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A. R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music is a biographical book by the author and television documentary producer Nasreen Munni Kabir, containing her extensive conversations with the composer A. R. Rahman on the latter's life and career. It describes his birth in Madras (present-day Chennai) in 1967, his 29-year-long musical career, and his marriage in 1995 to Saira Banu, with whom he has three children. The book was published by Om Books International on 29 March 2011 and declared as a commercial success.
The Spirit of Music was the second work on Rahman, following the unauthorised biography A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm (2009) from Kamini Mathai. Kabir's first discussion with him about the book happened in 2003, while their conversations started in 2007 and ended four years later. Critical reviews to the book were mixed, some of which panned the author for providing less detail information about his Tamil songs. However, its question-and-answer format was generally praised.
Summary
The book contains A. R. Rahman's extensive conversations with the author Nasreen Munni Kabir. It begins with his birth in Madras (present-day Chennai) in 1967. The book chronicles his cinematic debut, composing songs for Roja (1992), which became the first of his many collaborations with the filmmaker Mani Ratnam, and his 29-year-long career in music. It also includes his conversion from Hinduism to Islam, his marriage to Saira Banu in 1995 and the birth of their three children. The book ends with his discography, his list of accolades, and notes for the 1995 film BombayTemplate:'s theme song and RojaTemplate:'s "Cry of the Rose".
Writing and release
Nasreen Munni Kabir, who had written several books on Indian cinema throughout her career, often used the question-and-answer style for her works and A. R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music is one of which. In an later interviews, she stated that she found the style to be the best way to keep the book's readers "connected to the subject",Template:Sfn that she liked primary research and "people speaking in their own words, from their own experience" but it did not mean that narrative biographies weren't needed, rather that it was a good format due to Rahman's busy schedule.Template:Sfn Kabir had first met Rahman while interviewing him at his studio in Chennai for BBC's Channel 4 in 1999.Template:Sfn However, their earliest discussion on the idea of the book began in 2003, which was later met with approval from Rahman.Template:Sfn
The conversations started in 2007,Template:Sfn:6 but Rahman states that the "actual work" began the next year. According to him, a lot of the facts in the book were already disclosed by him in other media interviews but includes some new aspects and he states that what "[Kabir] wanted to do was to have a completeness in the whole thing, and that’s what is special about [her] and what makes [the book] work."Template:Sfn Kabir recounted that the process was slow, attributing it to his busy schedule.Template:Sfn When Rahman was not on his mood for talking, they would take a walk while Kabir asked him her questions. Describing him as spiritual, Kabir likened working with him to being on an adventure and noted how free-spirited he was.Template:Sfn She also felt Rahman was more confident when she interviewed him for the book, believing that his older age and the success of his works have influenced him.Template:Sfn The conversations ended in 2011.Template:Sfn:6
The Spirit of Music was published on hardcover on 29 March 2011;Template:Sfn a CD containing Rahman's eight unreleased songs is also included in the edition.Template:Sfn The book's launch event was held in Juhu, Mumbai on 6 April.Template:Sfn The book was the second work on Rahman, after Kamini Mathai's A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm (2009), but was the first one authorised by Rahman himself; he explained that he had not read Mathai's book so he had not authorised it either.Template:Sfn Ajay Mago from Om Books International, who released The Spirit of Music, told Bollywood Hungama that it was an honour for him to publish the book.Template:Sfn Emerging as a commercial success, The Spirit of Music debuted at and peaked the fifth position in The HinduTemplate:'s non-fiction bestsellers on 19 April.Template:Sfn Its Amazon Kindle version was released on 7 July 2017,Template:Sfn followed by the paperback edition twelve days later.Template:Sfn
Critical reception
Critics had given varied views on the book. Charmy Harikrishnan of The Indian Express was critical of Kabir's research on Rahman's Tamil films, dismissing it as "meagre and unsatisfactory", and added that "the way in which the Q and A has been arranged does little to give the book a structure or the narrative any kind of coherence".Template:Sfn A reviewer at Bollywood Hungama suggested Kabir to divide the book in several chapters and stated "there is a distinct sense of incompleteness that one gets mid-way into reading it",Template:Sfn while the magazine India TodayTemplate:'s Kaveree Bamzai called it "a remarkable insight into a magical mind". Bamzai added that "Rahman is an anomaly. Sometimes the more he's written about, the less he seems revealed. Kabir's patient listening pays off. Rahman seems at ease here, talking as openly about his faith as he does about his wife."Template:Sfn
Writing for the Emirati newspaper Gulf News, Mythily Ramachandran found the book "easy-to-read" and concise. She said it "does whet your appetite interspersed with pictures from Rahman's albums, hitherto unseen", concluding her review by praising Kabir for doing a job well done.Template:Sfn The editor Jitesh Pillai of the Filmfare magazine asserted, "Trying to capture his thoughts and songscapes cannot be an easy task and Nasreen Munni Kabir ... does manage an enthusiastic job. It's in interview format and we get to know the maestro up close and personal and there are anecdotes there, priceless ones that intrigue, overwhelm and stay with you."Template:Sfn Kala Krishnan Ramesh from Indiaplaza recommended it for those who are fans of Rahman, complimenting Kabir's thorough and perceptive questioning style.Template:Sfn The Hindustan Times described it as "a close, fascinating insight" on him.Template:Sfn
Publication history
| Region | Release date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| India | 29 March 2011 | HardcoverTemplate:Sfn |
| 7 July 2017 | Amazon KindleTemplate:Sfn | |
| 19 July 2017 | PaperbackTemplate:Sfn |
References
Sources
- A. R. Rahman's first authorized biography to release on April 6. Bollywood Hungama(22 March 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Item nation. India Today(2 May 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Bestsellers. The Hindu(19 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Book review: A. R. Rahman – The Spirit of Music. Bollywood Hungama(11 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Jai ho!. Hindustan Times(6 May 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Rahman recorded. The Indian Express(16 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- A minute with: A.R. Rahman on 'The Spirit of Music', Jamkhandikar, Shilpa. Reuters(9 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Sheet music, soul notes. Mint(1 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- A. R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music{{#if:Kabir|, Kabir}. Om Books International(29 March 2011). ISBN 978-93-80070-14-8
- A. R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music{{#if:Kabir|, Kabir}. Om Books International(7 July 2017)
- A. R. Rahman: The Spirit of Music{{#if:Kabir|, Kabir}. Om Books International(19 July 2017). ISBN 978-93-52761-16-6
- Noteworthy encounters. The Hindu(29 April 2011). Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- Rahman's biography launched, N., Patcy(7 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- 'Working with Rahman is an adventure', N., Patcy(19 April 2011). Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- Revealing Rahman. Filmfare(6 January 2016). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- A lot's in a book. The Hindu(3 April 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- The world dances to his tunes. Gulf News(6 May 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- Print pick. The Hindu(25 July 2011). Retrieved 18 August 2021.