Shankar Mahadevan once sang three songs for AR Rahman in one night.
Shankar Mahadevan and AR Rahman have worked together in various films down South like Kandukonden Kandukonden and Alaipayuthey.
AR Rahman is considered a legend in the field of music. He has not only earned name in Bollywood but has also given innumerable melodious songs in South Indian film industry. The music maestro has been a source of inspiration for many young and upcoming musicians. He has given music to some of the most iconic movies like Dil Se, Rang De Basanti, Roja, Bombay, OK Kanman, Rockstar etc. He is highly respected in the industry, and people are often found praising him for his abilities. Recently another music genius Shankar Mahadevan also talked about AR Rahman in an interview.
Mahadevan called Rahman the “rocket” in South Indian films and said that the Hindi film industry was not brave enough to accept that kind of music in the South. In an interview with O2 India, Shankar said, “He (AR Rahman) is more daring, he is more free, like in the open, when he is in the south when he is composing for a Tamil film. I don’t even know whether producers in Hindi cinema would be brave enough to accept such songs or not. So he has a bit of a cushion when it comes to Hindi. But when he comes to Tamil composes, which of course gets dubbed in Telugu and other languages, it’s like a rocket.”
Mahadevan said that working with the Mozart of Madras has been very special for him. He said that it was because of directors Rajeev Menon and AR Rahman that he could get his first National Award through a Tamil film. He said that he sang three songs for Rahman in one night, and it proved to be a turning point in his career. He further added that after that he got a lot of recognition from the Tamil audience as well, and thanked Rahman for offering him work in the Tamil film industry.
Shankar and Rahman have collaborated in various music albums in the South such as Kandukonden Kandukonden and Alaipayuthe.