Roja (soundtrack)
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Roja is the soundtrack album to the 1992 Tamil film of the same name, directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Aravind Swamy and Madhoo. Released on Lahari Music, it was the debut work of music composer A. R. Rahman, featuring originally lyrics by Vairamuthu. Roja is considered a milestone in Tamil and Indian film music that heralded the start of a new era.[1] It was also listed in Time magazine's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time.[2]
Background
Mani Ratnam after his long relationship with Ilaiyaraaja, decided to drop him and introduce a newcomer. He happened to listen to some ad jingles, composed by Rahman, in an awards function, where Rahman received the award for Best Jingle Composer.[3][4] Impressed with Rahman's works, Ratnam visited his studio and listened to a tune that Rahman had composed long back on the Kaveri River water dispute (later revealed to be "Tamizha Tamizha" from the soundtrack).[5] Ratnam signed him immediately for his next project, Roja, which was the first one in his terrorism trilogy. Rahman, in spite of his reluctance to seriously take up work in films, accepted the offer since Ratnam had the reputation of a director with a good taste for music.[3] Rahman would later say: "I wasn't sure myself why I accepted Roja. I was offered Rs 25,000 for it, a sum that I could make in three days composing ad jingles. I think it was the prospect of working with Mani that enticed me".[3] In an August 2016 interview with Filmfare, Rahman recalled that he chose not to pursue education at Berklee College of Music because he got to work on Roja.[6]
Development
Rahman used instruments and grand arrangements to generate an expansive sound. Songs such as "Rukkumani" had a loud thumping feel and became ingrained in pop culture. The score was performed at the Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai. The song "Thamizha Thamizha" is a poem written by Subramanya Bharathi. "Chinna Chinna Aasai" was the first song Rahman had composed for the film.[7][8] For the lyrics of song, Vairamuthu revealed that the song took two and half hours to write and he wrote 120 desires in the song but later shortened it into 16 and also revealed that he used the lines of a song which was originally composed for Doordarshan.[9][7] The song "Kadhal Rojave" is set in the Kapi raga.[10]
Regarding the music Mani Ratnam says, "I was trying to do a film, I wanted good music and I was searching for somebody who would and I heard a demonstration tape of his which he had sent across. I thought that in the first note of the piece that he had sent me was really brilliant, really outstanding piece. So I went across to his studio and he played me some more, lots of things which he had done for jingles and a few other musical pieces he has done for somebody else. They were quite amazing and I had no doubts that he would be right for my film. How much he would grow, I was not looking at. I was looking at predominately my film at that point of time. He was ready to break a lot of conventions that were there in terms of music at that point of time, in terms of recording at that point in time. So I was very lucky to find someone who was willing to break away and do something different."[11] For the Hindi version of the soundtrack, Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu were offered to sing the songs, but both declined as they did not know about Rahman at that time.[12]
Release history
The soundtrack album was originally released in Tamil by Lahari Music in 1992. The soundtrack was later released in Malayalam in 1993 and in Hindi and Marathi in 1994 by Magnasound. The instrumental special version featuring five songs was released in Tamil and Telugu by Lahari Music in 1993 and in Hindi by Magnasound in 1994.
Reception and influence
Roja is regarded as a milestone that changed the face of Tamil film music and subsequently contemporary Indian music.[1][13] The soundtrack is considered to have reversed the trends that prevailed till then in the field of Tamil cinema.[14] Rahman is said to be the first to introduce orchestral melodies in Indian film soundtracks, which till then was based on a few traditional Indian instruments.[15] Time magazine's noted film critic, Richard Corliss stated in 2005 that the "astonishing debut work parades Rahman's gift for alchemizing outside influences until they are totally Tamil, totally Rahman," naming it one of the magazine's "10 Best Soundtracks" of all time.[2][16][17] Recalling the massive success of his first film, Rahman says, "I was lucky to set a sound in the first film. And I had the right people like Mani Ratnam guiding me to achieve it also and by the grace of god it set and the people know from the moment the song is heard that this is Rahman's."
Through Roja several singers got their breakthrough in the Tamil music scene as well. Sujatha Mohan, Unni Menon and Minmini, who is only known as the singer of "Chinna Chinna Aasai", probably her best known song in her entire career,[18] were noticed following their performances in Roja,[19] while noted ghazal singer Hariharan made his Tamil debut through this album.[20] Rahman even had musically untrained elderly women sing.[21]
Awards
A. R. Rahman won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction, the first time ever by a debutant.[22] Rahman also earned Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director and Filmfare Best Music Director Award (Tamil) for his work.[22] Vairamuthu won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics for "Chinna Chinna Aasai", while Minmini won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback for the same song.
