That Indian music maestro A R Rahman always coveted the prestigious Oscars is further borne by writer-director Krishna Shah.
Remember Shah, he made the first Holly-Bolly film in 1978 called Shalimar that starred Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman with Rex Harrison, John Saxon and Julia Miles? Well, unknown to many even in Bollywood is that Shah is an Oscars jury member.
And that he met Rahman three years ago in LA when the latter was doing shows. Shah, who has made several low budget films abroad since Shalimar, wanted Rahman to score the music for his script Baiju The Gypsy. “But Rahman was short of time,” Shah told BT. “Yet, he made a deal with me; if I took him to the Oscar Awards, he would give me three hours to narrate my script. I convinced my wife (who had bought a special gown for the evening) to stay home and instead took Rahman along for the event!”
The story doesn’t end there. For Shah revealed, “Rahman had smuggled in a camera and kept clicking away during the awards presentation. I was mortified. I feared we would be caught. Then, during the intermission, Rahman spotted a huge statue of the Oscar. He stood next to it and asked me to take his picture. Which I obliged.
And Rahman remarked, even while mailing this picture to his family in Chennai, that one year he would take the real Oscar home.” Now that Rahman has actually been nominated for the Academy Awards for his music in Slumdog Millionaire, Shah is delighted to see the India music genius’ secret ambition bearing fruit. “It took him three years and now he has the opportunity to take three Oscars home,” added Shah.
Remember Shah, he made the first Holly-Bolly film in 1978 called Shalimar that starred Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman with Rex Harrison, John Saxon and Julia Miles? Well, unknown to many even in Bollywood is that Shah is an Oscars jury member.
And that he met Rahman three years ago in LA when the latter was doing shows. Shah, who has made several low budget films abroad since Shalimar, wanted Rahman to score the music for his script Baiju The Gypsy. “But Rahman was short of time,” Shah told BT. “Yet, he made a deal with me; if I took him to the Oscar Awards, he would give me three hours to narrate my script. I convinced my wife (who had bought a special gown for the evening) to stay home and instead took Rahman along for the event!”
The story doesn’t end there. For Shah revealed, “Rahman had smuggled in a camera and kept clicking away during the awards presentation. I was mortified. I feared we would be caught. Then, during the intermission, Rahman spotted a huge statue of the Oscar. He stood next to it and asked me to take his picture. Which I obliged.
And Rahman remarked, even while mailing this picture to his family in Chennai, that one year he would take the real Oscar home.” Now that Rahman has actually been nominated for the Academy Awards for his music in Slumdog Millionaire, Shah is delighted to see the India music genius’ secret ambition bearing fruit. “It took him three years and now he has the opportunity to take three Oscars home,” added Shah.
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