“I'm Really Proud Of The Fact That This Is Probably The Biggest Movie I've Ever Done In My Career”: AR Rahman On The Scale Of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana & Collaborating With Hans Zimmer

AR Rahman Talks About Shaping The Soundtrack Of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana & Working Alongside Hans Zimmer

From sleeping just four hours a night to traveling across five cities and teaming up with Hans Zimmer, AR Rahman opens up about the massive journey behind Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana.

Mumbai: The excitement around Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming Ramayana has been at an all-time high, and music maestro AR Rahman’s latest insights only prove why this is setting up to be a global spectacle like no other. For Rahman, who has spent three and a half years pouring his heart into the project, working on Ramayana has been an experience unmatched in his legendary career. Backed by producer Namit Malhotra, the magnum opus brings together the powerhouse duo of AR Rahman and Hollywood visionary Hans Zimmer, with a stellar star cast featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana.

Talking about the sheer scale of the project, Rahman admitted that this is new territory even for a global icon like him. "This is the most exciting project I’ve ever worked on. I've never done such a big movie ever in my life," gushed Rahman. With nearly 70 percent of the album already out, including the powerful track ‘Jai Jai Ram’, fans are already hooked, but Rahman promises that the best is yet to come as the film approaches its release. “It's a good time now, because we worked on this for almost three and a half years. And now, it's nice to see the response. ‘Jai Jai Ram’ is out, and almost 70 percent of the album is released. We have some surprises coming up next."

The musical powerhouse was also blown away by the visual scale of the film, crafted by DNEG, one of the co-production banners behind the project. “Their work is extraordinary. I just saw some footage, the first two reels. I was blown away,” he shared.

A major highlight of the film’s music is Rahman’s long-awaited collaboration with Hans Zimmer. Their bond dates back to 2009, leading up to Zimmer inviting Rahman to perform at the Oscars in 2012. When the duo reunited to craft the soundscape for Ramayana, the energy in the studio was electric. "There was a very friendly vibe when I went back to his studio. He was very excited that finally we were working together," Rahman recalls, sharing that their sessions took them across London, Los Angeles, and Abu Dhabi. Pointing out the globe-trotting nature of their work, he adds, “Quite a lot of work has gone into this movie. When you see it, you’ll understand.”

Creating a soundtrack of this magnitude was an intense, grueling process of trial and triumph. "Sometimes we had to go through 13 different iterations to come back to the second or the first iteration," he reveals. "It's a process which was a bit exhausting, but gratifying in the end."

Managing music across multiple dubs, languages, and evolving visual effects came with its own set of challenges, but Rahman chose to embrace the complex process. "Because there are so many different levels of creative things being done in the CG, different languages and different versions of the movie." He adds, "I remember thinking that I should be a part and help this whole process rather than become an obstruction and complaining. I'll help to ease the process."

The last three months were particularly intense for the composer, involving non-stop travel and sleepless nights. "Sometimes we slept for three hours, four hours. We've been traveling to Los Angeles, London, Budapest, Mumbai and Chennai—these five different places constantly scoring."

Despite the grueling schedule, Rahman feels immense pride in bringing Indian culture to the world stage on an unprecedented scale. "I'm really proud of the fact that this is probably the biggest movie I've ever done in my career. And it looks incredibly good. I'm really proud that we are able to take a culture from this land to present to the world where Sony is distributing 70,000 screens for the first time...and I'm a part of it."

As Rahman prepares to take the stage for his Wonderment tour in Mumbai on November 1 and New Delhi on November 21, the excitement around his latest work continues to build. Having already integrated music from Chhaava into his setlists, fans can now look forward to experiencing the sound of Ramayana live.

When asked to sum up what audiences can expect from the film’s music, Rahman broke into a grin with a simple promise: "Epic. Really epic."