AR Rahman: 'I listen to iTunes, Spotify, or see reels, and discover an artist'

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman expressed his enthusiasm for exploring global music, emphasising that music holds the power to shape society and that people today are "craving for good music and poetry".

"The world, unlike before when it was culturally protected, is much more open now. For example, we can play Indian notes on Turkish instruments, and people enjoy different sounds," he said.

Recently, the 58-year-old composer used social media to connect with a Turkish string musician, a dhol player from Pune, and a classical vocalist from Lucknow.

"I listen to all kinds of music. Sometimes I listen to the radio, on iTunes, Spotify, or on reels, and discover an artist. I DM them, and they reply. It's nice — the world is shrinking," he said.

Rahman added that he always feels excited when he comes across a remake of one of his songs.

"I'm the people. I'm first a listener. I always see what excites me, and what will excite people. As long as people don't ignore me, I'm fine with it (people recreating my songs)," he remarked.

The versatile musician, who has been in the industry for over three decades, said there's a yearning for quality music and is thrilled to see film music being appreciated.

"Music is always a good thing, and it influences society. When bad music comes, people become bad. Good lyrics and good tunes inspire society. We live in chaos, and the chaos should not be augmented by music; it should be the opposite — it should be the antidote to the things that are happening.

"People are craving for good music and poetry to come back," he added.

Rahman is currently looking forward to the release of the upcoming Hindi movie, "Ufff Yeh Siyappa" — for which he has composed the music.

Set to be a dialogue-free film, it features Sohum Shah, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Nora Fatehi. It is written and directed by South filmmaker G Ashok of "Durgamati" fame.

Rahman said he found doing a silent film quite challenging but is curious to see how his music drives the narrative.

"Most of the movies have so many dialogues, the music gets submerged. It's a challenge to do a silent movie where music drives the narrative. The screenplay was funny, and it was exciting to score for this film," Rahman said.

"Ufff Yeh Siyapaa", produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, is slated for a theatrical release on September 5. It will feature a range of music including Indian, orchestral and even jazz.