Dhwanii - Issue 2

Main Feature

- Shyam

Shyam writes in about the AR Rahman Unity of Light concert that rocked Chennai on February 21st together with some unique photos - where AR Rahman poses for Dhwanii (inset) during the rehearsal the day before. There is also an article by Dr. Pradeep Immanuel about the good cause for which the concert was held for (inset)

View Photos here

They didn’t call him the Asian Mozart from Chennai without reason. Now they can call him the Showman of Asia. To put things simply, A.R.Rahman rocks!! The Unity of Light World Tour 2003 stopped over at Chennai to administer to the music crazed Chennaites the most spectacular time of their lives.

Never ever before has Chennai been a witness to a concert of such grandiose proportions. The stage -110 feet wide. Lights- specially imported from UK. Over 50 musicians. 10 backing vocalists. All the leading playback singers. 600,000 watts of mind-blowing music. Dancers from Mumbai. 40,000 Rahmaniacs. And of course, The Man himself! You really couldn’t have asked for more in one evening.

The show was not without its share of controversies. Initially slated to be held at the golf course at the Madras Race Course, the concert ran into rough grounds when the members of the Madras Gymkhana, which maintained the golf course, blocked the organizers from staging the show there. Little thought was spared for the magnanimous nature of the concert. The show was organized by The Mahesh Memorial Trust in aid of “LIVE BEYOND CANCER”, a charity to support patients (especially children) suffering from cancer. Fortunately the insensitivity of the club members failed to deter the spirit behind the cause. The show had to take place. Help came in the form of India Pistons Limited, which volunteered its CPT - IP cricket grounds for the show.

The concert venue, on Feb 21st, was swarming with people as early as 3.00 PM. There was much expectation

for Rahman’s first concert in Chennai. After all, he had etched Chennai onto the world music map with his first musical, Bombay Dreams, for the legendary Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Fans experienced difficulties in getting into the ground, especially the
Rs.1000 ticket area. The organizers could have taken more care to ensure smooth entry and seating allocation. But in the end it didn’t matter. Once the show was on the roll, the hardships were long forgotten. Such was the power of Rahman’s music that night.

Like most of his previous shows this one too started off with Oruvan Oruvan, from the Rajinikanth starrer Muthu. Only that this time, no one recognized the song till the harmony section went “oruvan oruvan”. The song started off with an amazing section on the strings (10 violins, 10 violas, cellos and one double bass), replacing the original intro on the strings and the brass sections. Then came the trademark SPB voice. This was enough to send the crowd into raptures. SPB proved that he is still good enough to sing for any hero of the current generation. He was at his innovative best when he later came on to sing Kadhal Rojave, from the movie Roja. He was easily the best singer on display.

Another singer who stood out was Shankar Mahadevan. His vocal range is mind blowing. He was especially good when he sang “Uppu karuvadu” (Mudhalvan) and Dippu Dippu (Baba), effortlessly moving into the higher octaves. Sukhwinder Singh is a real crowd puller. He got the crowd going into dance mode when he sang Ramta Jogi (Taal) and the smash hit Chaiyaa Chaiyaa (Dil Se). Mano was adequate on Veerapandi Kottaiyile (Thiruda Thiruda) and Muqqaala (Kadhalan).

Also on show was the star of the current crop of new generation singers, Karthik. He, along with Sreenivas, is currently one of Rahman's favourites. He gave a good account of himself when he sang Maya Maya (Baba), Radha Kaise Na Jale (Lagaan) and even supplemented the harmony sections well. Unnikrishnan came on to do an unplugged version of Ennavale (Kadhalan).

But the show stealer was rapper Blaaze (pronounced blaa-zay). This talented rapper stole the show with his innovative style and stage presence. It is not always that someone else is credited with stealing the thunder when the great Sivamani is around. But this was one such rare occasion. Blaaze’s rap on Endrendrum Punnagai (Alaipayuthey) was Chennai centric and it got the crowd going. Then came the Baba rap! The bombs went off on stage and amongst the crowd! Blaze took the crowd on a high-energy ride. He was on overdrive whenever he came on stage, and his infectious enthusiasm spread through the crowd like wildfire. A great performer, he is certainly someone to look out for in future, given Rahman’s verdict on Blaaze as one of the most talented performers around.

