One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film review:
One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film star cast: AR Rahman
One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film director: Ym Movies
One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film star rating: 3
Not long ago, Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman found himself in the middle of a controversy after many of his fans apparently walked out of his concert at Wembley in London titled ‘Netru, Indru, Naalai.’ It seems that many fans were upset because Tamil songs outnumbered Hindi songs.
‘One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film’ seems to be an attempt to give the audience a ringside view of what goes into making a live show. He has churned out so many blockbuster songs in the last 25 years in various languages and genres, some fans from his concert may go home dejected because Rahman did not perform their favourite ones. Rahman admits that putting together a setlist is one of the major challenges of his band. However, after watching this documentary, viewers may understand that there are only so many songs he could perform at once at a concert.
The documentary opens with an old television interview of Rahman, a beginner with a lot of dreams in eyes. But the focus of narration immediately shifts on the brand of music that has been dominating the world ever since he made his debut with 1992 film Roja. We get to learn very little about the mind that creates this timeless music but more about Rahman’s cross-cultural band. The documentary is made on Rahman’s The Intimate Concert Tour. The 10-member band performed some all time-blockbusters of Rahman in 14 cities in 2015.
The mood in the auditorium is infectious as the audience erupts in joy every time Rahman grabs the mic to sing or performs a solo on his piano. People who never had the opportunity to witness Rahman’s live performance can get an idea as to how it feels to be present in one of his concerts. Music lovers are in for a treat. While the audience who go to theatres hoping to see the unseen side of music maestro may feel a bit let down.
The documentary hardly moves away from the stage, where some of the brightest minds in the world of music are at work exploring the various possibilities and delivering more enthralling versions of Rahman’s evergreen songs.
We also get to see, a handful of off-stage life of Rahman, including his holiday with his family, club hopping, his video-call with his daughter when he is flying in a hot-air balloon. And, this leaves us wanting for more.
“When I started out, I was terrified to go on stage… I was afraid the sound, which I worked on for months and months, would get messed up… I would have sleepless nights,” says Rahman recalling his feelings during early days of his career. One Heart: The AR Rahman Concert Film gives a sneak peek into the life’s journey of the Mozart of Madras, who has gone from a terrified musician to a music mogul who has conquered fans transcending the geographical boundaries.
