Mani Ratnam's magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan: 2 is set to take a huge opening when the film releases worldwide on April 28. The upcoming film is the sequel to the 2022 blockbuster, Ponniyin Selvan: 1, and features music composed by Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman. Having been one of the most successful combinations in the history of Indian cinema, both Mani Ratnam and A. R. Rahman sat down for an exclusive interview with National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus, to talk about the Ponniyin Selvan films from conception to execution for the big screen medium, while also opening up on their journey and their collaborations over the years.
During the conversation, A. R. Rahman explained the accessibility of his songs and said, "You know that simplicity... that's what will catch with people. But, dumbing down everything to what they need or what they want will bring you down also. Somewhere you need to play a balance. Oh, they want six-eight of them? Okay, we'll give that and we'll also have this one. I can easily do six to eight songs for a popular hero, but then where am I as a composer? I'm just catering to what they want. They put my name, they know that he's going to do something. If I don't do that, ten years from now, they're going to abuse me like, 'what did he do? (He) just took money and did something.' So, I have a kind of a responsibility I feel within me which doesn't come deliberately, but it's naturally, involuntarily. There might be something which my heart doesn't allow me to go to that extent, but I can go."
Talking about the 'Simtaangaran' track in 'Thalapathy' Vijay's Sarkar (2018) and the negative feedback it received at the time, A. R. Rahman said, "I got abused (laughing). Me and Vivek (lyricist), both of us got abused. And, then it did 50 or 100 million (views on YouTube)." Explaining the reason for the abuse on social media, the composer said, "They (fans) expected 'dandanakka' straight away. And, when you go away from it, their expectations are not matched. I think it was the wrong song to release at that time. Sometimes we have to see..."
Watch Mani Ratnam and A. R. Rahman in conversation with Baradwaj Rangan below:
