Did AR Rahman Work On Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar For Free? Imtiaz Ali Says ‘Big Guys Never…’ – News18

Ranbir Kapoor-led Rockstar is touted by many as one of Imtiaz Ali’s most prominent films. Besides its gripping storyline and Ranbir Kapoor‘s stellar performance, another memorable aspect of the film is its soundtrack. Ace composer A R Rahman had worked on the music of the film. In a new interview, Imtiaz Ali recalls his first meetings with the composer and reveals some new details about the film.

Speaking to Roshan Abbas, Imtiaz said that he and Rehman were supposed to collaborate for Jab We Met or Love Aaj Kal. However, the composer didn’t seem too interested and instead, kept asking about Rockstar. Imtiaz added that Rehman did the initial work on Rockstar free of charge.

Imtiaz said, “UTV was supposed to produce the film, and they were working with Rahman on Rang De Basanti. That’s how I got the approach. They said, ‘Rahman kya bolta hai kya nahi bolta kuch samajh nahi aata, if he’s committing or not committing, but you go meet him’.”

Imtiaz added that during his meeting with Rehman, the director stopped the narration halfway and instead, recited a poem about love to the composer. “I knew right there that I had him,” Imtiaz said.

The director said, “Then he started making the music, but the film didn’t get made that time.” “He did some sessions, no charge, no nothing. Big guys never talk about money. Hardly anybody that I’ve admired in this line of work has spoken about money,” Imtiaz added. This was the time when John Abraham was cast as the rockstar Jordan.

The film was eventually released on November 11, 2012, with Ranbir Kapoor as the lead, more than five years after Imtiaz and Rahman’s first meeting. The film also marked Nargis Fakhri’s acting debut and went on to become one of the biggest hits in Imtiaz’s career.