Slumdog Millionaire
Variety Of Good Music
In composing the music for acclaimed director Danny Boyles intoxicating
new film Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman has conjured the sound of a
city, fusing the frenetic scramble of daily life in Mumbai, India into beautiful
fugues that ride upon the dust clouds kicked up by its everyday people.
From the movies first frames --- with children racing through alleyways,
knocking over merchants and pottery, police kicking loose clay roof tiles,
disrupted birds fluttering from gutters -- we hear the sound of their
commotion made manifest in O... Saya. Its a rumbling hybrid of Bollywood
and hip-hop, a brand new collaboration between Rahman and M.I.A. Its
the kind of cinematic moment where image and sound coexist. And thats
only the first five minutes. Filmed in the streets and slums of Mumbai,
India, Boyle needed just the right music to compliment the films cinema
verité urban realism. He turned to internationally renowned composer A.R.
Rahman (a huge star in South Asia--selling more than 100 million albums
worldwide and 200 million cassettes--Rahman is one of the worlds top 25
all-time top selling recording artists.) The films score is central to the
propulsive modern grit that pervades the story, but is also a nod to classic

Bollywood productions where the music is front and center. And loud. Says
Rahman, We wanted it edgy, upfront. Danny wanted it loud. M.I.A.s
appreciation for Bollywood music led her to record much of last years Kala
inside A.R. Rahmans studio in India, although the two had never worked
together until now. Referring to him in URB magazine as the Indian
Timbaland, M.I.A. obviously jumped at the chance to work on O... Saya
with the famed composer. Rahman says, Shes a real powerhouse.
Somebody played me her CD and I thought, `Who is this girl? She came
here and knew all my work, had followed my work for ages. I said, `Cut the
crap, this my idol crap. You have to teach me. M.I.A. crops up again, later
in the film, with the remix of her worldwide hit Paper Planes seemingly
made for Slumdog, as the lyrics pronounce, Sometimes I feel like sitting on
trains... while a light blue locomotive chugs and hurls its way through India,
young boys perched up top in the sepia sunlight scoping out for a scrap of
food. Other songs on the soundtrack include Gangsta Blues, featuring hip-
hop artist BlaaZe, which flutters with the rhythms of a film projector,
capturing a bit of the madness of crowds as they disperse in a thousand
directions to escape the claustrophobia of back alleys. And nothing quite
prepares you for the triumphant climax, the overarching ode to joy that is
Jai Ho, closing out the film in a rousing sing-a-long thats had film
audiences burst into spontaneous applause. As Rahman told Variety, The
energy of the film takes you through a roller coaster, and thats one of the
main inspirations for the whole music.
Personal Review: Slumdog Millionaire
Many of the songs are quick tempo and PERFECT for the gym. MIA's two
versions of PAPER PLANES are excellent for cardio or long car rides. The
soundtrack transitions into more serene music with Latika's song, an
entrancing lulliby-esque song that is absolutely mesmerizing- no words just
humming.
I judge CDs by the number of good songs on it. If there are 5 or less, I buy
only the MP3/iTunes version. If there are 8 or more, I buy the CD. This
time I went for the CD and it was completely worth it.
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