Subhash Ghai, director of Taal starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, reveals the communication issues between AR Rahman and Anand Bakshi on set; find out why
The 1999 musical romantic drama film Taal, directed by Subhash Ghai, has become a classic. The screenplay, performances, and dialogues were highly appreciated, but the soundtrack was equally lauded. Composer AR Rahman and lyricist Anand Bakshi worked together to create top-class music for the audience. Interestingly, they had difficulty communicating on set.
In an interview with Radio Nasha, Subhash Ghai shared how he had to act as a mediator between AR Rahman and Anand Bakshi due to their language barrier. When he introduced them, Bakshi didn’t know English and Rahman didn’t know Hindi. Despite trying to facilitate communication by placing a harmonium between them, they were unable to interact effectively. Eventually, they resolved their differences and collaborated creatively on the film.
The first song they worked on for Taal was ‘Kariye Na.’ Rahman composed the music, which Bakshi then translated into lyrics. Ghai mentioned that Rahman was paid minimum fees for his work on Taal. The iconic movie is set to be re-released in theaters on September 27.
Rahman also credited his involvement in Taal for opening up new opportunities for him, such as being part of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bollywood-themed musical Bombay Dreams. He mentioned that working with Ghai helped change perceptions about him and expand his career beyond the Tamil music industry. Ghai himself reached out to Rahman and invited him to Mumbai, leading to their successful collaboration on Taal.
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