Oscar-winning maestro AR Rahman, who has drawn widespread flak and criticism for his Commonwealth Games (CWG) theme song, has declined to rework it citing a busy schedule.

The song, Oh Yaaro, Ye India Bula Liya, received an underwhelming response, and the blogosphere has been critical of its quality.

Rahman, who flew to Los Angeles, informed the CWG organising committee about his refusal to recompose the song. “There is no change as far as this song is concerned,” Priya Paul Singh, additional director-general (communications), CWG, told DNA.

Rahman was paid over Rs5 crore for the work.

The song has been panned by all and sundry. “I really didn’t like it. Especially after Waka Waka, one would expect the bestest ever from our very own musician,” wrote a disappointed fan. “AR Rahman is overrated. Most of his music is the same,” ranted another.

Some comments were uncharitable. “The lyrics lack punch. Rahman has churned out a rather mediocre score, a far cry from the Bollywood stuff he is used to creating,” wrote a fan.

The CWG organisers insist the 4.16-minute song is just a part of the hour-long opening ceremony. To ensure that the opening ceremony is not reduced to a flop, the organisers are looking at bringing in a Bollywood component.

“There might also be a performance by Shah Rukh Khan or some other celebrity,” Priya Paul Singh said.

She said no names have been finalised yet and the CWG culture committee, comprising Javed Akhtar and Shyam Benegal, among others, is still making the final plan.

The CWG is not having any better luck with another song that was meant as an introductory piece in an 11-minute classical dance sequence to be performed by over 400 dancers on the opening day.

The dance, which will now begin with Vedic chants, takes the audience through six seasons using six different Indian traditions - Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri and Mohiniattam.

Says Shashwati Sen, in-charge of the kathak choreography under Pandit Birju Maharaj:“The old song was changed around 10 days ago since all the six singers disliked it. It did not look like a traditional classical song,” Sen told DNA.

All six dancers gave their inputs and composed a song in coordination with Birju Maharaj. The song will be out in three to four days.

Indian-born Rahman will tour the country in November, kicking off The Jai Ho - Journey Home World Tour in Johannesburg.

He will be the first international artist to perform at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The international composer, dubbed the "Mozart of Madras" by TIME magazine, redefined contemporary Indian music and received international acclaim for his work on the score of the multi-award-winning Oscar filmSlumdog Millionaire, which featured the immensely popular song Jai Ho .

He also collaborated with popular female pop group Pussycat Dolls on the English version of Jai Ho.

Speaking to the Sunday Times Extra, Rahman said: "I am very fortunate to be coming to South Africa and to perform. I just love spreading the music, and this year is 150 years since Indians arrived in the country."

For his work onSlumdog Millionaire, he received two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, two Grammys and a Bafta award.

He said he had again teamed up with the director of Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle, to compose the score of127 Hours.

He has received two of India's highest national civilian honours for his contribution to music and was recently asked to compose and sing the Commonwealth Games theme song, O Yaaro, India bula liya, which has received a lukewarm response.

A number of Hollywood and Bollywood movies have featured his music, including Inside Man and Lagaan, and he also contributed to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bombay Dreams and the stage production of The Lord of the Rings.

Sam Hendrikse, chief executive of Hunta Live, who are bringing Rahman to the country, said that he was an amazing entertainer who fused Hollywood and Bollywood.

"Most importantly, it is 150 years since Indians arrived in South Africa, and Rahman was very keen to coincide his tour with the celebrations."

Avalon Group chief executive AB Moosa, who is assisting with the logistics, said it was an honour for South Africa to be hosting Rahman.

"We are delighted to be assisting with event planning, logistics, marketing and the like of Rahman's series of concerts in South Africa."

He said the event would be a "natural fit for us, especially as we celebrate 150 years of the arrival of Indians in SA".

Rahman will perform at Sun City Superbowl on November 20 before moving to Grand West in Cape Town on November 24 and Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on November 26.

A.R. Rahman Dazzles in Biggest Show Yet

By LISA TSERING  
Source: www.indiawest.com

OAKLAND, Calif. — A.R. Rahman’s latest show has all the gloss of a Las Vegas spectacular, with a global touch and a respectful nod to history.

The Oscar-winning composer’s live shows have always been must-see events, but this latest tour — titled “Jai Ho! The Journey Home” — marks a new high in terms of ambition and visual splendor. 

In two California appearances, Sept. 11 at the Los Angeles Forum (presented by Mehta Entertainment) and Sept. 12 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland (presented by Singh Entertainment), India’s top pop musician held forth as a hand-picked troupe of musicians and dancers performed songs from “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Guru,” “Rang De Basanti,” “Delhi-6,” “Dil Se,” “Jodha Akhbar,” “Zubeidaa,” “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa,” “Swades” and other films before a vast backdrop, as brilliantly colored projections played out above their heads.