Among the female vocalists, Sadhna Sargam dazzled with a brilliant performance. Her Tamil pronunciation is pretty good, considering her Hindi background. Snehidane (Alaipayuthey), Swasame (Tenali), and Radha Kaise Na Jale (Lagaan) left the crowd craving for more.

Anupama bewitched with her performance of Chandralekha (Thiruda Thiruda). Her voice

modulation is simply outstanding. This was one song that did full justice to the 600,000-watt output. That Rahman was able to get the “punch” in an open ground is a tribute to his genius.

Chitra was adequate. Janaki struggled through Maargali Thingal (Sangamam) and Nenjinile (Uiyre). Vasundara Das was good except for a couple of times when she totally missed the timing on Hey Hey Enna Aachu (Kadhal Virus) and Shakalaka Baby (Bombay Dreams). Sujatha’s performance was far from satisfactory. She laboured through Netru Illadha Matram (Pudiya Mugham). Swarnalatha came on to sing a very slow version of Poorale Ponnuthaiyee (Karuthamma) and gave a good account of herself.

There was also this touching rendering of Chinna Chinna Aasai (Roja) by Minmini. Touching, because it reminded everyone of August 15th 1992, when Rahman’s first movie Roja was released. One could not help but feel sorry for this wonderful singer whose career almost ended prematurely due to a problem with her vocal chords (which was operated upon recently). She is a pale shadow of the Minmini that we are used to. This version of the song started off brilliantly with the bass and acoustic guitar with the drums joining in. It proved to be a very innovative change from the flute opening in the original number.

Rahman is known for the high calibre of musicians he enlists. Each one of them emblazoned the show that night. The standout performers were Naveen (flute), Rashid Ali (acoustic guitar), Sivamani (drums), Keith Peters (bass guitar), Christy (electric guitar), M.Kalyan (solo violin), Thomas (brass), Srinivasa Murthy (Conductor).

Naveen is easily one of the best flautists in India. He can never play a wrong note. The improvisations he conjures are simply mind blowing. No wonder that Rahman has been working with him since his jingle days!! Rashid Ali did a jam on Ooh La La La, with Rahman on the keyboards, Sivamani (playing an obscure instrument...something like a metal plate hanging from his neck) and the amazing Blaaze. Starting off with some brilliant vocals by Rashid Ali (backed up with some great chord progressions on the guitar) the four went on to enthral the spellbound audience with totally extempore jamming.

Rahman himself sang the popular Bombay Dreams number, the Wedding Qawaali, along with Sukhwinder Singh. Then came Dil Se Re (Dil Se). He was brilliant in patches. Having seen the way he was practicing the night before the show, one can’t help but admire the man's energy and enthusiasm. Rahman and his troupe were practicing till 5.00 AM on Feb 21st. Incidentally he usually gets back to his studio to record after the practice sessions!! That is real commitment for you.

The show picked up tempo during the latter parts, what with chart busters like Dil Se Re, Shakalaka Baby, Chaiyaa Chaiyaa and Uppu Karuvadu following in succession. As expected the finale saw Rahman singing the unofficial national anthem Vande Mataram, followed by the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, with all the performers on stage.

Suhasini was substandard in her compering, much to the disgust of the audience. Vaali and Rahman himself provided the lighter moments. Vaali was called on to pay tribute to the “Isai Puyal”. He started off, singing praise of Rahman in the form of a poem. When this didn’t end for almost 3 minutes, a much embarrassed Rahman walked up to Vaali and said in Tamil, “Neenge enne pathi pesinadhu podhum” (what you have spoken about me is enough). This got the crowd rolling in laughter. And in an act set to dismiss media speculation about a rift between Vairamuthu and Rahman, the famed lyricist came up on stage to recount his experiences with Rahman.

A lot of credit for the show’s success should go to the stage designers who did a commendable job, the light men, and of course the sound engineers, H.Sridhar, Sivakumar and Adithya Modi and the rest of the sound team.

Rahmaniacs were treated to a wonderful display of fireworks at the end of the concert. The crowd watched in awe-inspired unity as the fire works lit up the sky and brought the show to a close. As promised, Rahman had provided some unforgettable memories to the deserving Chennai audience.

View Photos here