AR Rahman on India’s show at Cannes: Young people more intelligent, know what stories to tell

Delhi, New Delhi Composer A R Rahman believes that genius should not be geographically limited and that young Indian artists like as Cannes winner Payal Kapadia, who are savvy to the times, are essential in bringing Indian stories to a global audience.

Film & Television Institute of India alumni Kapadia is the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival with his film “All We Imagine as Light”. After 30 years, the Malayalam-Hindi feature, an India-French production, became the first film directed by an Indian to be selected for the European gala’s main competition.
Beautiful stories from India should be recognized internationally, according to Rahman, a multi-award winning musician who has won double Oscars and Grammys in addition to a Golden Globe. Rahman has received praise from both domestic and foreign audiences.

“The youth now have a different attitude. They possess greater intelligence. They know what kinds of stories to tell and where to shift things. It’s beneficial as long as we tell lovely tales about India rather than just ones about poverty.The art of film is not limited to one country; it is universal. Some people are not content with the statement, “Oh we got a great audience here, box office is good here.” It’s vital to discover some things. Thus, they pursue Payal Kapadia as one,” the composer said.

Rahman was also there at Cannes last month to introduce the Rohit Gupta-directed film “Headhunting to Beat Boxing,” which is set in Nagaland, at the festival’s marketplace.

Major prizes were awarded at Cannes by “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know,” written by FTII student Chidananda S. Naik, and Anasuya Sengupta, who starred in “The Shameless.” Sengupta made history as the first Indian to win the best actress award for Un Certain Regard, and Naik’s “Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know…” took home the festival’s La Cinef first prize.
Rahman recalled the period when he won two Academy Awards for the British film “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2009, citing many who believed he should have been recognized for his roles in the 1992 film “Roja” and the 1993 film “Lagaan”.

“We want our narratives to be acknowledged, heard, and represented. One must adhere to a system. Even after I earned all the Oscars and recognition for “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Lagaan” and “Roja” ought to have taken home the prizes. “I told them, ‘First of all, I didn’t even enter, I didn’t even enter all the stuff in any of the systems,'” remarked the composer, who was also awarded an Oscar for the original score of “Slumdog Millionaire” and best original song for “Jai Ho.”

With three Grammys in February, Zakir Hussain emerged as India’s biggest winner; flautist Rakesh Chaurasia took home two. Hussain’s fellow members of the fusion ensemble Shakti, singer Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram, each took home a Grammy.

Rahman concluded by citing the multiple Grammy winners Hussain and Ricky Kej as evidence that, overall, the Indian arts sector has had a remarkable decade.

“Just half of the populace is aware. “This deserves to win the Grammy,” I believe. That isn’t how it is. Every process has a method. Therefore, I believe that even in this instance—including Payal Kapadia’s film—it was a partnership,” he continued.

A musical documentary called “Headhunting to Beat Boxing” tells the tale of a tribe in a state in the Northeastern United States that was “engulfed in the depths of violence and bloodshed, resurrects itself through the healing power of music and emerges through a musical renaissance”.

Rahman said he joined the project as a producer five years ago after falling in love with Nagaland while visiting the state’s yearly Hornbill Festival. Rahman has supported the movie through his ARR Immersive Entertainment banner.

“I enjoy listening to music, so there was a connection between the culture and me. Additionally, we dispatched our teachers to Nagaland to teach strings and other subjects, and we adopted an orphanage.”

Rahman approached Gupta about a possible production on Nagaland because they had collaborated on the 2016 miniseries “The Creative Indians.”

The artist claimed that after Gupta spent five years filming the movie, they worked on the editing and have a cut ready.

The multihyphenate figure, whose directorial debut film “Le Musk” had its world premiere at Cannes Film Market’s Cannes XR program in 2022, was asked how he chose the subjects he wants to produce. He said that it’s a little “complex”.

“Being a filmmaker is like swimming in the ocean. So many people have contributed to our amazing accomplishments. What interested me was what others had not done. I directed ‘Le Musk’ for that reason. Why are humans unable to use 3D? What is stopping them from experiencing anything different from what they are all going through? Can we perform theater?

“Filling the void and gathering the strength and resources to carry it out are the constant concerns. That’s the main purpose of everything. Even our merchandise explores the idea that art should be shared with people in order for them to witness it and be enriched by it. I need to make time for shows and music, so I follow a very selective path,” he remarked.

Rahman’s next cinematic endeavors are “Lahore 1947” and “Raayan”.