached the destination, Rahman was sitting inside a cottage on his keyboard and wearing headphones.”
After this strange experience, Sameer finally got to meet AR Rahman, and the latter made them hear his tunes for the film. While the music was phenomenal, the lyricist vowed never to agree to a late-night recording session with the musician.
Abhijeet Bhattacharya recalls music legends waiting for hours at AR Rahman’s home studio
This is not the first time AR Rahman’s name has been mentioned for his unconventional studio choices. In an interview with ANI, singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya criticised Rahman’s studio etiquette, recalling a 1999 recording for Dil Hi Dil Mein.
Despite the success of Ae Nazneen Suno Na, Abhijeet claimed Rahman kept renowned musicians, including Padma Shri awardees, waiting for hours in his Chennai studio, calling the experience ‘unpleasant’ and ‘disrespectful’. The singer shared:
“Rahman saab ke andar kya hai ki… maine aise-aise Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri walo ko neeche bench pe baithe hue dekha hai… humare colleague, South ke writer-filmmaker… Rahman saab utar hi nahin rahe hain neeche do ghante, teen ghante… Maine apni ghadi dekha ki jaldi karo. Phir Rahman saab nahi utre… Main gaana gaa ke nikal gaya, uske assistant ne record kar liya.”
AR Rahman is gearing up for Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious project, Ramayana, where the musician will collaborate with fellow Oscar-winning composer, Hans Zimmer. The duo has already created waves with the recent teaser for the film.
What are your thoughts on AR Rahman’s late-night recording session in the middle of the jungle?
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