Oscar award winning music composer A R Rahman has turned writer-producer with the film 99 Songs.Presented by Jio Studios, the film is produced by Rahman’s production company YM Movies and co-produced by Ideal Entertainment.
The movie is all set to be released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on 16th April. Ahead of this, Rahman shares his experience about 99 Songs and much more.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of 99 Songs?
A: The starting point of 99 Songs was a one liner, like a fairy tale. What if a guy has to write 100 songs to win a girl. It is not that simple and writing even one song is not that easy. I conceived this idea in 2010 following which I developed it. I was studying many things, taking workshops, finding the director and the right cast. Now the movie is complete. It is like going to a university, learning something and coming out with a movie.
Q: Was it easier to write and make the movie as it was based on music?
A: I think since it had music in it, it was much more difficult. It is difficult to make people sit through a movie. There were days when people used to sit and watch movies with music. There was also a time when music was made to make people sit. In 99 Songs, it is a cross between both. There are so many distractions, some people text and tweet between movies. Today’s movie watching experience is even more complex. In this film the screenplay kind of moves fast and that will keep the audience engaged.
Q: Were there any specific challenges while developing the story?
A: The question of is it good enough makes you work harder and harder. These questions sometimes have to stop when you break yourself. When you work as a team, you have to be clear on what is needed and also have the ability to adapt. As a first timer we would want to put everything in the story. But later I had to filter it to ensure that the story only had what was needed.
Q: Why did you choose Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy as the director?
A: He was recommended by a friend from MTV Chandru. He has done good advertisements, music albums and is very experienced. We had a good vibe between us. He himself is an musician and actor. He has a different combination of skill sets which I really liked. He has really got the job done.
Q: Why Ehan Bhat was chosen?
A: The script demanded new faces, we felt like that the persons needed to learn piano, music. This is time consuming and is not possible with an established actor. Having somebody new would make our vision will come alive. This is why he had to choose a new actor and Ehan fit the bill perfectly. We auditioned like almost 700 to 800 people for the role. I liked his energy.
Q: It is said that 99 Songs is based on your life…
A: This story actually is not from my life. My life is exactly the opposite. My mom chose music for me. I had to live by her dreams. However the story of 99 Songs is different, but there are experiences from my life that are put in the story.
Q: Can we see Rahman – the actor or director soon?
A: I have acted as myself in a few movies. I do not see myself as an actor, as it requires a different skill set. You have to let go of our inhibitions. It’s a huge effort and I am too old for that. Becoming a director is not a easy job and is time consuming. It is easier to write a story and carry out production with a team. I have already directed a movie called Le Musk. It just took minimum time. Le Musk is a sensory project. It has scent in the screen, it has audio, 3D visuals, We need to install chairs from Positrons. It is one of the most fascinating things that I have done.