[arr] �It�s a humbling experience

[Gopal Srinivasan]

‘It’s a humbling experience

... says Academy Award winner AR Rahman, hours after winning two Oscars for 
India

VINITA CHATURVEDI 



    THE world is giving him a standing ovation, and rightfully so, even though 
the Oscars
ceremony is over and done with. But music composer AR Rahman takes the 
adulation so
nonchalantly that it surprises you. The man who bagged two Oscars for the Best 
Original Score
for Slumdog Millionaire and its foot-tapping song Jai Ho! speaks to BT after 
catching barely
two hours’ sleep after the Academy Awards. 
    India got three Oscars on one day when the country had been waiting for an 
Oscar ever since
Bhanu Athaiya and Satyajit Ray got Academy Awards for India decades ago. It 
seems Bollywood
magic is finally sweeping the world in a big way. Ask him about this and the 
musical wizard
says, “Slumdog Millionaire may have served as a catalyst for Bollywood’s 
recognition, but
Indian music has always inspired people all over the world. It has an inherent 
magical quality,
which has a wide appeal. However, to get appreciation from one’s peers is 
always a humbling
experience.” 
    The world watched in awe as Rahman dedicated his Oscar to god and his 
mother. Millions of
people across the world who were watching the Oscars were bowled over when 
Rahman said in true
Bollywood ishtyle, “Mere paas maa hai!” How did his mother react when he went 
to her after
receiving the Oscars? “She blessed me and was overwhelmed. I thank god and my 
mom, whose
blessings have always been with me,” he says with his inimitable simplicity. 
    This 
    is 
    the first 
    time a typical 
    Bollywood number 
    was presented at the 
    Oscars. Is there any 
    chance of this becoming a permanent feature? “There’s no dearth of talent 
in Bollywood. I’m
sure there will be many more such performances from now on. The USP of Indian 
music is its
allencompassing nature and the entire world is its canvas now,” answers the 
maestro. 
    This latest barrage of Oscars has put India on the world creativity map. 
But Rahman fans
have already started fretting about whether the illustrious musician will shift 
base to
Hollywood permanently. Try telling him this and Rahman quickly reacts, “India 
is where my roots
lie and there’s no question of bidding adieu to my motherland!”