AR Rahman recently revealed that he does not like modern filmmakers remaking good old songs and calling it a “reimagination” to justify the act. He believes there should be some ethics in any work, and the particular actor never makes sense to him.
AR Rahman told The Week that he follows certain ethics, which he believes are universal for any work. The Academy Award-winning composer stated that there is no sense in rehashing a song from a movie after six years of its release and justifying the act by saying it is a reimagination. “You can’t reimagine people’s work without their permission,” he emphasized.
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He further added that while people are free to share remade tracks on social media, they should refrain from making them overly popular. He also expressed concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence in the industry, warning that it could lead to significant challenges in the future. The composer pointed out that by utilizing AI, creators often bypass compensating the original artists whose styles they are imitating in their work. He highlighted that this practice raises serious ethical dilemmas and could potentially threaten job security for many individuals in the industry.
AR Rahman acknowledged that while AI can be beneficial in mastering songs, the actual process of creating music still demands a human element and a thoughtful approach. He believes that in the future, audiences will be drawn to authentic musicians who perform live, accompanied only by their guitars, instead of relying solely on digital production.
During the same discussion, he also explained his decision to use AI to recreate the voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed. He shared that Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth requested a folk voice for a song in ‘Lal Salaam‘, which inspired him to seek a sound reminiscent of Shahul’s. They reached out to the families of the deceased singers and ensured they were compensated fairly for the use of their voices.
AR Rahman worked with Dhanush for ‘Raayan’ and is currently collaborating with Mani Ratnam for ‘Thug Life’.
