Colleagues in the industry describe Rahman as a legend and insist they can't think of a music director more deserving of the Oscars
Colleagues in the industry describe Rahman as a legend and insist they can't think of a music director more deserving of the Oscars"A man of Rahman's calibre had to make his presence felt in the global arena. He had to go beyond the matrix of Bollywood and South Indian cinema. He delivered when the opportunity presented itself. The world will take Indian film music more seriously now. Rahman should now focus on typical Indian music like classical and other forms. He should increase his use of Indian musical instruments like sitar, sarangi, sarod and flute.
Fayaz Khan, sarangi player"It is a matter of pride for every Indian that Rahman has bagged the Oscar awards. Getting two coveted statuettes at a time is great. However, I didn't like the movie for various reasons. It highlights only the negative aspects (of life in India) in order to appeal to a selective audience. And as far as the music is concerned, I can only say that it's good and I just don't want to comment more on it as I think it's not the right time to do so. Rahman should have got the award a long time ago. The music of Lagaan was much better than Slumdog, but Lagaan was not nominated."
Gurukiran, music director "It is an event to remember for every Indian. A R Rahman and the Slumdog Millionaire team have set a new benchmark. Rahman is a living legend. I do think that Rahman's early body of work was even better than his score for Slumdog Millionaire. But the music of the film was undoubtedly the best among other nominations. Re-recording, sound mixing and other technical aspects were unmatchable. A few months ago, H Sridhar, one of the greatest sound engineers this country has ever seen, passed away. His death had created a void in A R Rahman's team and when we thought no one could fill the vacuum, Resul Pookutty stepped in. Resul is the only person who can match Sridhar's calibre and stature."
Emil, music director"It means so much for all of us, and for Indian music. Rahman has taken our music to a different level altogether. Rahman definitely deserves the awards and the applause. He has delivered more than what the subject of Slumdog demanded. You can't expect the music like that of Bombay, Lagaan and Rang De Basanti in a movie like Slumdog. He's a perfectionist. He clearly knows what he's doing and nobody can point fingers at his work. Jai Ho! Hats off Rahman."u00a0u00a0
Harikrishna, music directorI am very happy that the scriptwriter and cameraman have won the awards. Danny Boyle's earlier film, Train Spotting, was really great. In comparison, there is nothing exciting about Slumdog Millionaire. The script and the camera work are the highpoints of the film.
B Suresh, director"The Indian film industry has something to cheer about, and it brings the world's attention to our films, even if Slumdog Millionaire is technically not an Indian film. This is the first time ever that three Indians have received the most prestigious award in the world of cinema. It's indeed a great achievement. It's great that Resul Pookutty got the award for sound mixing. The role of the technicians and their contributions to the success of a film usually goes unrecognised in our industry. This award will definitely boost the spirits of the technicians. As far as the film is concerned, I have my reservations. There is a lot of energy in the movie and the cast too has done a brilliant job. But the construction of the movie was not all that good and there were too many unwanted twists and turns in it. Anyway, this is not the time do a critical analysis of the film. It's time for everyone to celebrate."
Girish Kasaravalli, director
