AR Rehman ties up with Zulfiqer Russell for song on Bangabandhu
Legendary Indian musician AR Rehman has tied up with Bangladeshi lyricist Zulfiqer Russell on the theme songs of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. When asked about it, AR Rehman said, "I think it was a great honour that they thought about me and came all the way to India to do this. India and Bangladesh have always had a very special relationship. We share the language - Bengali. We share a bond, a culture."
AR Rehman further said that the aspect he focused on was trying to be more sensitive towards what instrument he is using, which melody he is choosing. Especially while singing in Bengali, there were a lot of back and forth iterations on pronunciation. So, he and Zulfiqer Russell wanted to make sure that they did it right. A Rehman stated that Zulfiqer Russell came to Chennai. He was here for a week. AR Rehman met Zulfiqer Russell and it was nice to have Zulfiqer Russell in Chennai for the recording so that they could share the stuff and respond to it.
AR Rehman added that "We all know from history that so many of our thinkers and intellectuals have come from the region of Bengal. I studied some of them in Islam and we all share a common bond between the cultures. And singing in Bengali... I think the sound of the language is very sweet. Like people call it the French of India; how French is very sweet. Bengali has got a beautiful flavour and any song sounds more sweeter. I am very grateful for the love I have always received from the people of Bangladesh and the least I can do is make a song that they can all cherish. I hope they like it."