After a pre-show performance by the local Bollywood dance troupe Project Pulse, the concert opened as a young hip-hop dancer, Malachai Cohen, danced on a circular raised stage that jutted out into the audience. His youthful, urban energy got the show off to an exciting start as he moved to “The journey home,” Rahman’s number from “Bombay Dreams.”

As the band pounded out the thrilling intro to “Slumdog’s” “O saya,” Rahman himself made his grand entrance atop a towering staircase, accompanied by dancers of all races in Sufi dervish costumes and dressed as Hindu gods — and typical of show director Amy Tinkham’s “more is more” approach, female singers in outlandishly opulent peacock-toned dresses added their voices to the mix.

Other high points in the show included a dhol solo by noted Japanese American percussionist Taku Hirano; a demonstration of the Indian martial art kalari payat to go along with a muscular song from “Dil Se,” and several songs by dynamic male vocalists Vijai Prakash (a spitting image of Shaan, with just as much charisma and an impressive set of pipes), frequent Rahman collaborators Blaaze and Benny Dayal, and Malayalam composer-singer Alfons Joseph.

Shweta Pandit, Neeti Mohan and other top-notch Indian vocalists and Western and Indian musicians rounded out the supporting lineup.

Rahman sang a novel, but moving, duet of “Rang De Basanti’s” “Lukka chuppi” with a gigantic projection of Lata Mangeshkar; and guest star Hariharan — who has joined Rahman on nearly every one of his stage shows — appeared with the maestro once again, on several gorgeous songs including “Roja’s” powerful “Bharat humko jaan se.”

A parade of colorfully costumed musicians and dancers brought life to the title track of “Rang De Basanti,” and a female vocalist sang the haunting “Latika’s theme” from “Slumdog Millionaire” as an acrobat performed a suspended dance within a pale lavender aerial curtain high above her head.

Later, there were more fireworks as the dancers writhed and thrashed on a metal cage suspended from the ceiling, to another “Slumdog” track, the electrifying “Escape.” Neeti Mohan and Vijai Prakash got the chance to shine with “Irumbilaye oru” and “Oh baby” from Rahman’s latest release, “Robot,” and she teamed with Pandit again on “Slumdog’s” saucy “Ringa ringa.”

Although Rahman offered up a selection of Bollywood hits, he was careful to balance out the set list with a few South Indian songs, such as “Urvashi” (“Premikudu”), “Say na na” (a Tamil song he used in “Couples Retreat”) and others.

The most engaging moments in the three-hour show came during an “unplugged” segment, as the singers, tabla player Aditya Kalyanpur, sitarist Assad Khan and other artists, gifted us with a medley of classically-influenced pieces. Rahman’s powerful version of the Sufi-inspired “Khwaja mere khwaja” and Harshdeep Kaur’s devotional Sikh number added depth as well.

Rahman’s live performances have always been highly collaborative, as he’s toured with many of India’s leading musicians and vocalists. Here, he stepped into the spotlight as he’s never done before, with the lead vocals on many of the songs. But despite his myriad costume changes and the extreme staging, Rahman still displayed a shy demeanor — his between-song patter was limited to brief comments like “I love you, too!”

He closed out the show with “Jai ho” and his perennial closing number, “Ma tujhe salaam.”

Amy Tinkham, the “Jai Ho” tour’s creative director, has masterminded concerts for artists as varied as Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Madonna and Kenny Ortega’s “American Dance.” She told India-West in Oakland that the entire team was glad to be back in the U.S. on tour since reworking the show after a stage mishap in Detroit in June. Rahman also performed some European dates over the summer.

“Our first show was last night in L.A. Everybody was so ready,” she said.

“It’s a great gift to work with an artist like Rahman with such a body of work,” Tinkham added. “He’s everything to everybody. I just wanted to do him justice, making the show fluid, like a journey — not just song after song after song.

“Since he is a composer for films, the show had to have that vast scale of composition to it,” she said. “It’s about a merging of cultures.”

Singh Entertainment will next present Falguni Pathak at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds Oct. 30. For information, visit www.singhentertainment.com.

For information on upcoming shows presented by Mehta Entertainment,

visit www.mehtaentertainment.com

Rahman combines Jai Ho, Maa Tujhe Salaam for CWG

Rahman will receive the award from Congress President Sonia Gandhi at a function that is to be held at the Rama Krishna Mission Ashram in Narayanpur, Chattisgarh on October 31st.