Imtiaz Ali reveals AR Rahman works till 4:30 AM

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali praised A. R. Rahman’s relentless passion for music on Indian Idol, recalling late-night studio sessions and their five-film collaboration. Ali said his admiration has grown, highlighting Rahman’s dedication, creativity, and timeless songs like “Aazma Le” from Taxi No. 9211

Mumbai: Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali opened up about his deep admiration for music maestro A. R. Rahman during a heartfelt conversation on the stage of music reality show Indian Idol. The age filmmaker also highlighted how relentlessly the music maestro works for sheer love of music, till the wee of hours.

Imtiaz Ali also gave fans a glimpse into Rahman’s relentless dedication towards music, recalling a recent late-night work session at the composer’s studio. “Aur jis tarah se, I think kal raat ko hum kaam kar rahe the, yesterday I was at your studio sir 4:30 in the morning.” (And the way… I think we were working last night. Yesterday, I was at your studio, sir, till 4:30 in the morning.) Adding a light-hearted touch to the conversation, A. R. Rahman joked, “For the first time I felt sleepy.”

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While interacting with the duo, host Harsh Limbachiyaa praised their magical collaborations and said, “Imtiaz sir, aapne aur Rehman sir ne, I think yeh 5th film hai aapke collaboration mein. Kya kehna chahoge Rehman sir ke liye? Kyuki kya jaadu create hota hai sir aap dono jab bhi aate ho, aisa lagta hai ki yaar abhi sukoon mein guzrenge, yehi gaane sunte rahenge.” (Imtiaz sir, I think this is the 5th film in your collaboration with Rehman sir. What would you like to say about him? Because whenever the two of you come together, you create such magic. It feels like we could just stay in that peaceful mood forever, listening to these songs continuously).

Responding to the compliment, Imtiaz Ali said, “Yeh jaadu pehle se hi create ho raha hai. Inhone intazam nahi kiya tha ki jab main aaunga tab yeh jaadu ka creation shuru hoga. Pehle gaane se ab tak har gaana kuch naya hota hai.” (This magic has been getting created from the very beginning itself. It’s not like he planned that the magic would start only when I came along. From the very first song till now, every song has been something new.) The filmmaker further expressed how his admiration for Rahman has only grown stronger over the years.

“Rehman sir ka fan jitna bada main pehle tha, yeh zarur keh sakta hoon ki unke saath paanch filmein karne ke baad main zyada bada fan ho gaya hoon.” (As big a fan as I was of Rehman sir earlier, I can definitely say that after doing five films with him, I’ve become an even bigger fan of his.)

Imtiaz Ali then continued praising the Oscar-winning composer’s passion for music and said, “But despite feeling sleepy, he would still get up and go to the keyboard. The love for the music, it’s so intense. I think with that kind of admiration, love for his art, it had to be like this with Rehman sir. And I am seeing every time I work with him, every day I work with him, I discover something new which I try to emulate. I am really grateful for this chance that I’ve got.”

The filmmaker also took a nostalgic turn while speaking about one of his personal favourites composed by Rahman.

“Mere liye ek waisa gaana hai, aapko maine pehle bola bhi tha, ‘Aazma Le’. Agar kisi ne woh gaana nichoda nahi hai, nichod ke piya nahi hai, toh mera yeh intaza hai ki please aap woh gaana sune. ‘Aazma Le’, ‘Aazma Le’, Taxi No. 9211, Shekhar ne gaya hua hai. Beautiful song.” (For me, there’s one such song I had mentioned it to you earlier as well ‘Aazma Le.’ If someone hasn’t truly absorbed that song and savoured every bit of it, then I would request them to please listen to it. ‘Aazma Le,’ from Taxi No. 9211, sung by Shekhar Ravjiani. It’s a beautiful song.