Now Reading: Sony labels fought over AR Rahman’s Maa Tujhe Salaam rights
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Sony labels fought over AR Rahman’s Maa Tujhe Salaam rights
AR Rahman first presented 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' at a Sony Music event in Manila, Philippines, recalls Sony Music India President Shridhar Subramaniam. About 200 senior executives, initially cynical, were left 'flabbergasted' after…
The Story in Brief
AR Rahman first presented 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' at a Sony Music event in Manila, Philippines, recalls Sony Music India President Shridhar Subramaniam. About 200 senior executives, initially cynical, were left 'flabbergasted' after Rahman sang, even though none understood the lyrics.
The quality of the composition led Sony's labels Epic Records and Columbia Records to fight for release rights, with Columbia ultimately winning. The song later helped Rahman become a global sensation; he realised the scale of his international fan base during a promotional tour in Paris.
The Indian Opinion
This story quietly demolishes the lazy narrative that Indian music must ape Western forms to find global buyers. Here, a purely Hindi patriotic song left hardened international executives speechless, not because they understood a word, but because they felt its quality. The real test now is whether more Indian artists, without compromising on language or idiom, will get similar global backing from major labels.
Source: cinemaexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
