AR Rahman gets his act together

For the first time in his illustrious career A R Rahman is making a concerted effort to get over his habitually leisurely pace of work. At this very moment he is recording the much-delayed background score for Abbas Tyrewala's Jhootha Hi Sahi while performing live in the US.

Driven into a corner by the constant criticism about the slow pace of his work Rahman is for the first combining studio recording with his stage concerts. Earlier he had said to me, "I will be off for my world tour for a major part of 2010. I hope to complete all my studio work by then."

Last week, Rahman delivered the songs of Jhootha Hi Sahi after much pursuit. And the team heaved a sigh of relief. The formal music launch of Jhootha Hi Sahi has now been locked in. Last week, Tyrewala flew to Los Angeles to get the music done. Tyrewala has flown to cities in three continents to get the music of Jhootha Hi Sahi into place.

Says a source close to Jhootha Hi Sahi, "Abbas had to go to LA for the background music. There was no choice. After recording the songs Rahman left for his concerts in the US. If you want the best, you've to make an effort for it. It's normal procedure for filmmakers with Rahman to go wherever he calls them. He is very busy and we've to be where his work takes him. We've recorded the songs in London and Chennai. Now we're recording the background music in LA."

Abbas Tyrewala confirms from LA that Rahman is indeed moonlighting with music. "Rahman's concerts in the US were postponed because of technical glitches. They were pushed to September. Rahman had no choice but to leave. And since my film is on the verge of release, I'm here in LA to get the background music."