Jai Ho – who else? but A R Rahman

from the film

Some part of music maestro called A R Rahman is known because of umpteen numbers of write-ups on him. But so little is known about Dilip Kumar turned Allah Rakhkha Rahman’s personal journey, which shaped his career in music. And that’s where Jai Ho, a newly released 32-minute documentary on you tube on Rahman scores a brownie point and stands different from other films/documentations on him.

Raja Sen’s script and Ankit Arora’s direction makes sure it does not include many heads who speak about the maestro’s art and personal life but only those perhaps closest to him for a long time and those (directors) with whom he gave his most popular songs.

A R RAHMAN AS A TODDLER

So, the people a viewer can count on fingers are his sister A R Riehana, herself a singer, a musician and music teacher in AR’s music academy called KM Music Conservatory, producer Bharatbala, producer director Mani Ratnam with whose Roja, A R introduced himself to the film world and bagged the National Award in the very first film; director-writer Imtiaz Khan with whose film Rockstar, Rahman proved to his critics that he is not merely a composer but master of all kinds of music making – from a light hip-hop to a spiritual sufi. It is followed by a couple of those who have sang for him like Kavita Krishnamoorthy.

MANI RATNAM WITH WHOSE ROJA, A R RAHMAN SHOT TO FAME AND BAGGED NATIONAL AWARD IN THE VERY FIRST  FILM

The docu-drama’s Hindi version limits itself to the best few in the film industry, hence the story binds like a head, middle and the tail. It begins with how he was introduced to the world of music and almost all types of musical instruments by his composer father Shekhar whose untimely death in 1980s, made him take the responsibility of his whole family but his mother decided he should play music than just be a silent spectator of music makers using his father’s musical instruments on rent to run the kitchen.

Living and using the instruments all by himself set the foundation of the genius’ future course of action --and his own choice of staying away from film music and hear every other kind of music, whether in temples, folk theatres, on-film programmes, some western non-film albums and so on. While the first part of the film eulogises world’s only Two Oscar and Two Grammy winner, it also tells the viewer why his music remains on top. Second part speaks with the people associated with him and the third part talks about his academy which is making living music marvels “who would be musical leaders and not struggle like (his) father.”

A R RAHMAN'S SISTER A R RAHIEMA

From how he works the whole night, records with just a candle on in his mystical atmosphere in his studio, to make which he had to borrow money in his teens, to this time when he gives back to the society by both money and music.

A worth-watch Jai Ho is an informatory piece of art. Though, it repeats several pictures that annoys and interferes in the smooth narrative, but it is too small a fault to blissfully ignore.

A STILL FROM THE DOCU-DRAMA JAI HO