He stormed the film industry in 1992, with ‘Roja’ that had audiences across the country mesmerised and which fetched him the national award for best music director. About three decades later, the Mozart of Madras is once again set to make his debut – this time as writer, producer and director, with two ventures getting ready to hit the silver screen.
AR Rahman’s evolution from composer to filmmaker has been a natural one spurred on by his experience in working on musicals such as ‘Bombay Dreams and ‘Lord Of The Rings’. “When I worked on them, I realised that I am not just a musical storyteller. The world around me and the narratives were changing and I thought why can’t stories be told differently,” says Rahman, adding that he wants movies to bring back nuances that have been lost in the era of globalisation.
It’s apt that the musician, who is known to embrace cutting edge technology to enhance his work, will make his directorial debut with ‘Le Musk’, an episodic, immersive, virtual reality film. A murder mystery that revolves around a girl who tracks down the people who murdered her family through different scents, the story is penned by Rahman, who has also scored the music.
“We consume so much entertainment in India but who are the real pioneers in the field? Why are we always following?” asks Rahman, for whom the film is a leadership project.
“It is more than just VR, it is multiple things coming together as one – sight, sound, smell and even motion as viewers sit on a robotic chair – to offer viewers a whole new cinematic sensory experience,” he says.The prelude to ‘Le Musk’, was premiered at NAB, Las Vegas, in 2017. ‘Scent Of A Song’, a musical experience from the film was presented this year at Cannes XR. The film is slated to release early next year.
But Rahman will make his debut as writer-producer even earlier, with the release of YM Movies ‘99 Songs’. “It is a modern fairy tale, which has got many layers, lessons, and experiences I have learned from looking at my life,” says Rahman, who has penned the story and scored the music for the film, scheduled to release in cinemas worldwide in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. “Jio Studios is working hard to find the right release timing for the movie as it’s a trilingual.”
Co-produced by Rahman’s YM Movies and Ideal Entertainment, Canada, it is directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, who has also written the screenplay. The film is about a composer who has to compose a hundred songs to win his lady love. “Music is something everyone loves and I wanted to make a musical movie with modern sensibilities,” says Rahman.