'Ma'am Aap Aisa Gaa...' Anuradha Paudwal On 'Chhota Bachcha' AR Rahman's Teaching Approach

Singer Anuradha Paudwal in a recent interview talked about her association with music maestro AR Rahman and how he is like an innocent kid during song recording.

In an interview with O2 India, Anuradha talked about working with AR Rahman on the 1998 film Doli Saja Ke Rakhna where she sang “Kissa Hum Likhenge” and “Kismat Se Tum Hum Ko Mile” from the 2000 film Pukar

.

Calling AR Rahman, one of the “finest music directors”, she said, “Music is like light – when you switch it on, then every corner brightens. I have seen that in Rahman ji. It is not about only his own work, he wants people around him also to prosper. They should also do well in music.”

She further recalled AR Rahman’s teaching approach, “I was in his studio once and I saw a very young girl was in his recording session. She was singing beautifully, with every expression and note. He was telling the girl, ‘Ma’am aap aisa gaa rahi hain, aur aisa chahiye

.’ That’s a very big art.”

© Instagram/Anuradha Paudwal

She added, “To be able to tell you what they want and what you are not doing, people are not able to express that. Yeh theek nahi aa raha hai, yeh bolte hain, but theek kya nahi hai? Singer can correct only if you tell exactly what is going wrong. That is a very rare quality I saw in his studio.”

The veteran further recalled the time she sang for AR Rahman in Doli Saja Ke Rakhna

and revealed that Srinidhi and Hiral Viradia, who are trained singers, also joined her in the studio, “That’s unusual. In my entire experience, she was the only recordist who I saw was singing alongside. When I asked her, she said that I like singing but I am not a singer. She was so professional. He nurtures everyone so painstakingly. People need to know this side of AR Rahman.”

She further added, “The children who qualify from his school have another level of preparation. Normal people don’t know all this. He is a very nice and humble person. He has touched such heights, in spite of that, ek chota innocent school ke bachche ki tarah hain. Very down to earth, no hanky panky or manipulation. He is very simple, which is so rare. This quality mirrors in the compositions that he does. That’s why the general public immediately connects to his songs.”

Anuradha Paudwal recently sang the reprised version of “Tumhe Apna Banane” for Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video.