Track listing
Tamil (Original soundtrack)
All lyrics are written by Vairamuthu; all music is composed by A. R. Rahman
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chinna Chinna Aasai" | Minmini & A. R. Rahman | 4:55 |
| 2. | "Rukkumani Rukkumani" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra & Chorus | 6:02 |
| 3. | "Kaadhal Rojave" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Sujatha Mohan | 5:03 |
| 4. | "Pudhu Vellai Mazhai" | Unni Menon & Sujatha Mohan | 5:16 |
| 5. | "Chinna Chinna Aasai (Bit)" | Minmini | 1:05 |
| 6. | "Thamizha Thamizha" | Hariharan | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Kaadhal Rojave (M)" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 5:03 |
Telugu
All lyrics are written by Rajashri; all music is composed by A. R. Rahman
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chinni Chinni Aasa" | Minmini & A. R. Rahman | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Nagamanee Nagamanee" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K.S Chithra & Chorus | 6:00 |
| 3. | "Naa Cheli Rojave" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Sujatha Mohan | 5:04 |
| 4. | "Paravum Vanagaa" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Sujatha Mohan | 5:18 |
| 5. | "Vinaraa Vinaraa" | Mano & Chorus | 3:07 |
| 6. | "Chinna Chinna Aasa (Bit)" | Minmini | 1:07 |
Malayalam
All lyrics are written by Mankombu Gopalakrishnan; all music is composed by A. R. Rahman
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oru Mandhasmitham" | Unni Menon & Sujatha Mohan | 5:18 |
| 2. | "Chella Chella Asha" | K. S. Chithra & A. R. Rahman | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Omal Poonkuyile" | Biju Narayanan & K. S. Chithra | 5:04 |
| 4. | "Thankamani Thankamani" | Unni Menon, Sujatha Mohan & Chorus | 6:02 |
| 5. | "Bharatham Ente" | G. Venugopal & Chorus | 3:05 |
| 6. | "Chella Chella Asha (Bit)" | K. S. Chithra | 1:07 |
Hindi
All lyrics are written by P. K. Mishra; all music is composed by A. R. Rahman
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chhoti Si Asha" | Minmini & A. R. Rahman | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Rukmani Rukmani" | Baba Sehgal, Shweta Shetty & Chorus | 6:05 |
| 3. | "Roja Jaaneman I" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Sujatha | 5:07 |
| 4. | "Yeh Haseen Waadiyaan" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & K. S. Chithra | 5:21 |
| 5. | "Roja Jaaneman II" | Hariharan & Sujatha | 5:07 |
| 6. | "Chhoti Si Asha (Bit)" | Minmini | 1:07 |
| 7. | "Bharat Hum Ko Jaan Se Pyaara Hain" | Hariharan & Chorus | 3:05 |
Marathi
All lyrics are written by Jagadish Khebudkar; all music is composed by A. R. Rahman
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bhole Mana Maajhe" | Uttara Kelkar & A. R. Rahman | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Rukmini Rukmini" | Sudesh Bhonsle, Shweta Shetty & Chorus | 6:02 |
| 3. | "Roja Priyatam" | Suresh Wadkar & Sujatha Mohan | 5:04 |
| 4. | "Dhund Warshaava" | Anupama Deshpande & Suresh Wadkar | 5:18 |
| 5. | "Bhole Mana Maajhe (Bit)" | Uttara Kelkar | 1:07 |
| 6. | "Bharat Maajha Praanavisaava" | Ravindra Sathe & Chorus | 3:05 |
Instrumental adaptation
An instrumental adaptation album was also released. The album was released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.
References
- ^ a b Saraswathy Nagarajan. "Of rhythm and soul". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 June 2006.
- ^ a b Corliss, Richard (12 February 2005). "Best Soundtracks - ALL TIME 100 MOVIES - TIME". Time. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b c N. Ravikumar. "Golden Grammy boy". The Tribune. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- ^ Mathai 2009, pp. 65–66.
- ^ Thiru. "Artist of the Month: AR Rahman". TFM Magazine.
- ^ http://www.filmfare.com/features/exclusive-interview-ar-rahman-talks-about-music-movies-and-family-14831.html
- ^ a b Mathai 2009, p. 71.
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Thirukkural-explained-life-centuries-ago-Kalam/articleshow/45057883.cms
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/musical-medley-with-trivia-on-songs/article195190.ece
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/notes-that-intrigue/article4174187.ece
- ^ "The Complete Biography of A.R.Rahman". Gopalhome.tripod. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ "Tracking Rahman". The Hindu. 17 October 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ A.R.Rahman Biography Jointscene
- ^ "The musical journey". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
- ^ Sarfraz Manzoor (2 April 2010). "A new level of recognition, legitimacy: Rahman". Chennai, India: The Hinduaccessdate=2010-4-10.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (2 June 2005). "That Old Feeling - Secrets of the All-Time 100 - TIME". Time. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ ""All-TIME" 100 Movies". Time. 12 February 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "It happened one day..." The Hindu. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
- ^ "We get our due in stage shows". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ "Life at 50". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 April 2005.
- ^ Jai Ho Rahman (Interview). CNN IBN. 2009.
- ^ a b "A.R.Rahman's Profile". SS Music.
Further reading
- Nagappan, Ramu (2005). "Momentary Pleasures of Reconcilliation". Speaking Havoc: Social Suffering & South Asian Narratives. Washington: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98488-9.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Mathai, Kamini (2009). A.R. Rahman: The Musical Storm. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-670-08371-8.
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