A.R
Rahman
who
turned
43
on
Jan
6,
has
won
The
Golden
Globe
Award
for
his
music
in
Slumdog
Millionaire,
the
first
Indian
musician
to
do
so.
Bringing
you
excerpts
from
the
interview
he
gave
to
Subhash
K
Jha
before
he
left
for
the
Golden
Globe.
I
don't
think
any
Indian
musician
has
won
the
Golden
Globe
award?
That's
good.
I
see
it
as
an
honour
for
India,
not
just
for
me.
More
to
come,
hopefully.
The
Golden
Globe
is
seen
as
a
precursor
to
the
Oscars.
Let's
hope
so.
I've
my
fingers
crossed.
When
a
film
and
my
music
get
acceptance,
it's
the
equivalent
of
an
Oscar
for
me.
For
the
people
of
India
to
get
an
Oscar
is
a
big
thing.
So
for
their
sake
more
than
mine,
I
hope
my
song
'Jai
Ho'
and
my
music
score
in
Slumdog
Millionaire
win
the
Oscar.
Freida
Pinto
says
of
the
4
Golden
Globe
Nominations
for
Slumdog
Millionaire,
yours
makes
her
the
proudest.
That's
really
sweet
of
her.
I
was
in
LA
to
have
lunch
with
all
the
panel
members
of
the
Oscars.
Also,
to
do
press
meets
and
promotion
for
Slumdog
Millionaire
which
is
getting
a
terrific
response
in
LA.
You
know
some
critics
in
the
US
say
it's
one
of
the
best
films
they've
ever
seen.
It's
not
just
about
my
music.
It's
the
way
the
director
Danny
Boyle
has
put
together
the
film.
Please
explain.
The
throbbing
pulse
of
Mumbai
is
superbly
captured
in
the
film.
Slumdog
Millionaire
(SM)
is
about
suffering,
hope
and
redemption.
If
my
music
in
SM
has
made
an
impact
in
the
West,
it's
because
it's
projected
so
effectively.
Though
some
of
the
songs
are
in
Hindi,
nobody
complained
about
them
being
boring
or
incomprehensible.
'Jai
Ho',
the
song
that
has
been
nominated
for
the
Golden
Globe,
'O
Saya'
and
'Ringa
Ringa'
which
is
influenced
by
'Choli
Ke
Peeche'
are
in
a
foreign
language
for
them.
But
the
Americans
love
it.
Were
you
in
the
US
to
lobby
for
the
Oscar
for
'Jai
Ho'?
It's
not
about
lobbying.
It's
about
letting
the
jury
members
meet
you,
get
to
know
you
and
decide
if
the
person
behind
the
creation
is
worth
putting
a
vote
for.
As
an
artiste
I
need
to
be
recognized
on
a
human
level.
So
I
needed
to
go
to
Hollywood
with
my
song
'Jai
Ho'.
I
met
all
the
top
Hollywood
soundtrack
composers
like
Hans
Zimmer,
Howard
Shore
and
Danny
Elfman.
And
what
did
they
have
to
say
about
your
music?
They
had
genuinely
warm
comments
for
my
music
in
Slumdog
Millionaire.
At
first
I
thought
they
were
just
being
sweet
and
polite.
You
know,
LA
is
a
kind
of
place
where
people
in
the
entertainment
industry
say
a
lot
of
things
they
don't
mean.
So
I
double-checked.
And
these
big
guns
in
Hollywood
really
meant
it.
I
think
they
love
the
Mumbai
that
they've
seen
in
the
film.
And
Danny
has
made
terrific
use
of
my
music.
The
way
he
has
mixed
my
songs,
they're
full-on,
like
a
discotheque.
Has
Mumbai's
image
suffered
a
setback
in
the
US
after
26/11?
Everyone
is
a
bit
shaken.
Security
has
been
tightened
even
more
in
the
US.
That's
what
I
was
subjected
to
in
every
hotel
that
I
went.
Everyone
has
to
be
more
careful.
There's
a
little
bit
of
negativity
about
what
happened.
But
the
way
they
look
at
India,
our
music
and
cinema
is
very
positive.
You
sound
really
upbeat.
The
image
of
Mumbai
is
still
intact.
Slumdog
Millionaire
has
promoted
Mumbai
tourism
to
a
great
extent.
I
don't
think
any
city
in
the
world
has
been
portrayed
as
vibrantly
as
Mumbai.
I
got
the
right
vibes
in
LA.
A
lot
of
people
want
to
come
to
India
to
collaborate
in
our
entertainment
industry.
Akon
and
Nelly
Furtado
are
interested.
We
just
have
need
to
carry
it
forward.
Story first published: Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 16:14 [IST]