Music composer AR Rahman has delivered numerous hits in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, English, and other languages since the 1990s. In an interview with The Week, he says that he’s not only prioritising projects that ‘bring him joy’.

AR Rahman on shifting his focus

Rahman told the publication that he ‘no longer feels the need to prove himself’ and that he’s selecting big-budget films and non-film projects that ‘satisfy his creative instincts.’ He said, “I won the Oscars (Jai Ho, Slumdog Millionaire) a long time ago, but now, who cares? I am doing work that is close to me and will inspire future generations.” The music composer who once had the drive to set himself apart seems to have slowed down.

Rahman also revealed the two things that always seem to annoy him now. He said, “With age, my tolerance has actually gone down. Two things annoy me: a selfie request with a timer and directors who lead me astray. They will add crazy lyrics, and I ask myself: ‘Would I want to perform this on stage?’ If the answer is no, I turn it down.”

Despite admittedly slowing down, the music composer made music for Ayalaan, Lal Salaam, Raayan in Tamil, Aadujeevitham in Malayalam and Maidaan, Amar Singh Chamkeela in Hindi this year.

Upcoming work

Rahman has numerous Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films lined up. After the 2010 film Komaram Puli, he’s returning to Telugu with Buchi Babu Sana’s film with Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor. In Tamil, he’s composing for Thug Life, Genie, Kadhalikka Neramillai, Moon Walk, and Suriya’s next film with RJ Balaji.

In Hindi, he has Chhaava, Lahore 1947, Tere Ishk Mein, Ramayana and Kamal Aur Meena. He is also composing for Vijay Sethupathi, Aditi Rao Hydari’s silent film, Gandhi Talks, apart from Shekhar Kapur’s Ebony McQueen.

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