'The player defines what the instrument does'

Standing in the lift at DY Patil Stadium with AR Rahman we were a little surprised and at a loss for words when sitarist Asad Khan introduced us to him When we asked Rahman what he thought about this young musician he looked at us in surprise ldquoYoung This guy is 55rdquo he said his face breaking into a broad smile Now it was our turn to look surprised The playfulness of Rahman mdash a diminutive looking man mdash as well as his shyness is very apparent in the first few minutes of meeting him He is also literally a man of few words as we discovered during the course of the interview Khan meanwhile seemed a jovial extroverted person Not the regular stuff Rahman and Khan who is actually 29 started working with each other about seven years ago Their first collaborative project was for the film Jodhaa Akbar ldquoI needed a sitar player to do the background score But I didnrsquot even know who he was Someone told me this is Ustad Siraj Khanrsquos son and that is how it startedrdquo says Rahman ldquoWhen we started composing Asad came in and started jamming with me I realised he was approaching the sitar differently He was pushing the limitsrdquo the Mozart of Madras recalls Khan recalls an even earlier association with the maestro ldquoHe heard my tapes and he called me for Yuva 2004 and even for Guru 2007 I would visit whenever he would record in Mumbai which was very rare But the first project we officially worked was about five years back and that was on Jodhaa Akbarrdquo he says adding that he was initially very skeptical about working in films AR Rahman at a performance for Germany and India 20112012 Infinite Opportunities u00a0Pic courtesy Germany and India 20112012 Infinite Opportunities ldquoAfter learning under my fatherrsquos tutelage and practising for 18 hours everyday when I began looking for work I met composers who wanted the sitar to sound traditional and melancholic So I wasnrsquot inclined towards films When I met Rahman I started playing the regular stuff which every composer seemed to want But he said he didnrsquot want that He asked me to play what I likedrdquo says Khan ldquoYes I asked him to play freely There are certain set ragas in classical music but you can work around them His innovations sounded good and I called him again for Slumdog Millionairerdquo shares Rahman It was a first for Khan because like he says ldquoVery few music composers give you that kind of freedom For Jodhaa Akbar he said lsquoThis is your baby Look at Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and playrsquo I couldnrsquot have been happierrdquo he smiles Sitar for Latika Talking about working on the film Slumdog Millionaire Khan says Rahman told him he wanted the sitar to appeal to the youth ldquoHe didnrsquot tell me he was recording the sitar for Slumdog Millionaire He only said it is a Hollywood film so eat well and comerdquo he says breaking into a laugh ldquoWhen I entered the studio he showed me a clip of a girl running from CST station and he told me he wanted a sitar to accompany it I was shocked A girl running on a crowded station with goons behind her and Rahman wanted a sitar melody So we used the sitar in a fast tempo It usually starts slowly with the alaap but Rahman uses what concerts end with mdash the jhaala which is the fastest piece in classical musicrdquo explains Khan ldquoI only asked him to play faster and faster It worked greatrdquo adds Rahman Khan interrupts to add ldquoWhen we recorded the track and got audience feedback no one believed it was actually played live They thought it was tweaked or worked upon in the studio Nobody uses sitar the way Rahman does No one starts pieces on that tempo Director Danny Boyle couldnrsquot believe sitar could be used like that He was very happy he even said that in some interviews in UKrdquo says Khan Ask Rahman if he was the only one who used the sitar extensively with the piano and made it popular in Bollywood and he says ldquoI donrsquot think of it that way But it is true that the sitar has always been associated with sadness which is most unfortunate It is a beautiful instrument and there are people like Khan who play it differentlyrdquo Global appeal We asked Rahman how the sitar fits into Western music After all he has also used Khan in symphony orchestras and Classic Incantations a tribute by the German Film Orchestra Bablesberg to Rahmanrsquos music in January ldquoI would not say specifically western music but I think it has a big appeal People who are passionate about their music and instrument can change the way it sounds Look at what U Srinivasan did with the mandolin Itrsquos the player who defines what his instrument does Of course there are dos and donrsquots of playing an instrument but the player does what he can with it by working around itrdquo says Rahman The duo plans to collaborate in the future but no onersquos giving any details away Khan says he is just plain grateful to Rahman for the chance hersquos been given ldquoHe gave me a chance to play at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2010 and that was one of the most memorable events of my life I think I am the first sitarist in the world to give a tribute to Michael Jackson I sat next to Herbie Hancock who is considered the king of piano in the world I was playing Rahman was singing to my piece and Hancock was playing for me It felt like I was up in the stars That felt like the most important moment of my liferdquo Khan signs offu00a0